First, congratulations on your baby. Surely in your pregnancy, you made plans on how you are going to dress your baby up with all these cute outfits that you had the idea from the internet, or maybe some celebrity had his child dressed up like that so you want to. You don’t need to rush with all that. Your baby is still fragile and his bones are not hard enough to dress it in tight clothes.
Just take your time when it comes to his feet. We know that the baby’s footwear is mega cute, but their development is more important than a cute appearance. So, you might want to skip on the shoes for now. You can instead cover his cute toes with some colorful cozy socks. One photo with the sneakers on will not do any harm but make sure you take them off after that.
We made this article to show you when to buy the first shoes for your baby and also what kind of footwear to keep his development properly.
Why not buy shoes
Although they look very cool, they are not good for newborn babies. Their feet are still fragile and they need unrestricted movement. They don’t have bones in their feet as much as we do because the development process doesn’t end in the belly. Since they are still developing it is easy to ruin the process with tight footwear.
There are many phases of child development, they first need to lay down, then crawl, and then they will take their first steps. If you try to speed things up, you will do more harm than good. These processes need their time and your baby will progress at its own pace. So, there is no point to dress them up in sneakers when the baby still can’t walk. When your baby is crawling he needs to have a soft sole so he can move freely, regular socks made from cotton or some type of pre-walking shoes will get the job done perfectly.
If the weather is cold you will want to protect his feet from it so instead of buying boots, socks will get the job done since they don’t restrict the movement and the skin can breathe through them. Also, if you take your baby out of your home, you will want to cover his feet but not with shoes because the walk can a long time and you need to let the feet free. That is time to use socks and you can also cover them with a blanket.
If you see that your baby is close to learning how to walk, let them learn barefoot because it will help them with the balance. Babies have flat feet and they will need time to form the proper curve of the feet that is why you need to let them walk barefoot to set their coordination and balance well.
When to buy shoes
When your baby passes the crawling phase and starts walking then you might consider buying footwear for them. If he just walks at home there is no need yet but when you plan on taking them out for a walk, then it’s time for sneakers. We all know that shoes or any type of footwear, in general, are made for foot protection when walking or running outside to prevent injuries like stepping into sharp objects or being stepped on.
You will not need to put shoes on them when you are home, let them walk freely. Instead, you can buy footwear that has soft soles so your baby can walk freely while not being cold and still being able to feel the different types of floors.
What type of shoes to buy
When choosing footwear for your child, you will need to find shoes that will provide protection but would also be comfortable on them. Don’t worry, your kid will look so cute even with comfortable shoes on. The heel needs to be in place, but they need space upfront so their toes can move freely. In order to get the correct size, you might need to measure the children’s feet.
When you made the decision on buying their first shoes make sure they meet these criteriums. The sneakers need to be flexible so your kid can move freely. They need to be slip-resistant and have good traction and good gripping soles so you don’t need to worry about them slipping and know they are stable on their feet. Also, they need to be soft inside to be comfortable for the child. Extra padded shoes might be good for them, just make sure that the material is breathable and it’s made from good quality materials.
How you strap them up is also a thing to consider. They need to be snug on their feet but not too tight, and you also want to put them on easily. Keep in mind that there are some types of sneakers that might get loose on their own and the baby can take them off on their own. You don’t want to spend money on footwear and lose a single shoe outside.
Keep in mind that baby footwear is not a cheap thing, you will need to buy them often since their feet grow from day to day. If you plan on having another baby, try to buy more neutral colors so you can use the same ones and save a little money.
Summation
Buying your baby’s first shoes is a big deal for your family but not too early. We have seen that babies need to be barefoot for some time to pass those development phases and also when he learns how to walk, walking barefoot will make their muscles stronger and their ankles more stable. Their curvature on their feet will be made quicker if they walk barefoot for the first months. When choosing, choose the correct size and materials and also style. Everyone wants to style their kid perfectly so make no exception. Buy the footwear that will make your child comfortable and that will make you happy and proud of your child.
Nina Smith 
Kim Marks