help me settle a debate

kimarino13 · October 2010

My mom has mentioned no less than 5 times that the girls should be wearing shoes in the house, all hours they are awake. I guess that's what she did with my brothers and me starting at like 3 months old. WTF.

I told her that they don't need shoes around the house. (We do have them wear shoes if we go outside (pediped, robeez, etc.), even though they aren't walking yet.)

When should kids start wearing shoes? What about inside the house?

Germanwife2b · October 2010

From what I know, it is better for early walkers to be barefoot. But the leather shoes are great because they can still feel the floor. But I say, inside the houes, better to be barefoot (until it gets cold and then you need to keep those toosies warm with socks or little leather shoes). That's what I think!

efooey · October 2010

my kids are lucky to have clothes on at all much less shoes! Seriously, my daughter LOVES to be naked.

I never have shoes on my kids unless we are going outside.

E

charmcitygirl · October 2010

Germanwife2b:
From what I know, it is better for early walkers to be barefoot. But the leather shoes are great because they can still feel the floor. But I say, inside the houes, better to be barefoot (until it gets cold and then you need to keep those toosies warm with socks or little leather shoes). That's what I think!

I think this too!

browneyedgrl4282 · October 2010

All my kids get PT and i asked this when the twins were very young. The answer I got from the PT and ortho was they do not need shoes in the house! they said it is actually better from them to barefoot while they are trying to walk because it teaches them to walk on different textures as well. They used to make the kids walk out side in the grass in their barefeet. If they got to my house and the kids had shoes on (it was because we just got home) they would immediately take them off them.

The shoes they should be wearing when the are starting to walk are onces that are flexible but still have bend to them!

j11skate · October 2010

I used to be a nanny and the boys I watched were always barefoot. No socks even. Mine would've froze. Anyway, their grandmother was always telling their mother to put them in shoes. I can't remember her reasoning behind it because the mother thought it was ridiculous and didn't do it even though grandma bought what I would call 'house' shoes for them.

kristinamh6 · October 2010

Your mom is wrong. It's better for them to go barefoot as much as possible, even when they start learning to walk (inside the house). When you're outside the house the soft soled shoes are best. I don't know what age it becomes ok to switch to hard soles though.

On a side note, I read on your blog that you went to Bates Nut Farm. We were down visiting family last weekend and we went also. We were going to go Sunday, but heard how insanely crowded the weekends were and decided to go Monday instead. It was raining part of the time, but there was hardly anyone there and it was awesome. We took a few pictures, my nieces got pumpkins and we had some homemade fudge (awesome BTW). I think it will be even more fun in the years ahead when the little ones actually know what's going on. Big Smile

ShannonSky · October 2010

DD went barefoot everywhere pretty much all summer :-P She's soooo bad about taking her shoes off. The only ones that stay on consistently are hard-soled, but it's either that or have her ripping her shoes off every 10 secs, so outside the house she wears those, and inside she's usually barefoot.

LIAngel · October 2010

Nicholas didn't start wearing shoes until he was 10 months old. My sister told me that I should get them for him- even though he wasn't walking yet- so he'd get used to wearing them. So I did, and he wore them inside the house. Now he's 19 months and very rarely wears shoes inside the house. He only wears them outside now.

sasa625 · October 2010

DD didn't own a pair of shoes until she was a year old. She had no interest in walking and it was warm out... and they are expensive so I didn't see a point to them. She just started wearing shoes consistently when we leave the house. I will probably get her some slippers for the winter since she won't leave socks on and her little feet get cold.

Everyone I've talked to said that it's best to leave them barefoot until they are really walking.

LVBlvd · October 2010

My pedi recommended no shoes until she was a skilled walker. For us, that was about 15 months.

emmyloustu · October 2010

Another for no shoes! Everything I have read echoes what p/p have said. My mom is obsessed with the shoe thing also.

E wears them once and awhile for the cuteness factor.

kimarino13 · October 2010

Thanks, ladies. My mom makes me feel like shiit because she keeps insisting that I am doing this wrong. Maybe shoes at a young age were a thing of the 70s/80s?

Kristina - Yes, Bates was in-freakin-sane. Next year? Weekday. For sure.

jenber77 · October 2010

Yep, I'm with everyone else. DS only wears shoes outside. My mom seems to have the same beliefs as yours, though. She thinks my cousin's toddler is bow-legged because she doesn't wear shoes enough.

sweetpea18 · October 2010

No shoes, unless it's cold outside! They need the propioceptive feed back while learning to walk and they don't get that with shoes!

Nicole. · October 2010

My pedi says no shoes in the house- barefoot as much as possible. Jake only began wearing shoes this past summer when we were outside (he was crawling and I didn't want him to get stung, pricked, scraped, etc.) He's a very proficient walker now and I always take his shoes off when we're home. Barefoot is best for them learning to walk because they use their toes to help them learn.

RoxBride · October 2010

My pedi advises barefeet or slip proof socks in the house, and shoes when outside.

laura&dan05 · October 2010

We don't ever wear shoes in the house. Dd knows this and takes off her shoes as soon as we walk in the door. I put her in shoes when we leave the house and it's cold or she has to walk around in public. She doesn't love wearing shoes and takes them off all of the time.

dulcinea03 · October 2010

Now that its getting colder, they wear socks inside at all times. Usually they only wear shoes when we're outside, and the only shoes we have for them are the soft leather Robeez style shoes. The few other times I've tried to put them in hard soled shoes for pictures, they've immediately started to try to get them off. They don't pull at the Robeez, so those are the shoes of choice when shoes are needed.

Mrs.LisaP · October 2010

My LO is walking and she does not wear shoes in the house at all. If we go out she does, but not in the house. They say barefoot is best!

desabean · October 2010

I cannot stand to go barefoot under any circumstances. So, while I don't think shoes are necessary, I do think socks are-- of course if Garrison isn't wearing shoes, her socks come right off.

Temp159135562506975 · October 2010

barefoot is best for learning to walk - period.

your mom is wrong - old fashioned, etc.... tell her to get over it.

alchris · October 2010

For new walkers: Barefoot is best.

For my child: She usually doesn't have on pants at home, let alone shoes.

For me: I'm barefoot at home 8 months of the year, and I wear socks or slippers when need be the other 4 months. I only buy and wear comfortable shoes, but I don't want them on all the time! Not to mention that it's much cleaner/healthier to leave shoes at the front door or thereabouts.

So, IMO, keep feet covered if it's cold out, but no shoes!!!

AlpacaBunny · October 2010

We never put shoes on them in the house when they were that age. We put some on if we went out somewhere. Now, we do put shoes on them in the house for maybe an hour a day. Caroline has orthotics in her shoes, so the PT has us put her in them for a half hour twice a day in the house, and then anytime she is outside she wears them too. I would not worry about it, let them be comfy!

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