Selecting the appropriate footwear is essential to ensuring that your children maintain their fitness and activity while remaining free from injuries.
Each type of exercise demands its own blend of flexibility, stability, support, comfort, durability, and safety. Utilise this guide created by a podiatrist so that you may select appropriate footwear for your child’s preferred activities.
Daily activity and everyday play
To promote foot health and wellness during daily play and activity, a comfort, flexible, and everyday use shoe is essential. These are all great features of an everyday shoe:
Breathable, closed-toe construction: Because of the open design of many breathability or air flow holes within most meshes, children’s shoes will offer superior airflow, while allowing for airflow from foot to ground.
Supportive yet flexible: An everyday play shoe should offer enough flexibility to allow natural foot movement, while still providing good support for both the arches and heels.
Comfortable insole: An ins..
Netball and Basketball
When children play Netball or Basketball, they require a shoe that provides plenty of ankle support, traction, and both comfort and cushioning. When buying new netball and basketball shoes, seek to purchase your child a shoe with:
Ankle support: To provide stability versus the foot’s lateral movement during rapid side-to-side actions, you will want to choose a shoe with added ankle support.
Durable, supportive outsole: The shoe’s outsole should offer traction so that when your child plays sports their movements and actions remain controlled.
Durably made soles: Choose shoes with a strong, tacky sole that will provide great traction for improved movement and prevent slipping on hard courts.
Cushioning: The softer the shoe, the better it cushions, so the kids’ feet and legs can handle the impact of running.
Soccer and Running
When considering soccer and running shoes for kids, look for lightweight, flexible shoes that provide some protection. Here are some key points to keep in mind when selecting shoes for either sport:
Lightweight, flexible shoes: Look for a shoe that allows natural movement of the foot, has a high agility level, and has a fast speed rating.
Great grip on the sole: When playing on grass, turf, or tracks, choose shoes with great traction on their soles so that the child is not likely to slip on the playing surface.
Reinforced toe protection: Some shoes will have added durability in the front of the shoe and will protect the toes from injury when playing soccer. The toe of the shoe will take the brunt of all contact.
Outdoor Adventures and Hiking
If you are going to do outdoor adventures, you need shoes that will handle all types of terrain and keep the feet comfortable. When looking for adventure and hiking shoes, here are some of the essentials you should be looking for:
Grip and waterproof: Look for a good sole that will grip, and will not be slippery; it should also be waterproof to protect from getting wet shoes when on the trail or hiking in mud or being exposed to the elements without adequate protection.
Heightened ankle support: Shoes that provide ankle support will help to protect the ankles from spraining on uneven ground.
Proper fitting: Shoes should fit properly, and have room to accommodate the thickness of the socks that will be worn with them.
Choosing appropriate footwear for your child’s activity level aids in protecting their feet, preventing potential injuries, and encouraging natural development.
For additional information on keeping your child’s feet healthy, check out our family-friendly materials about foot health and footwear selection here.
Locate a podiatrist today
f you’re uncertain about your child’s shoe fit or comfort, it’s recommended to book an assessment with my podiatrist. A professional evaluation of your child’s feet can help identify any issues early and ensure proper foot development. Book an appointment with my podiatrist today – Call 1800 733 444