NINE ESSENTIAL TIPS TO TAKE CARE OF THE HEALTH OF YOUR BABY'S FEET

We tend to worry about the teeth, eyes, ears and feeding of our children. We teach them to wash, eat and behave, but do we care how we should have their feet?

Babies' still developing feet have to bear the weight of the entire body throughout their entire life. Paying regular attention and regular care is essential to prevent problems in adult life. We give you nine essential tips to take care of The health of your baby's feet.

The importance of healthy feet

The human foot is extremely complex. It consists of 26 ossicles, 19 muscles and a host of small joints that allow you to have mobility, stability and balance. Foot health begins in childhood.

Babies' feet are soft and cartilaginous

In the first years of life, the foot is in continuous formation. Babies' feet are soft and cartilaginous, which makes them easily moldable.

That is why it is essential to monitor postural habits, small ailments and the type of footwear of our babies, since neglecting the health of children's feet Small can cause abnormalities in your feet and problems in other parts of the body, such as legs and back.

Exercise the feet from the cradle

The feet are not only exercised by walking. In fact, we can help our children to exercise the feet since they are born. For example: if we uncover the baby's feet when lying down, the baby can kick, play with his feet and make movements that prepare the foot to later carry weight. This instinctive training serves to strengthen the muscles, tissues and bones of the legs and feet.

We can help our children exercise their feet from birth

It is equally important to change the position of the baby several times a day. Being lying too long in the same position can put too much strain on the feet and legs.

We can take advantage of every diaper change to massage your feet and help you to practice pedaling lying on his back.

We must also check that at each stage of their growth socks, foot pajamas or shoes don't be too fair, do not press your fingers or prevent you from stretching them. The baby must at all times have total freedom of movement.

From three or four months we can incite them to crawl lying on a blanket on the floor for a while every day, face down and butt on the soles of your feet with our hands.

The hygiene of your little feet

To maintain proper hygiene in the feet of the kids, we have to wash your feet two or three times a week (at least) for five minutes with warm water and a soap with neutral pH. At the time of drying them, we must do it well: giving soft touches and without leaving wet areas between the fingers. Nor should we forget to hydrate them with cream or oil at the end of the bath. This will prevent the foot from drying out causing cracks and scales.

We should wash the child's feet for five minutes at least twice a week

Finally, we will lend attention to your nails. The nail blade should protrude one or two millimeters in front of the finger to protect it. In case you need a cut, we will never round the corners.

For avoid excessive sweating, we will put socks made of natural fibers (cotton, thread or wool). We should never apply talcum powder or products that cut the sweat or plug its outlet. Keeping children's shoes in good condition is also essential for the hygiene and health of their feet.

Never force him to walk

The crawling is an important phase of its development and fulfills a fundamental function. Before taking the first steps, the baby goes through different preparatory stages: crawling, crawling, seeking support to stand up, etc. During this stage we must try to stimulate crawling, but not obsess. Many children skip this phase and go straight for a walk.

Don't try to "teach him" to stand up and walk holding him by the armpits, because you will be forcing him to perform an exercise for which he is not yet prepared. All babies are born prepared to start walking on their own when their development allows it. Every child is a world and we must respect the rhythm of our children and trust their ability and their natural instinct. The first steps usually occur between 10 and 18 months. But even if they do it after this age, it does not necessarily mean that something goes wrong.

Don't try to "teach him" to stand up and walk

To take care of the health of your baby's feet during these months, the best thing you can do is prevent your feet from adopting incorrect positions or forced when sitting on the floor or moving through it.

When he begins to walk of his own accord, he stimulates his feet allowing him to walk safely on different surfaces: the house floor, a game tapestry, the beach sand or the park lawn. In this way, the child will experience different sensations and textures that will allow him to strengthen his ankles and the soles of his feet.

The most suitable shoe at each stage

There is a type of footwear suitable for each stage of the development of our kids. During the lactating stage, We must not wear them until they walk. In this way we ensure that your feet have full freedom of movement. The best at this time is to wear socks or booties made of cotton or soft wool, or unstructured (shapeless) shoes with soft, soft, flexible skin and no soles.

In the phase of the crawling and the intermediate one, in which they begin to stand up and to remain standing, the booties must wear a soft reinforcement in the toe to avoid injuries in fingers and nails as a result of the continuous dragging and rubbing with the ground. Also suitable are Pregateo or adaptive shoes.

For its first steps, the shoe must be leather, breathable and flexible. With soft and non-slip sole, without side snaps that can be stuck in the child's foot if he sits on the floor with them on.

Baby's feet should have full freedom of movement

Your design must be wide enough to leave full freedom of movement to the fingers and low cut to allow movement of the ankle.

From 12 months on, footwear must protect and support the foot. At the same time, it must allow you a correct march. It is best to choose a children's shoe with wide last so that it does not compress the fingers, with flexible sole and that does not slip, buttress not very rigid, heel of less than two centimeters and of breathable and natural material (cotton, canvas or leather). Chicco Infant shoes are specially designed for children from 12 months. It is a comfortable, flexible and lightweight footwear that promotes perspiration and delicately stimulates the sole of the foot.

We should never wear “inherited” or borrowed shoes Since the second-hand footwear may be deformed due to incorrect postures and could force the foot of our little one and transmit the defects of its previous owner.

Two pairs better than one

It is advisable that the child has at least two pairs of shoes at each stage to prevent sweat from accumulating inside. All feet sweat, those of babies too. It is a natural physiological act: the feet have more sweat glands than any other part of the body (approximately 500 per square centimeter).

It is recommended that the child has two pairs of shoes to prevent sweat from accumulating inside

The use of wet shoes can cause maceration of the skin and appearance of mycosis. To avoid this, it is not enough just that the shoes are made of natural materials that facilitate perspiration.

Even so it is normal for them to be sweaty when the child removes them, since the skin or tissue inside absorbs sweat from the foot. That is why it is advisable to remove the insole and let the shoe dry away from heat sources, while we have another equally suitable, dry and available pair on hand.

Control your growth

It is very important that we periodically monitor the growth of our children's feet. So we can Change your shoes at the right time. The smaller they are, the faster their feet grow. Watching your growth is important so that the shoes you wear are always the right size.

Footwear should cover baby's feet comfortably. If they tighten too much they restrict movement and can delay the normal development of the child's foot. If on the contrary they are large, they will hinder your movements and you may acquire unhealthy postures and habits.

Replace shoes with a larger size as soon as necessary

The right size It is the one that allows the foot to move freely. For this we must always try on shoes with socks on and at the last hour of the day (when the foot reaches its maximum width). When in doubt, it is best to take out the template and check the size with it.

The feet of babies and young children are constantly developing and it may be necessary to change the size of shoes and socks every few months. It is essential that the shoe leaves room for the foot to grow. Inappropriate footwear can cause damage or aggravate pre-existing conditions. Replace your shoes as soon as necessary by others of a larger size.

The observation: key to detect anomalies

Look at the position and symmetrical shape of the baby's legs and feet even since it is a newborn it turns out key to detect possible problems. Although most of the incorrect positions at this stage are due to the adaptation of the space of the uterus to the outside and correct themselves, the development and growth rate of the feet must be observed.

Then, when you start walking, we will observe his way of stepping on when walking and the structure and position of legs, knees, ankle and foot. We must also pay attention to whether he runs, jumps, turns, goes up, down, kicks and pedals easily, like other children his age. In this way we will be able to detect and treat in time possible functional alterations of the feet and their future impact on other parts of the body (knees, hip, spine, etc.).

Observing how you walk will help us detect possible problems in time

Observe how the child walks and the postures he adopts when sitting, will help us to detect possible problems in time, like flat feet. A child with foot problems will walk strangely and is likely to adopt bad postures in general.

Equally important is to observe the wear of your shoes. If the child wears the shoe more for some area of the sole or heel, it could be an indication that he is walking crookedly. In case of doubt or alarm, we should always consult with an orthopedist as soon as possible. It is convenient to teach children to put their heels straight when walking. If they do it wrong, it will affect the entire body and its balance. We must pay special attention if the child complains of persistent pain in the spine, knees and feet, and take him to the doctor.

Treat any condition as soon as possible

Wounds, fungi or papillomas can cause the child to support the foot poorly and adopt bad postures. To avoid these ailments, we must observe daily the appearance of the feet of the little one

A incarnate nail it can get stuck in the flesh and cause pain when stepping or walking, inflammation and even an infection. This is prevented by cutting straight, non-curved nails, and avoiding the sweat of feet that softens the skin. Also wearing appropriate shoes that do not press the fingers. If it happens in the same way, we can correct the problem by correcting the cut of the nail and applying a healing appropriate to its age.

The conditions cause the child to support the foot badly and adopt bad postures when walking

The mushrooms (mycosis) cause sweating, bad smell, itching and peeling of the skin. Once the fungi appear, you have to go to the specialist.

To prevent them, we must keep a daily hygiene of the foot and a thorough drying. It is not convenient to let the little one walk barefoot in public swimming pools, and we should avoid exchanging towels with him. Leather footwear, as opposed to rubber, also prevents its appearance.

The papillomas They are a type of wart that comes out on the sole of the foot caused by a contagious and self-contagious virus. Sometimes it is very painful and the child's way of walking can vary. You also have to go to the doctor in case of appearance. It is eliminated with products that are applied on the wart to eliminate it, and it is prevented with the same measures recommended for fungi.

Finally, we must teach children to practice daily hygiene to protect themselves against athlete's foot. Once the infection is contracted, we should not attempt any treatment to eradicate it without the prior advice of a professional.

Barefoot the longer, the better

Although our little one already walks, we must continue trying to walk often barefoot at home, on the sand of the beach or in the grass, because all this helps the formation of the arch in the soles of the feet. Babies' feet are flat and in their first stage they are designed to work barefoot.

It is recommended that you continue to walk barefoot as long as possible

Walking barefoot has multiple health benefits for the feet. It is good for the kidneys and for circulation; relaxes and avoids stress; Eliminates toxins and helps the legs not retain fluids. In addition, it stimulates certain organs connected with the nerve endings of the soles of the feet.

Therefore, it is highly recommended that children continue to walk barefoot as long as possible despite having started walking. Also in winter, even if they walk barefoot at home, they will not catch a cold.

The feet are the base that supports the entire skeleton of our babies. They depend on balance, good locomotion and the health of our children's backs. That is why they require care and attention from us. It is also convenient to take the podiatrist once a year and whenever you need it. With all these stimuli, care and precautions, surely your little one will walk happily and safely.