The image of your baby's foot that will make you change

Today's topic is about images. They rightly say that one is worth a thousand words.

And also of mothers, some of them, those who protect to the point of harm.
I hope that as many of them as possible will see it.

I don't have the means, nor the authority to make it go deep. But I am sure that when you see the images you will be surprised. And perhaps you will come to the right conclusion.


The first one is a real picture of a 10-month-old baby's foot.



The bones haven't formed!!

Overprotective mothers don't take this into account when buying shoes for them.

That's why the image, so that they can see it with their own eyes.

So that they can see how malleable they are and how important it is to respect this.

What happens if you put these feet in footwear that doesn't allow them to grow?

I am talking about rigid, narrow shoes, with a raised heel, with fat, cushioned soles, that oppress and limit their feet. More than a child's shoe, it looks like orthopaedic footwear...in other words, the kind that is usually sold in shoe shops.

That the foot will adapt to the shoe, when it should be the other way round.

If you plant a tree in a pot, the roots don't grow freely, they adapt to the pot.

In other words, the foot will deform in order to fit into the pot you put it in.

Many mothers look favourably on this type of shoe, because they think that by adding more protection, their children will be safer.

Quite the opposite.

Overprotection "kills", weakens and makes them clumsier.

They lose balance, coordination, and increase the risk of falling and the chances of having serious foot problems.

These mothers are often the same ones who do not let their children crawl barefoot. They look for a thousand excuses, not knowing that they are preventing the development of the most important part for movement: the thumb.

When crawling, children push with their toes and help the foot to act as a rigid lever. Shoes that are narrow, or stiff, or that tilt the big toe, prevent this function.


Another image.



At 3 years of age, the bones have not yet united and the foot is not yet formed, which is why there are more bones.

Something similar happens in babies' heads. Children are born with two open areas, the fontanelles, and one takes a couple of years to close, but that's not why you put a helmet on it.

Feet also take years to form, so it's important that they spend as much time barefoot as possible.

No helmets. No shoes.

And when this is not possible, with the footwear that has the least influence on their development: minimalist footwear.


One thing to finish.

Children's hands are also similar to their feet, but luckily we don't protect them with gloves all the time.

What would happen if you put a rigid, narrow and heavy glove on it?

When looking for footwear, think about the hands.


Children's health starts with their feet.

- Antonio Caballo

Pd. Thanks to @andybryant_podiatrist and @naturathletics for the images.

Pd2. A flexible, wide and very light glove for growing feet: Bar3foot Shoes.