The child's leg is completely developed already in the uterus. Before activating the muscles that hold the bone architecture of the leg, the leg is reinforced by a roll of fat. The activation of the muscles, which are the only one responsible for the shape of the leg, its stability and functiton in the future life, begin with a separate verticalization (upright) of the child. Then it takes a number of months than the muscles take over fully the supporting function of the roll of fet and they themselves stabilize the leg in motion and in the stand. During this period it is necessary to provide for thesole of foot a lot of stimuli from an underlay which activates and strengthen the muscles. By closing the foot in the solid shoe with a rigid sole you isolate it from all stimulations and the muscles wane.

Up to three or four years of age, it is quite inappropriate to diagnose a foot as a flat and support it with insoles or orthopaedic footwear. If around three to four years of the child´s age the position of the ankle and foot are not good (sunken ankles) and the muscles are not strengthen by natural development to the extent to hold the foot, a therapy is the first solution. Only then when its effect is slow, the corrective insoles are added. The insoles are always only passive support of the leg and the muscles are not forced to activation. That is why it is necessary to combine correction insoles with the therapy.

The child’s foot has a specific shape and needs which are not respected by the conventional types of footwear. It is necessary to have enough room for your toes to the width. It is also suitable to have the round shoetip with the space for the big and little toe. The correct footwear has a thin sole which is thin and flexible. This allows to recognize the sensations from the surface while protecting the foot from mechanical damage. Deformed foot at an early age loses its exceptional ability and it can trigger numerous health problems in adulthood. The foot which losts its ability to copy the surface and „read“ its structure is unable to give to the brain the proper information about activating another muscles. As a result, it does not cushion the movement and transmits vibrations at each step to the upper joints placed causing them pain in the future, especially to the knees, hip and lumbar spine.

The best way to measure the foot is with a special measure. If we do not have it, we can do just with a measuring tape or ruler as well. It is always important to measure the real lenght or width of foot. That´s why it is not suitable to substract the value from the from the imprint or outline of the foot. The imprint is very inaccurate because it only shows weighted parts of the foot , the pads of the toes or the heel. In fact, the real length of the foot to the tip of the toe is longer , so is the same with the heel. Therefore, when measuring, it is the best way to lean the heel from behind against any vertical flat surface (e.g. the wall), at least 3 cm high and put meter or ruler to the foot. In the front part we always read the length from the longest toe. Usually it is a big toe but it can also be the second toe. If we need to measure the width of the foot, we measure it in the widest places on both big toe and little toe side. We always measure the feet barefoot and weighted (the child must stay). If you do not know how to do it, drop into our shop or write us. We will be happy to help you.

This period, when walking is not yet quite stable, begins with the baby‘s first separate steps and takes different time. It is characteristic for this phase that the child takes shorter steps and push the leg to the other and put it on the whole foot. The hands balance the movement of the body, the child often cannot carry toys around the room yet and also they have to stop for example when changing direction. Simply, the walking is not yet quite skillful.

The first shoes should be bought at a time when the baby starts making first independent steps without support. It is extremely important to choose the shoes for the first walking with the proper dimension – we buy the shoes with minimal extra space (max. 0,5 cm) and as the lightest and softest as possible. We do not need so much resistant sole, the child usually takes only a few steps.