Sandra Jones 💙

Here’s a question: When will my baby be ready for shoes? Even the concept sounds a little funny. I mean how could someone not be ready for shoes? They have feet, right? The truth is that not only do babies not need shoes until they are walking independently, but that wearing shoes too much and too early might actually slow their progress toward this milestone. Walking involves the complex coordination of muscles and tendons in the feet and ankle. Babies best strengthen these muscles when they have maximum mobility (the chance to move and flex their feet and ankles freely as much as possible) - which, especially with the wrong shoes - can be limited by footwear. Doctors recommend that babies learn to walk while barefoot on a clean, safe surface - adding shoes only after walking is mastered (and even then beginning with highly flexible options that emulate the barefoot experience as much as possible). The real purpose of shoes is protection for the soles of the feet, which your baby doesn’t really need as a pre-walker. What babies do need in some cases is warmth, in which case socks fit the bill nicely. There may be special occasions and outfits for which you’d like to add shoes into the mix for purely fashionable reasons, which is fine on a limited basis. But as a general rule, steer clear and save that money until your baby is a capable walker. Believe me, you’ll spend plenty on shoes later. 🎥 This adorable little walker, posted to IG by livwholley, is just learning the difference between walking barefoot and adding shoes into the mix. With the skill set he’s already developed, now is the perfect time to introduce him to the process.