Starting to walk
Most children learn to walk aged between 9 and 18 months. It all depends on the development of the muscular strength and co-ordination needed.
Don’t worry if it takes your child a little longer. All children are different and they need to develop at their own pace – the worst thing you can do is rush them.
When they do take their first unaided steps, they’ll walk very differently from a grown-up. Their feet will be wide apart and point outwards. There’ll be no flexing of the knees or ankles. They’ll take short stamping steps, which reverberate, making them quite unsteady, and they’ll hold their arms out to keep balanced. At this stage properly fitted shoes will help provide the stability and protection toddlers need to encourage them in their efforts and help them enjoy those all-important first steps.
Foot development
There will be 25 bones forming in your child’s foot at this point, though there are still large gaps between them. It’s important that these bones are allowed to grow naturally, otherwise they can become misaligned.
The navicular bone – situated at the point where shoes are usually fastened – is yet to form. Instead, there’s a fatty pad on the instep where the arch will slowly develop over the next few years.
At this stage the foot will be growing very quickly – up to two whole sizes (16mm) every year.
Choosing shoes
What to look for:
- Close cropped soles to prevent tripping
- Lightweight, flexible soles to aid walking development
- Soft leather and other natural upper materials to keep feet cool
- Padded ankle collars for protection and support
- Fully-adjustable fastenings
- Full 14mm growing room
- Whole and half sizes and a choice of widths
- Carefully fitted by trained shoe fitters
From Clarks.co.uk
