I recently noticed a question pop up in the Mom Talk Chat page about footwear for a baby learning how to walk. There were so many great responses from all of you supporting the idea that being barefoot and unrestricted helps babies learn to walk best. 

Many of our own parents were taught that chunky “sturdy” shoes would help support us as babies when we were learning to walk.

Babies learn to use their body best when there are no objects that interfere with the process. We’ve written about this before here and here. In this article I will dive into WHY this is the case for shoes and walking and how far reaching this actually is for overall development.  

FEET 

The foot itself is made up of 26 bones, 33 joints and over 100 muscles, ligaments, and tendons… they must be important! There are very large concentrations of proprioceptors (I will explain this below!) in these joints and muscles of the feet. Your feet are actually one of the most sensory rich parts of the entire body. 

The sensory system is what sets the foundation for higher brain centres to grow upon. Most of us are familiar with the five senses touch, taste, vision, hearing and smell. However, there are two more! And they are equally as important. They play a dominant role as babies begin to coordinate movements (i.e. crawling, walking). They are the PROPRIOCEPTIVE and VESTIBULAR systems. 

PROPRIOCEPTION 

Proprioception is our ability to perceive the motion and position of our body in space and comes from information in the receptors (aka proprioceptors) located within our joints and muscles. Pressure and movement activate these receptors and send signals to the brain about how the body is oriented. Shoes act as a barrier between the sensitive soles of the feet and the ground, minimizing the amount of proprioceptive info that is sent to the brain.  

VESTIBULAR SENSE 

Our vestibular sense is the creation of balance and coordination with changes in centre of gravity, posture and head position. As they integrate all of their other senses, babies can begin deliberate movements like holding up their head, rolling, crawling and walking.  

One of the simplest ways to encourage better proprioceptive and vestibular development is to let our babies be barefoot as much as possible.  

Obviously shoes are necessary at some point in order to prevent injury… but what if we could prolong the use of restrictive footwear so that our babies learned to recruit their muscles appropriately and integrated this new vital skill with their nervous system as naturally as possible? 

BENEFITS OF WALKING BAREFOOT 

– develops muscles and ligaments in the feet appropriately 

– strengthens the arch of the foot important for optimal biomechanics 

– improves proprioception (awareness of their position in relation to the space around them) 

– supports better posture  

– allows the tactile pathways in feet to experience a variety of surfaces  

– makes for a healthier brain! 

– sensory input from the feet quiets other sensory input which helps with focus and awareness of walking and tuning into their surroundings 

HOW TO SUPPORT BAREFOOT MOVEMENT  

– avoid fashionable shoes with hard soles as much as possible 

– at home: let them crawl, roll, stand, and walk barefoot  

– make time for barefoot time outdoors (many people have safe backyards or can head to the beach or lake when the weather allows) 

– allow your kids to walk on and explore a variety of natural textures and surfaces (grass, leaves, sand, dirt, puddles, wood) 

– make sure footwear has flexible soles, and is WIDE enough to allow movement and growth without restriction 

Stop for a second and take this into consideration for yourself as well! It’s never too late to encourage your own proprioceptive and vestibular input to grow new neural connections even as you age.  

If you haven’t tuned in to the Be More Human Podcast yet I would highly recommend listening to one of our most recent episodes with Anne Lebans. She is the co-founder of It’s Ok To Be Awesome, a mental wellness program for KIDS! Check it out and don’t miss another episode.  

Have an awesome week,

 

 

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