PODCAST: Edita Prošková and Hana Tonarová: First barefoot shoes for children

When is it time to choose your child’s first shoes? Our children’s foot specialists share the key criteria to consider and why barefoot is a great choice.

Almost every day, parents come into our shop looking for little shoes for their child who’s still in the pushchair, starting to pull themselves up, or has already taken their first independent steps. That’s exactly why, in the next episode of our podcast—following on from the topic of psychomotor development—we’ll be talking with Edita Prošková and Hana Tonarová about first shoes.

Did you know, for example, that putting shoes on a child before they even start walking can actually do more harm than good? At the beginning, it’s better for children’s feet to be completely barefoot, so they can receive helpful sensory input from the outside. Then, once your little one is no longer just sitting in the pushchair, the first step on the long journey of choosing footwear can begin. And that’s exactly what we focus on in our chat—we’ll advise you on what the first proper shoe should look like, why it’s so important to choose carefully, and we’ll also share tips on what to avoid when shopping.

In today’s episode, you’ll learn:

• When to buy the first shoes and what they should look like (1:02)
• How to choose suitable socks for a small child and what cold feet mean (2:00)
• What to put on your child in the pushchair if you don’t want them barefoot (3:53)
• What footwear to choose when your child is slowly starting to pull themselves up (4:17)
• When and where soft shoes and non-slip socks are suitable (6:08)
• Which shoes to choose when your child is no longer crawling and is only walking (8:38)
• In which cases soft shoes are not recommended (10:16)
• What a child actually needs shoes for (11:06)
• When the first proper shoes—so-called prewalkers—should go on their feet (11:43)
• When it’s time for firmer shoes and how they differ from prewalkers (14:10)
• How barefoot shoes differ from conventional off-the-shelf shoes (15:00)
• Why a heel is (not) suitable on children’s shoes (15:43)
• What a stiff heel counter looks like and what its purpose is (19:40)
• When to choose a shoe with a high, firm ankle (21:20)
• How the extra growing room in children’s shoes should differ by age (22:54)
• What the correct shoe shape should look like (27:20)

Podcast links:

• BSc Hana Tonarová – Honeycare.cz
• BSc Edita Prošková on Instagram
• naBOSo on Instagram

Download the podcast as an mp3 (20MB)

Tune in to more podcasts:

• PODCAST: BSc Lucie Ternová: Pelvic floor, pregnancy, care and exercise after childbirth
• PODCAST: Edita Prošková and Hana Tonarová: Psychomotor development 4 months and up
• PODCAST: BSc Edita Prošková and BSc Hana Tonarová: What to know when choosing your first barefoot shoes for adults