Health Awareness
From the very first day your child is born it’s absolutely vital to be aware of the health of his or her precious feet. Careful maintenance and tender loving care of those ever changing feet will definitely contribute to a growing child’s mobility and good health for life!
As you will have realised, we are firm believers in the important role a Professional Fitter can play in the care and development of your child’s feet.
Bambini Shoes has a team of Professionally Qualified Shoe Fitters operating throughout the UK. We are more than happy to arrange for one of our team to visit your home for a professionally managed fitting session. The experience for you and your child will be stress-free, fun and educational. Most importantly it could make the world of difference to your child’s future health and well-being.
For more information on this very special service please call:-
+44 (0)844 800 1109
Or
Email info@bambinishoes.co.uk
Here are some frequently asked questions:-
When is a good time to buy the first pair of shoes for my baby?
Not until they are able to walk steadily and unaided outdoors. It’s good to let your baby stay barefoot (as long as they are in a safe environment) for as long as possible because this allows the feet to develop naturally and normally. The age at which children start to walk without assistance can vary enormously – anything between 8 - 24 months.
My baby has just started walking – what style of shoe is best?
There are differing professional opinions. One school of thought is to provide soft and flexible shoes to allow for outdoor protection but still keep the feet functioning as if they were "barefoot". Another opinion is to place the feet in rigid, supporting shoes but this is usually only if a foot problem has been identified. Healthy young feet certainly don’t need boots.
My baby seems to have flat feet. Should I worry about this?
If you are really worried then talk to your doctor but, to be honest, most babies seem to be flat-footed when they first start to walk. A combination of things can give this impression; posture, fatty deposits which give the appearance of the foot being flat and even the fact that your ever-learning baby is trying to balance a relatively large head on a short body so knees get bent, legs splay apart and feet turn outwards!
How often should my child’s shoes be changed?
This is a complicated one. Every child is different but a child’s feet normally grow by two sizes in the first four years of life then one size per year until they stop growing completely. It’s important to keep having this checked by a trained shoe fitter though so that your child’s shoes are always at the correct length and width for his or her own personal development. Something to look out for is sudden height growth (often between 8 – 13 years old in girls and 10 – 16 years in boys) because this can trigger rapid feet growth in a surprisingly short period.
In Summer, what sort of shoes should my child be wearing?
Well ventilated and made out of natural material (leather ideally) and T-bar sandals are absolutely ideal for younger children. Trainers are OK if properly checked by a trained shoe fitter but avoid off-the-shelf, synthetically made trainers which probably won’t fit well and will always cause delicate toes to be badly crammed.
How important is it to get the correct width fitting?
Very. Shoes which are the wrong width can damage growing feet as much as shoes which are the wrong length. Our advice is always to get your child’s feet checked by a professional fitter.
How do I know if my child’s shoes are hurting him or her?
You can never really know. Younger children tend to adapt to a level of comfort they think is normal and won’t question it. Regular shoe fitting is vital in their case. Older children often won’t complain because they consider their favourite pair of shoes to be "the only thing to be seen wearing" even if they hurt. We’ve all done that in the past – let the condition of your older child’s feet be your benchmark!
How can I be sure that my child’s shoes fit properly?
This is probably the question we get asked the most. The only sure way is to have your child’s feet measured regularly by a Professional Fitter. They are trained to recognise potential growth levels (if you work regularly with a fitter they’ll also have a record of your child’s development patterns). They may also be able to spot any potential problem areas and recommend pro-active solutions to get everything back on track.
As you will have realised, we are firm believers in the important role a Professional Fitter can play in the care and development of your child’s feet.
Bambini Shoes has a team of Professionally Qualified Shoe Fitters operating throughout the UK. We are more than happy to arrange for one of our team to visit your home for a professionally managed fitting session. The experience for you and your child will be stress-free, fun and educational. Most importantly it could make the world of difference to your child’s future health and well-being.
For more information on this very special service please call:-
+44 (0)844 800 1109
Or
Email info@bambinishoes.co.uk
Here are some frequently asked questions:-
When is a good time to buy the first pair of shoes for my baby?
Not until they are able to walk steadily and unaided outdoors. It’s good to let your baby stay barefoot (as long as they are in a safe environment) for as long as possible because this allows the feet to develop naturally and normally. The age at which children start to walk without assistance can vary enormously – anything between 8 - 24 months.
My baby has just started walking – what style of shoe is best?
There are differing professional opinions. One school of thought is to provide soft and flexible shoes to allow for outdoor protection but still keep the feet functioning as if they were "barefoot". Another opinion is to place the feet in rigid, supporting shoes but this is usually only if a foot problem has been identified. Healthy young feet certainly don’t need boots.
My baby seems to have flat feet. Should I worry about this?
If you are really worried then talk to your doctor but, to be honest, most babies seem to be flat-footed when they first start to walk. A combination of things can give this impression; posture, fatty deposits which give the appearance of the foot being flat and even the fact that your ever-learning baby is trying to balance a relatively large head on a short body so knees get bent, legs splay apart and feet turn outwards!
How often should my child’s shoes be changed?
This is a complicated one. Every child is different but a child’s feet normally grow by two sizes in the first four years of life then one size per year until they stop growing completely. It’s important to keep having this checked by a trained shoe fitter though so that your child’s shoes are always at the correct length and width for his or her own personal development. Something to look out for is sudden height growth (often between 8 – 13 years old in girls and 10 – 16 years in boys) because this can trigger rapid feet growth in a surprisingly short period.
In Summer, what sort of shoes should my child be wearing?
Well ventilated and made out of natural material (leather ideally) and T-bar sandals are absolutely ideal for younger children. Trainers are OK if properly checked by a trained shoe fitter but avoid off-the-shelf, synthetically made trainers which probably won’t fit well and will always cause delicate toes to be badly crammed.
How important is it to get the correct width fitting?
Very. Shoes which are the wrong width can damage growing feet as much as shoes which are the wrong length. Our advice is always to get your child’s feet checked by a professional fitter.
How do I know if my child’s shoes are hurting him or her?
You can never really know. Younger children tend to adapt to a level of comfort they think is normal and won’t question it. Regular shoe fitting is vital in their case. Older children often won’t complain because they consider their favourite pair of shoes to be "the only thing to be seen wearing" even if they hurt. We’ve all done that in the past – let the condition of your older child’s feet be your benchmark!
How can I be sure that my child’s shoes fit properly?
This is probably the question we get asked the most. The only sure way is to have your child’s feet measured regularly by a Professional Fitter. They are trained to recognise potential growth levels (if you work regularly with a fitter they’ll also have a record of your child’s development patterns). They may also be able to spot any potential problem areas and recommend pro-active solutions to get everything back on track.
