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Children's Feet
Your Children's Feet
You worry about your children's teeth, eyes,
and other parts of the body. You teach washing, brushing, and
grooming, but what do you do about your child's feet--those
still-developing feet which have to carry the entire weight of the
body through a lifetime?
Many adult foot ailments, like other bodily ills,
have their origins in childhood and are present at birth. Periodic
professional attention and regular foot care can minimize these
problems in later life.
Neglecting foot health invites problems in other
parts of the body, such as the legs and back. There can also be
undesirable personality effects. The youngster with troublesome feet
walks awkwardly and usually has poor general posture. As a result,
the growing child may become shy, introverted, and avoid athletics
and social functions.
Your Baby's Feet
The human foot--one of the most complicated
parts of the body--has 26 bones, and is laced with ligaments,
muscles, blood vessels, and nerves. Because the feet of young
children are soft and pliable, abnormal pressure can easily cause
deformities.
A child's feet grow rapidly during the first year,
reaching almost half their adult foot size. This is why foot
specialists consider the first year to be the most important in the
development of the feet.
Here are some suggestions to help you assure that
this development proceeds normally:
- Look carefully at your baby's feet. If you
notice something that does not look normal to you, seek
professional care immediately. Deformities will not be outgrown
by themselves.
- Cover baby's feet loosely. Tight covers
restrict movement and can retard normal development.
- Provide an opportunity for exercising the
feet. Lying uncovered enables the baby to kick and perform other
related motions which prepare the feet for weightbearing.
- Change the baby's position several times a
day. Lying too long in one spot, especially on the stomach, can
put excessive strain on the feet and legs.
Starting to Walk
It is unwise to force a child to walk. When
physically and emotionally ready, the child will walk. Comparisons
with other children are misleading, since the age for independent
walking ranges from 10 to 18 months.
When the child first begins to walk, shoes are not
necessary indoors. Allowing the youngster to go barefoot or to wear
just socks helps the foot to grow normally and to develop its
musculature and strength, as well as the grasping action of toes. Of
course, when walking outside or on rough surfaces, babies' feet
should be protected in lightweight, flexible footwear made of
natural materials.
Children's Feet Tips
Problems noticed at birth will not disappear by
themselves. You should not wait until the child begins walking to
take care of a problem you've noticed earlier.
- Remember that lack of complaint by a
youngster is not a reliable sign. The bones of growing feet are
so flexible that they can be twisted and distorted without the
child being aware of it.
- Walking is the best of all foot exercises,
according to podiatrists. They also recommend that walking
patterns be carefully observed. Does the child toe in or out,
have knock knees, or other gait abnormalities? These problems
can be corrected if they are detected early.
- Going barefoot is a healthy activity for
children under the right conditions. However, walking barefoot
on dirty pavements exposes children's feet to the dangers of
infection through accidental cuts and to severe contusions,
sprains, or fractures. Another potential problem is plantar
warts, a condition caused by a virus which invades the sole of
the foot through cuts and breaks in the skin. They require
protracted treatment and can keep children from school and other
activities.
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