Children's Foot Health Register

All Members of the Children's Foot Health Register are committed to the highest standard of shoe fitting for young, growing feet. To protect such standards members guarantee to provide comprehensive training for staff and offer children's shoes in whole and half sizes and in up to 4 width fittings.

FASCINATING FOOT FACTS

• The average adult takes in excess of 18,000 steps a day and it's even more for kids.
• Most feet walk about 70,000 miles in a lifetime - that's four times around the earth.
• Leonardo da Vinci called the foot a masterpiece of engineering. Each
• foot has 26 bones, 19 muscles, over 100 ligaments and thousands of nerve endings.
• Every time your foot hits the floor when walking it's the equivalent of twice your body weight. Running increases this to up to three times your body weight.
• The foot has 250,000 sweat glands releasing about a quarter pint of perspiration every day.
• Around 70% of foot problems come from wearing the wrong footwear or ill-fitting shoes. The majority of these are caused by ill-fitting footwear worn as a child.
• Over £30 million is spent annually on chiropody services for the over 60s and most of these foot problems can be attributed to badly fitting shoes or unsuitable footwear in childhood.

TIPS FOR TINY TOOTSIES

The following tips will help any concerned parent make the right choices about family footcare and adhering to them will be a real investment for your child's future.

Foot Care for Your Baby:

A baby's foot is not simply a smaller version of an adult's. At birth the 26 bones that will eventually make up the adult foot are mostly cartilage making them pliable and therefore susceptible to damage. To allow your baby's feet to develop naturally without being distorted, always:

• Keep bedclothes loose fitting and light so the feet are not restricted.
• Encourage your baby to exercise its feet by kicking and similar actions. This will help develop the foot muscles.
• Foot Care for Your Toddler and Young Child:
• Don't force a child into walking. They will start when ready, which can be anytime between 10 and 18 months.
• Encourage your child to walk barefoot indoors as this allows the foot to develop and strengthen.
• Once walking is established, children are ready for their first shoes. Always ensure that shoes are purchased in a reputable shoe shop, where children's feet are measured and the fit of the shoes is checked by trained Shoe Fitters.
• Inspect your child's feet regularly, at least every bath time, as children often can't feel any damage being done. Look for abnormalities such as cuts, breaks in the skin and any unusual changes in colour or temperature.

DO'S AND DON'TS FOR NEW PARENTS

DO..

• wait until your child is on its feet and attempting the first tottering steps before considering buying shoes. Then go to a shop with trained staff who will measure your child's feet for length and width.
• choose shoes that gives stability and protection to feet, which are still soft and vulnerable at this young age. An ideal shoe should be soft and flexible, with breathing leather uppers and a fully adjustable fastening for a snug fit.
• choose a shop that offers shoes in width fittings and half sizes and that has trained staff who can expertly fit them. Less than a third of children are "average" fitting so foot measurement and correct fitting are vital to a pair of feet.
• take your child back to the shop for a fitting check after about six to eight weeks. Feet grow, on average, two full sizes (18mm) a year until four or five years of age when growth starts to slow down. As this growth is intermittent, regular checks are essential and a good shoe shop will offer these free.

DON'T..

• put young children in socks or babygros that are too small for their feet. This could cause their toes to curl, which can result in permanent damage to the growing bones.
• buy synthetic socks or shoes as they won't allow your child's feet to breathe properly and this could lead to conditions such as athlete's foot. What's more, synthetic materials will only stretch so far, and the resulting pressure could again damage a child's growing foot.

TIPS FOR BACK TO SCHOOL

• Back to school is the busiest time for shoe shops. If you can, shop early to avoid the worst of the queues and to have more choice.
• Make sure your child is wearing the type of socks that they will be normally be wearing with their school shoes when you buy them. This will help ensure a good fit.
• Measuring feet is only a guide. A good shoe shop will always check the fit of both shoes on the feet.
• Choose a shoe that gives stability and protection to feet, which are still soft and vulnerable. An ideal shoe should be soft and flexible, with breathing leather uppers and a fully adjustable fastening for a snug fit.
• Choose a shop that offers shoes in width fittings and half sizes and that has trained staff who can expertly fit them. Less than a third of children are 'average' fitting so foot measurement and correct fitting are vital to a pair of feet.
• Fitted shoes have growing room to ensure good fit throughout the life of the shoe. It's not necessary to buy a larger shoe than one which is fitted. In fact, shoes that are too big can do as much damage as shoes that are too small and they look scruffy much more quickly.
• After a summer in trainers or sandals school shoes will feel strange. Encourage your child to wear their new shoes for an hour or two around the house before the school term commences. On a normal school day a child wears shoes for around 10 hours and a little time to get used to new shoes before the first day of term is very helpful.
• A good shoe shop will offer a free fitting check. For a school-age child this will be after 3-4 months and then as required until the shoes are outgrown. Most children of school age grow around a whole shoe size each year.