Safety Measures when buying Toddler Shoes

Proper toddler shoes is very important to ensure your little ones' safety as they learn to walk and run.

Here are some points to note on safety of children before you buy your child's footwear :

• Ensure that small items attached to the shoes are not easily detached or removed.  Small items such as buttons, buckles or any decorative items should not be easily detach from your child shoes as this poses a choking hazard to young children.

• Get the right shoes size 
  If shoes are too big, your child may be prone to tripping and falling down. If they are too small, his/her toes can be bent backwards and out of shape. There should be a neat fit of the heel into the back of your child’s shoe so that there is no movement there. Have your child walk up and down in the new shoes to check for comfortability and ensure that it is the right fit.

• Your toddler shoes should be easy to slip on but never slip-off 

• Make sure that the sole of the shoes are skid resistant 

• No laces to come undone 
  For young children, it is best that the shoes do not use laces. Your child may trip over shoe laces that become undone or long shoe laces that trails over their path. Velcro straps are a good option for the young child because a child can pull them on or off easily themselves and will feel more independent.

• Your toddler shoes should not be too heavy 
  Some shoes are too heavy for a little child and this may affect the growth and posture of their small little feet as they wears the shoes. Choose a pair that is soft and is compatible to their size.

Choosing your Toddler Shoes

The most important thing to remember when choosing your toddler shoes is that their feet are still growing. This means that flexibility in the shoe is essential. To test the flexibility of a child’s shoe, grasp the toe of the shoe in one hand and the heel in the other, then bend the toe and heel toward each other. If the shoe bends at the part of the sole directly behind the toes, and not through the center of the shoe, it means that the shoe has a steel arch. A shoe with steel arch support is not suitable for a child as it is almost completely inflexible and will not give a child’s feet room to grow or bend.

As well as being flexible under the ball of the foot, the front of the shoe should be deep and wide enough to enable your child’s growing toes to spread naturally. Allow some room for growth in the front of the shoe but no more than an adult’s thumb width. To enable growth there should be some form of adjustment across the top of the shoe, such as buckles, laces or straps. This will ensure a neat fit.

Ill fitting shoes not only affect posture, comfort and physical confidence but also mood and personality. So choose your toddler's shoes with caution.

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