Novelty shoes always look cute on your baby, but many experts believe that your infant’s feet’ soft and delicate bones need enough room to form and grow on their own, without any restrictions. Soft-soled shoes have been popular and widely used for several decades, and parents have chosen health-conscious footwear for their babies. Most parents are too eager to have your little one’s feet have a smart and trendy pair of shoes. But how long should babies wear soft-soled shoes? Read on to find out.
Why Soft-Soles is Better for Growing Feet
Soft-soled shoes are made, especially for babies. They are designed with unique qualities and structure and ease of use. It is essential to know how long should babies wear soft-soled shoes because of some health reasons. They give lots of health advantages for your baby as well. Here are some considerable benefits of soft soles for your baby.
Easy to Walk-In
Hard sole shoes are heavy and make it more difficult for your child when they are learning to walk. Soft soles are lightweight and much less likely to inhibit their ability to walk. Soft soles also allow your child to extend their toes and grip the floor like walking barefoot. Soft sole shoes help babies develop and improve their balance and coordination while growing.
Safety and Protection
Your babies’ sensitive feet need protection, rough surfaces, cold temperatures, and any other objects they might step in. Finding a soft sole shoe with a good fit will help prevent injury as your wobbly toddler learns to walk. Sneakers and flip flops may cause falling off or cause your child to trip, so look for soft sole shoes that fit securely.
Room to Grow
The soft sole shoes are often roomier and unrestricted compared to hard-soled ones. Soft sole shoes are more comfortable for your child without depriving them of any essential support.
How Long Should Your Baby Wear Soft-Soled Shoe?
It’s a common question among parents as to how long babies should wear soft-soled shoes. Most pediatricians recommend that you wait until the time that your baby is ready to walk outdoors. When your baby is on the stage of learning to walk, you must let him go barefoot, because going barefoot can help your baby gather coordination and balance his steps better.
In general, soft-soled shoes can be of benefit up to 24 months of a baby’s age. Babies’ foot muscles will develop better if they go barefoot or wear soft-soled shoes. At 15 months, you can also put your little one in hard-soled shoes for short periods if you need to for some reason, but you should try to keep her in soft-soled shoes or barefoot as much as possible.
There’s no need to rush your baby’s developmental process. You have to wait until they have a skilled and confident walker on their hands before putting them in hard-soled shoes, which typically means waiting until at least 15 months of age. This way, your baby will be entirely comfortable walking barefoot first.
Ideal Time for Babies to Start Wearing Hard-Soled Shoes
It is quite exciting to get your child his first hard-soled shoes when he starts to stand on his own or even earlier, it’s essential to wait until your child is walking well. That doesn’t mean either that you should be running to the shoe store as soon as you see your baby having first steps independently. It only means that he should be walking inside and outside on a semi-regular basis before having a pair of hard-soled shoes.
Putting hard-soled shoes on your baby may be a wrong move if it’s too early. You need to recognize the signs that show that your baby is ready for the so-called big kid shoes. Until then, you will have plenty of ways to keep your baby’s feet comfortable and stylish. Remember that knowing how long should babies wear soft-soled shoes is vital for their physical health. Find out more about baby shoes.
Conclusion
Hard-soled shoes are restricting, and they prevent your child’s feet from developing naturally while learning to walk. Remember that your child’s bones are much softer, so using hard-soled shoes can develop differently. Hopefully, you have learned how long babies should wear soft-soled shoes so that you could make the right decision, all for your precious little one’s welfare.