Foot care

Newborn feet

Due to the position in the uterus, the newborn's feet can take different positions: close against lower legs, turned inwards or outwards... After examining the child, the doctor in the maternity ward will provide an opinion on whether there is a problem in the anatomical structure of the foot, if it is stiff and cannot be easily moved in all directions.

Further treatment of these deformities is the responsibility of pediatric orthopedists. The position of the feet that the fetus had in the uterus in the last trimester is also visible after birth. The foot is soft, you can easily move all the structures of the foot in all directions. Just like in the uterus, when a child is born, the movement of the whole body is evident, including foot movements. Picking up, carrying, turning, changing, bathing the child... In all these activities, changing the body position inevitably involves changing the position of the feet, whether the child is awake or sleeping. 

Foot exercises: tickling, pulling, stretching, do not make any sense because you perform them a couple of times during the day, and the foot is in motion through the movement of the whole body in continuity.

Foot care while the child is learning to walk

Increasingly active change of position during the first year of life means that the foot always needs to be positioned exactly in the way that will provide the most stable position to the body in order to free the hands for grasping. Learning to stand up and walk require supporting the entire body weight with the feet.

The child should not wear shoes to "prevent" foot deformation; the child learns to walk without shoes. Being barefoot is the best "footwear", as the child strengthens all foot structures by supporting him/herself on different surfaces, preferably on natural soil.

When learning to walk, some children will have their lower legs aligned outwards; this is known as "bow legs" and will be monitored by a competent pediatrician and, as needed, an orthopedist. Bow legs lead to a slight shift in weight distribution towards the outer part of the feet, but in the largest proportion of children, they are a normal, physiological phase in development.

Motor skills change quickly, and the child begins to climb, run, kick the ball, jump... All these activities engage the whole body, strengthen the muscles of the whole body, stabilize the body axis, thus changing the position of the feet.

Strengthening foot structures in the second and third years of life

Around the second year, the growth in height is more and more evident. The force of gravity shifts our center of gravity forward and parents notice that the knees are close together - knock-knees - which, in turn, shifts the weight distribution more towards the inner part of the foot. Follow-up by the selected pediatrician and, if necessary, an orthopedist continues. This physiological body position is not "treated" with orthopedic shoes and foot exercises, but - again - by engaging the whole body in age-appropriate activities.

Child development is a complex process, and this applies to foot development too. The foot develops and strengthens its structure through whole-body activity. Special exercises only for the feet do not affect foot development. Preventive wearing of footwear, special orthopedic shoes and insoles in order to "keep" the anatomical structures under control for several hours during the day, passivates the foot and prevents the natural strengthening through active movement.