WHAT HAPPENS INSIDE YOUR CHILD'S SHOE?
WHEN IT'S ON THEIR FOOT!!!!!!
You can't see inside them, all you have is a thumb/finger to prod about with, and perhaps some feedback (depending on age and speech). So how to chose the right shoe and know what's truly happening to their foot?
In this post along with the help of Team Bear-Foot we'd like to show you what goes on when the foot is inside various shoes, to highlight why fact #1 in our Foot Health info is so important (that's why it's #1!).
So what is fact #1?
- CHILDREN'S FEET ARE NOT MINIATURE VERSIONS OF ADULT FEET -
...Shoes should have....A WIDE TOE BOX (And ours do - see below!).
TEST #1 - POPSY
We selected 3 pairs of shoes worn by Popsy - Livie & Luca 'Millie', Converse All-Stars & Flamenco Shoes!
And we drew around them.
1.
2.
3.
2.
3.
Popsy then put her foot over the outlined shoes (in the same place). So left to right;
1. Flamencos - we can see rather extreme interference with the big toe, the little toe and the arch of the foot.
2. Converse All-Stars - less interference, mainly around the tip of the big toe.
3. Livie & Luca 'Millie' - no interference, a wide toe box = wriggle room!
TEST #1 - CHEWEY
We did the same with Chewey, though his thug-like approach meant the paper got a bit twisted and we had about 20 takes to complete the job!
We again selected 3 same sized shoes. A Gap off the shelf shoe, a Converse All-Star and a Livie & Luca 'Elephant' with the 'turf' sole.
1.
2.
3.
2.
3.
Looking at Chewey's feet - his are wide (and sweaty!).
1. Standard Gap shoes - there is barely enough room for his foot yet he can get these on and no doubt a lot of people (unknowingly) would do the same. His big toe, little toe and the width of the foot would be compressed if pushed into this shoe.
2. Converse All-Stars - they are tight and there is interference with the big toe.
3. Livie & Luca 'turf' sole - there is plenty of room for his wide feet, lateral and longitudinal wriggle room. The space also allows the feet to breath.
FOR THE GEEKS - A BIT OF SCIENCE!
Babies are born with fewer bones. At birth there are 22 bones in fact (rather 26 as an adult). By school age, this number will increase to 45. It is a concerning fact that many children suffer foot problems by their early teens, often associated with ill-fitting shoes.
Since so much of the foot is cartilage, they are malleable and impressionable. The foot is subject to external influences – one of those influences is the shoe itself. Naturally developed feet should be widest at the tip of the big toe (just like our logo....or my children's feet).......toes need wriggle room!
So, there you go. I hope that demonstrates the importance of what it we're trying to achieve with Bear-Foot. Look at the shoes - they look cool, but see above, they'll also allow your children's feet to develop naturally, without interference and restriction.
Please subscribe to our newsletter for future blog articles.
Thanks for reading.
-Phil
