11/29/2024
You make sure that your children’s teeth, ears, skin, and other body parts are healthy and clean. But what about their feet?
Keeping your kids feet healthy!! Here's some tips that can help ensure successful development and optimal foot health for kids:
-Look carefully at your newborn’s feet. Be on the lookout for anything unusual. Problems you notice at birth may not disappear by themselves. Early treatment can often correct abnormalities, such as club foot, a congenital condition that occurs in about one in 1,000 births.
-Lightly cover your baby’s feet. Tight covers can keep your baby from moving freely and could even re**rd normal development, according to the APMA. Kicking and moving the legs and feet around helps strengthen the muscles in preparation to walk. Activity gyms for babies can also help strengthen little feet.
-Let your toddler go shoeless. When kids first start to walk, going without shoes indoors is good for normal development. Walking barefoot or wearing just socks strengthens the muscles in the feet and helps develop the grasping action of the toes. Plus, your little walker will enjoy the sensation of various surfaces — like lush carpet or cool tile — beneath his feet.
-Watch for lingering toe-walking. Walking on the toes is usually normal when kids first start to walk, but if a child walks exclusively on the toes after age 2, tell your pediatrician. Persistent toe walking could be linked to cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, or other nervous system problems.
-Cut toenails straight across. This will help prevent painful ingrown toenails. Signs of an ingrown toenail include pain, redness, and swelling. If an ingrown toenail does occur, head for your podiatrist, a simple in-office procedure can safely fix the problem.
-Keep feet clean and dry. Preventing bacterial and fungal infections starts with good hygiene. Thoroughly wash your kids’ feet at bath time. Afterward, dry them well between the toes to prevent athlete’s foot, a fungal infection that thrives in moisture.
-Buy well-fitting shoes. Always take your child with you when purchasing shoes. Kids’ feet need to be measured every single time, since they grow so rapidly. Too-tight shoes can cause blisters, corns, calluses, or ingrown toenails that can become infected. If your child is constantly taking her shoes off, that’s a red flag that they may be uncomfortable.
-Prevent foot injuries. Walking barefoot outdoors on dirty pavement exposes kids’ feet to splinters, cuts, and severe injuries. Another potential problem is plantar warts, a condition caused by a virus which invades the sole of the foot through cuts or breaks in the skin. Wearing shoes when playing on pavement or hazardous environments can prevent this problem. Cover cuts. Wash minor cuts, scrapes, and scratches on the feet with soap and water and keep them covered with a bandage until they have healed.
-Show and tell. Kids learn by imitating. Clean and properly dry your feet and have your child copy. Also demonstrate how to cut toenails to prevent painful problems. Many adult foot problems start in childhood.
If your child needs podiatric care, give the office of Dr. John O'Hanlon a call to schedule an appointment. 914-273-3100 or 914-276-3718
