The Next Best Thing to Bare Feet

Posted on August 12, 2011 by Guests

Foot Health Facts – Did You Know?

  • The critical development years for feet happen from infancy and into the toddler years.
  • The bones in a baby’s foot are made of cartilage, the same flexible substance you find in your ears and nose.
  • A shoe that is too rigid or too tight can change the shape of your child’s foot.
  • Around 70% of foot problems come from wearing the wrong footwear or ill-fitting shoes.
  • A child’s feet grow in spurts and often require new shoes every 3 to 4 months.
  • A child’s feet develop until he or she is about 18 years old.

When your child first begins to walk, providing proper foot protection while enabling maximum movement is important for his or her foot development. Allowing your youngster to go barefoot or wear soft sole shoes while inside helps the feet to grow normally and to develop musculature, strength, and the grasping action of the toes.

When walking outside or on rough surfaces, an infant’s feet should always be protected in lightweight, flexible footwear made of natural materials.

Choosing the Right Shoes for Infants
The ideal shoe is soft and flexible, with breathable leather uppers and a fully adjustable fastening for a snug fit. Shoes should have a smooth bottom, causing less friction so that the shoe will not grab the floor and possibly cause your child to fall. Shoes that are too sticky tend to change children’s stride or gait, as they have to lift their feet to move about.

Children’s feet sweat quite a bit, so avoid buying synthetic shoes, as they will not allow your child’s feet to breathe. Synthetic materials also tend not to stretch, and the resulting pressure could damage a child’s growing foot.

Choosing the Right Shoes for Toddlers and Children
Select shoes with a rounded toe box that give plenty of room for toes to move. Shoes should be made of a breathable material, like leather or canvas. Avoid man made materials, such as plastic, because they can cause odor or even bacteria growth. Soft leather or rubber soles are recommended because they allow a child’s gait and stride to develop naturally.

New shoes should never need to be “broken in.” It means either they were not properly designed or not properly fitted for your child’s foot.

Hand-me-down Shoes
It is not recommended for children to wear hand-me-down shoes. Most shoes form to the foot, so wearing hand-me-downs that have already been “formed” can affect the shape of your child’s foot.

pediped® – the Next Best Thing to Bare Feet
Whether your child is crawling, learning to walk, or running all around, pediped® has a stylish shoe that fits comfortably and ensures healthy foot development.

Each of pediped’s three footwear lines is specially designed to meet the needs of a particular walking stage while looking stylish, too!

pediped Originals® are designed for infants and toddlers (0-24 months, $32 -$39) as the “next best thing to bare feet”. Their soft soles, made with the highest quality leather, provide protection and flexibility, while the patented hand stitching allows ample ventilation. The roomy toe box provides a safe environment with plenty of wiggle room for tiny toes while allowing for foot growth and muscle development.

pediped Grip ‘n’ Go™ collection (9 months to 3 years, $45 – $49) features special G2 Technology for active toddlers that are transitioning to walking with a more confident stride.

pediped Flex® is the ultimate shoe for confident walkers (1-8 years, $47-$69) who have developed a solid, natural stride. Due to customer demand, size offerings have been expanded with select styles now available up to size EU 33. Flex® rubber soled shoes incorporate all the benefits of Originals® into a flexible, soft rubber sole.

Learn more about Originals®, Grip ‘n’ Go™ and Flex®.

New pediped® Fall/Winter 2011 collection
The pediped® Fall/Winter 2011 collection introduces more than 80 new styles and color combinations across pediped® footwear’s three signature lines, including larger size offerings in the Flex® line, new school shoe styles and an expanded Adventure Line, pediped’s innovative outdoor shoe.

The Fall/Winter 2011 collection is available online at www.pediped.com and in select retail stores beginning early August.

Congratulations to Jennifer (comment #60) – winner of the pair of pediped Originals!

Giveaway!
When children’s feet grow so quickly, what could be better than a free pair of quailty shoes? pepiped are giving away a pair of Originals (sizes 0-24 months) to one lucky reader. To enter, simply pop to the pediped online store and tell us in a comment below which is your favorite style.

For bonus entries

Be sure to leave a separate comment below for each of your bonus entries

  • Giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only
  • Winner will be drawn at random
  • Winner can specify if they wish to recieve boy’s or girl’s shoes and their size of choice and will recieve a pair of Originals in a style chosen by pediped
  • Giveaway closes August 26th, 2011

pediped® footwear was created in 2004 by Angela and Brian Edgeworth after their first daughter Caroline was born. pediped® has become one of the fastest growing children’s footwear brands in the U.S. and is sold in over 3000 stores in the United States and 40 countries worldwide with an offering of more than 160 designs spanning EU sizes 17-33.

pediped® footwear has been awarded the American Podiatric Medical Association Seal of Acceptance for the promotion of healthy foot development, and the pediped® footwear system has recently been endorsed by researchers associated with Harvard Medical School and Children’s Hospital Boston.

Since the company’s founding, pediped® footwear has given nearly $1 million in product and monetary support to children in need. In January 2011, pediped® established the pediped foundation™ to expand upon the company’s philosophy of giving.

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