As a parent, you have an extremely important job in raising your children. And almost every new parent has noticed at some point, that these precious little ones don’t come equipped with instructions! There is so much to learn, and so much to teach them. One element that is frequently overlooked is the fact that children’s feet don’t just magically develop perfectly, anymore than young ones know how to say “Please” and “Thank you” or share their toys without guidance and instruction.
Regarding manners, you’ll have to look elsewhere. But when it comes to guiding feet, we have quite a bit of information and many solutions for you. Good foot development in children needs a crucial time period of ideal function in order to properly train the soft tissue structure of their young feet, which in turn influences ligaments, muscles, bones and even nervous system maturation throughout the whole body, from childhood into adulthood. It’s that important. Because healthy adult feet start with healthy feet in childhood.
If you’ve been around sports or any activity that requires skills development, such as music or dance, then you’ve probably heard someone correct the old adage of “practice makes perfect” with an additional detail: Perfect practice makes perfect. Otherwise, practice alone just reinforces bad form or habits. If a child compensates for improperly functioning biomechanics, those learned compensations will be much harder to correct in adulthood, or even in the teen years when they really begin to cause trouble and pain.
If you notice your child having clumsiness, balance problems or even frequent falls, these are not just an awkward stage of growing up. They may be a result of poor foot alignment, which can usually be treated and resolved, especially if dealt with early.
Bring your child in for a consultation at the WalkEZStore and check out our Feet First Division featuring our Little Steps orthotics as well as our line of shoes specially designed to help little feet grow and develop better. Our orthotics and shoes solutions lead to healthy, happy feet at every age and stage of life, from first steps on into teen years and adulthood. If you suspect your child’s feet of not developing properly, we can help. And that should make your job as a parent just a little bit easier.
