As a parent, you are no doubt concerned about foot health for children. It’s never too early to learn the facts. Read through the following tips to discover things you can do to keep your child’s feet as healthy as they can possibly be.
Check Your Newborn’s Feet
Be mindful of your newborn’s feet. Watch for any subtle changes. Conditions such as clubfoot are much easier to correct, when they are discovered early on.
Use Light-Weight Covers
Covering your young child with the light blanket allows them to move their feet freely. This movement helps to strengthen legs and feet. When you use a heavy blanket, this movement is restricted.
Encourage Shoelessness
It’s totally permissible to allow young children to go without shoes, in your home. Being barefoot or wearing just socks, helps them to strengthen their feet.
Cut Toe Nails Correctly
Always cut toenails straight across. The last thing you want to contend with is correcting ingrown nails. Symptoms of ingrown nails include redness, swelling and pain when touched.
Discourage Walking on Toes
It’s normal for children under the age of two to sometimes walk on their toes. However, this is discouraged for older children. If it happens consistently, consult the child’s doctor. It could be a sign of nervous system problems or other debilitating conditions.
Promote Cleanliness
Children learn by doing. Promoting cleanliness will help to ensure that they keep their feet clean and dry. Of course, there will be exceptions to this. All children love to play and you can’t be with them day and night. But, instilling this early in life will certainly help.
Say “No” to Hand-Me-Downs
In today’s economy, some families might find it necessary to hand down gently worn shoes. This is never a good idea. Typically, the shoes don’t fit the next child properly. Plus, there is always the chance of bacteria, from the first wearer, still living inside.
Purchase the Right Size Shoes
Don’t buy bigger shoes, with the assumption that your child will just grow into them. Shoes need to fit properly, from day one. Take your child with you, when you go shoe shopping. That way, it is easier to take proper measurements.
Treat Cuts and Scrapes Correctly
It’s extremely important to treat cuts and scrapes correctly and quickly, to prevent infection and further problems. Minor injuries like these are generally one of the main things that affect foot health for children.
Be Mindful of Toe Nail Fungus
Toe nail fungus should never be ignored, even when the symptoms appear to be mild. Unfortunately, a fungal nail infection never goes away by itself.
If you suspect that your child has nail fungus, please contact us immediately for assistance. It takes no time at all to book a consultation to learn more about proper foot health for children.
