How to Care for Children's Feet

Back pain, knee pain and ankle pain are, in most part, due to issues with the feet. Fortunately, it doesn’t take much time or effort to carry out proper care when it comes to keeping our children’s feet healthy.

By providing proper care, we can help avoid contributing to problems in the future. We’ll offer some tips about how to care for your children’s feet below. So take note and make them part of your routine!

How to care for children’s feet

1. Wash your children’s feet every day

The first piece of advice we want to offer today is that you make a habit of washing your children’s feet every day. Once they’re clean, dry them completely – especially between the toes. It’s very easy for children to develop fungal infections, such as athlete’s foot, if their feet are constantly sweaty and moist.

Therefore, when it’s time for your little ones to take a bath, pay special attention in order to wash their feet as well as possible. 

You can also apply a bit of baby powder afterwards to keep them dry and healthy. Just be sure to shake off any excess powder so that it doesn’t clump up between their toes.

2. Buy shoes that are the right size

As soon as you suspect that your children’s shoes are too small, don’t delay! Replace their tight-fitting shoes right away in order to avoid causing damage to their feet.

In fact, buying the right shoes size is really important. Therefore, we recommend checking with a footwear specialist when you go shopping to make sure you’re getting the right fit for your kids.

There needs to be enough room around the toes to allow for growth. To make sure, check by gently pressing around the tip of your children’s shoes while they’re wearing them.

3. Use socks that are right for children’s feet

Socks that are made of cotton and wool will keep your children’s feet warm and give them room to develop. Also, it’s important to make sure on a regular basis that their socks are the right size – especially if you dry their socks in the dryer.

Keep in mind that socks may shrink and, if they become too small, they can restrict the proper growth of your children’s feet. Even if your child doesn’t walk yet, be sure to use soft shoes and socks that allow them to move their toes around freely.

4. Cut their toenails in a straight line

This is one of the most important points when it comes to keeping your children’s feet healthy. Cutting their toenails in a straight line will keep them from becoming ingrown. 

Ingrown nails happen when toenails grow into the surrounding skin. As a result, this skin may become red and swollen, and cause a great deal of pain in the area.

Therefore, it’s very important to be careful and cut your children’s toenails in a way that prevents them from becoming ingrown. 

Use a nail-cutter with a straight edge rather than a rounded one, and use a file to smooth out the edges if necessary. Never cut the sides of your children’s fingernails, or cut their nails too short.

5. Let your children go barefoot

Last of all, we recommend encouraging your little ones to walk barefoot around the house as much as possible. 

As your children learn to walk, allow them to move about the house with no shoes on. This will allow their feet to develop and gain strength without being restricted.

Of course, you’ll need to make sure the space is clean and that there are no objects that could harm your children.

You may find it a surprise to know that letting your kids walk barefoot  is one of the best things you can do for the growth of their feet. Among other things, it helps muscles develop and strengthen. It also allows air to flow around their feet.

Before closing, we want to remind you that shoes take on the shape of the feet that use them. We know it may be tempting to save money when it comes to buying shoes. However, poor quality shoes can end up being harmful for your children’s feet.

Don’t hesitate to put the advice you’ve found here today into practice and assure proper care of your little one’s feet!