Baby Shoes: Prewalkers vs First Walkers
Read more articles on Newborns.September 6, 2006
Posted by Kim
September 6, 2006
Posted by Kim
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All babies and toddlers progress at their own personal rate of speed. One of the main jobs of a parent is to evaluate this progression and make decisions based on their child’s individual needs. One of the areas of progression that a parent must evaluate is a child’s readiness to walk. In making this evaluation, the parent will know which type of shoe will best fit their child at each stage in their life.
There are two main types of shoes to look at when a child is in the infant and toddler stages of life. Each of these types has a different purpose and is made a different way. When your child is not yet ready to walk, but you desire them to wear shoes, then they will likely need a pre-walker shoe. If your child is learning to walk or already walking, then your child will more likely need the first walker shoes.
Pre-walker shoes are usually available in the smallest of sizes since infants will rarely walk extremely early. These shoes will not have a hard sole like those found on an older child’s or adult’s shoes. The soles are often made of the material that the rest of the shoe is made out of or some other soft material such as cotton or soft leather. The shoes will be very flexible in general and will not offer support for the baby’s foot. Their purpose is almost solely for show. These are not meant for a child to wear when he or she is learning to walk.
First walker shoes will begin to show up in the slightly bigger sizes. These shoes will have a harder sole than the pre-walkers, but will still have some flexibility to them since a toddlers foot needs to be able to move freely in order to learn to walk. They will have flat soles and will support the toddlers arch well in order to encourage proper foot development. They will also sometimes have padding built into them to protect the child’s foot since they are generally not used to shoes at this stage in their life.
Determining which of these your child is ready for is generally up to the parent. It is generally not recommended for a baby to wear shoes unless they are of walking age, but many parents wish for their child to be wearing shoes for special events or even as a source of extra warmth in the winter. For these children, it is recommended to use the softer, pre-walker shoes. These shoes have also been known as crib shoes because they really do not have much use besides just wearing for show. On the other hand, if your toddler has learned to walk and is going to be outside at any point, then he or she will need a pair of first walker shoes. These shoes will offer the child the support that he or she needs while learning to walk and will encourage the proper development of their foot.
Buying shoes for a child can be a tricky endeavor to undertake. It is highly recommended that a parent go to a shoe store that specializes in children to get advice prior to buying a child’s first pair or even subsequent pairs of shoes. Buying the right shoes at these early stages in life can mean the difference in healthy feet and walking habits when the child is older.
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