Kids Running Around Barefoot!

[Beachcomber]

Hi

Baby Beach now just two and a half years seems less and less worried about running around without anything on her feet.

At one time she wouldn’t go out of the garden without some sort of sandal or flip-flop but now she doesn't bother anymore. Is this going to ruin her feet?

I’ve got nothing against bare feet; I go myself as much as I can but my soles are not as tough as hers. The thing that concerns me is will her feet develop alright. I’ve seen so many country people with rock hard feet that will never fit into a shoe anymore and don't want this to happen to baby.

Maybe it takes a lifetime to get ones feet to the stage where shoes are too uncomfortable but any other parent’s thoughts on this would be welcome.

Beachcomber.

[GuestHouse]

It will effect the developement of her feet in three ways.

The underside of her feet will become very much tougher over time, this lasts for life but will reduce as she wears shoes later in life.

Her feet will become more splayed, this will happen unless she is wearing shoes that hold her toes inwards.

The edges of her toes may round over her toe nails. This is often seen in the feet of rural Thais.

You can make your own mind up if these are good or bad things.

If she is always going to wear sandals then it is not likely to give her problems, but if she is going to have to wear shoes later in life as part of her work/lifestyle then she may encounter problems with wearing or even finding shoes to fit.

[tutsiwarrior]

if baby beach will be attending a thai school then she will have to become accoustomed to wearing the required footwear...horrible mass produced clogs that look like torture. The first thing that the step daughter and the nieces do when returning from school is to remove them forthwith.

don't force footwear on the kids...they will have to deal with it soon enough...

[chingching]

if baby beach will be attending a thai school then she will have to become accoustomed to wearing the required footwear...horrible mass produced clogs that look like torture. The first thing that the step daughter and the nieces do when returning from school is to remove them forthwith.

don't force footwear on the kids...they will have to deal with it soon enough...

[leisurely]

Good advice from the poster who said that her feet would splay out. I have enourmous problems getting shoes to fit my gargantuan feet that have the benefit of being skinny. Please try some sandals for her. I have suffered from the size (lenghtwise) I can't even begin to imagine what it is like to have a width measurement like a hand of bananas.

[billd766]

My wife and I were worried about our 2 year old son and wouldn't let him go and play without sandals but in the last few weeks unless we superglue or nail his feet in them they are off half the time. He runs over the stone chippings on the drive, plays in the sand, trips over rtree roots but if he goes out he always puts his shoes on and now he knows if they are on the wrong feet.

If children won't put their shoes on what are you going to do? Keep them in, bash them with a big stick, cut off their TV and movie rights?

My feeling is to let them be free while they are still young children as they will have to conform soon enough.

[lingling]

Well, this is a tropical country and there are funny parasites that can enter the body if you walk barefoot outdoors. So I'd recommend that you teach the kid to always wear some kind of footwear (shoes, sandals, flipflops, whatever) whenever stepping outside. And to never, ever, take a step inside with outdoor shoes. There's a reason for many old local customs, including this one regarding footwear...

[sbk]

Speaking from personal experience (of myself) I have gotten numerous painful slivers and thorns in my feet from walking without shoes. I quickly learned to keep shoes on. Most of the Thai people where I live insist on their kids at least wearing flip-flops when walking around outside.

As for the splayed feet, well, that can happen even as an adult (mine have widened a bit over time) and that is from just wearing flip flops for years. Your kids feet will be wider but they also won't have fungus problems (a real issue for people who wear closed toe shoes).

[Thaiboxer]

I went without shoes as a kid for years when I was growing up in a suburb in southeast Florida. The worst injuries I received as a result of not wearing shows were a cut from broken glass (the glass didn't enter my foot) and a big thorn which stayed inside my foot for two weeks before the doctor pulled it out. The bottoms of my feet were always tough of course as opposed to those of my friends who wore shoes. However, where we played as kids was cleaner. There was less broken glass and less doggy poop. You could easily pick up hookworm, tapeworm or some other nasty parasite by walking barefoot in areas where dogs do their business. With all the strays around, this can be practically anywhere.

Given the cultural norm of removing shoes before entering houses/temples, I wear sandals most of time when I'm not working. About those dress shoes that kids must wear for school, it's pretty hard to find a pair that are comfortable and don't cause blisters.

[tutsiwarrior]

About those dress shoes that kids must wear for school, it's pretty hard to find a pair that are comfortable and don't cause blisters.

I think sumone oughta investigate the school footwear racket...sum gut instinct makes me believe that the investigation will lead back to Mr You Know Who...