We are so worried about the cold and the damage that children may feel that we hardly allow them to walk barefoot. This adds to the proliferation of children’s footwear, even before they learn to walk. Pre-walking shoes? It is not well understood what they are for, when the most natural thing we can do for our children is to let them go without shoes for as long as possible , which podiatrists and pediatricians confirm.
Each of the feet has 26 bones, 33 joints, and more than 100 tendons, muscles, and ligaments. A work of engineering made to walk through the most difficult terrain as our ancestors did. Evolution came in the form of shoes to protect and decorate. Useful in many occasions, how to deny it, but you have to know that it is healthy for them to walk without them , at home and wherever they can: beach, grass, land and where we believe there is no danger. And yes, the priceless feeling of freedom is great.
Benefits of this practice
- The feet of the newborn up to 8 or 9 months have more nerve endings than the hand , that is, they are the perfect receptors to begin to perceive the world around them. To deprive them of this feeling by putting shoes on them is to undermine the child’s development, without a doubt. The baby should use his feet like the rest of his body to feel external stimuli through them, and also to delimit his own space for maneuver. For all this, it is not surprising that it is said that the feet increase the development of the child’s intelligence.
- It favors the formation of the plantar arch . Walking dezcalzos is the perfect exercise for the bones of the sole of the foot. Children up to three years old tend to have flat feet and in this way we make them develop as recommended by specialists.
- Logically improves stability by supporting the entire foot and toes on the ground, strengthening the muscles of the foot and ankle, so the child will be more prepared to walk, run, jump, etc.
- Going without shoes prevents the appearance of fungi, bacteria and, therefore, bad odor.
- The weight of the body is distributed throughout the foot, which in addition to providing balance , makes for a healthier back .
The use of shoes, as we have said, is to protect and decorate. So while it is not necessary, let’s not use them. And one last note: the cold does not enter through the feet; Viruses enter through the nose or mouth to be exact, and must settle in the mucosa to survive. It must also be cold so that there is a vasoconstriction that reduces the body’s defenses and response to invading agents. That is to say, to get sick it has to coincide that it is cold and that we have someone sick close by, or that we touch something that is impregnated with droplets that someone sick has expelled coughing or talking. The latter is avoided by washing our hands.
The fact is that walking barefoot or with socks, better non-slip, is not enough reason to get sick. So let’s leave the children’s feet free, everything is advantageous and they are happier!