SHOES FOR CHILDREN

Our feet are of utmost importance for our health and well-being, still too many people neglect their own feet. Strong feet, flexible ankles, sensitive toes help us prevent from muscles and skeleton diseases that might have a negative influence on the quality of our lives. Children first steps are very important and the choice of the adequate pair of shoes is fundamental for a correct foot development.

WHEN THE CHILD IS CRAWLING

When the child is 8-12 months old he/she discovers that he can move by crawling around on the floor. At this age feet are totally flat and the feet vaults will get their shapes by exercising in walking. At this age wearing the appropriate pair of shoes just for a few hours a day will help the child get used to feeling something wrapping his/her small feet in an untraumatic way. The right shoes in the crawling period are soft, elastic, with no hard soles, in order to keep the feet very flexible. At the same time they also have to allow the child making his/her first steps: soles should be in soft and flexible original leather with anti-slide strip sto help the child standing.

YOUR CHILD’S FIRST STEPS

It is in this phase that the feet vaults under the child feet start getting their shape: the joint action of the body weight and of feet muscles will give a shape to those vaults. The more the feet move and walk the more the vaults gat a shape, the less they walk the longer they will stay flat. The shoes you will choose will be very important, as only a careful choice will grant free movements to the feet. First step shoes should be soft, comfortable and light with a flexible anti-slide sole. They should be made of soft leather, they should be flexible and allow the toes to move free. Their back should have a hard and stable heel, but, at the same time, they should not obstacle the ankles. For what concerns sizes, they should be 7 mm longer than the actual feet, to let the toes move free.

SUGGESTIONS FOR YOUR CHOICE AND MISTAKES TO BE AVOIDED

• Do not choose a large size pair of shoes hoping to use them for a longer. They will be of no use and might be a risk for your child stability. For sure you will save no money in this way.
  
• Children feet grow very fast: check every month that toes do not touch the shoes front sides. Check both feet: it is not unusual to have different size feet while the child is growing.
  
• Children should not wear their elder brothers and sisters’ old shoes: their feet are different and shoes shape will have adapted to their previous owner’s feet.
  
• At 3-4 take him/her to an orthopaedic surgeon’s to check his/her feet development.

HOW TO CLEAN AND KEEP YOUR CHILDREN SHOES

• Sheep or lamb leather shoes

Brush them every day and use sometimes a shoe shiner (colourless or of the same color that the leather they are made of).
You can brush mud away only after it has completely dried. You can also wipe them quickly with warm water, but please do not soak it: leather might get damaged. Wipe them dry with a piece of fabric or let them dry in open air.
Leather can be damaged by use and athmospheric elements: use a colourless shiner (or one of the same color of the leather) on a regular basis.
Some good suggestions: vegetable fati s better than animal fat on leather shoes, not only for moral reasons, but also because animal fat widens leather pores and make it less waterproof once dried.

• Patent leather

Cleaning is very easy.
Use a wet handkerchief and some neutral soap to wipe dust away, your shoes will shine.

Suede or nabuk leather shoes
They are easier to clean than is commonly thought. Wipe them with a wet handkerchief and some Marseille soap. If the leather is stained or greasy, use some small-grained glass paper, a metal brush or a piece of rubber: you will give a new life to your shoes.

• Fabric shoes

Do not use a washing machine. Do not sink them into water: after a while you will remove the glue sticking the sole to the top. It is much better to wipe it with a wet handkerchief and some Marseille soap.

How will you dry shoes after washing them, or when soaked with rain or sweat?
To dry them quickly, open them completely, remove the inner sole, leave them in fresh air (do not fill them with paper).
Dry them in the air, not in the sun (colours might fade). Do not put them close to a heater or wash them with a hair drier (they will turn wrinkly and stiff), until they are perfectly dry.
Leather shoes can be perfectly cleaned by wiping them with the inner side of a banana skin, with a handkerchief wet with warm milk.
Keep bacteria away, do not use every day the same pair of shoes. Your child should have two pairs of shoes per season, in order to have them changed every day: children sweat a lot, if they always use the same pair of shoes, bacteria will proliferate inside.

Wet shoes? No thanks.
Never keep some wet shoes in any closed container, in order to avoid moulds, fungi and bacteria.

Some other good suggestions…
Most of shoes have their inner sole that can be removed and washed. Washed them with soap and water sometimes and let them dry upside down far from any heat source. Your children feet wil be fresh and healthy.

SYMBOLS AND MATERIALS

Many kinds of materials and their combinations are used to manufacture shoes. Shoe tops are mainly made of leather, rubber, synthetic and fabric materials. Each material has its own characteristics, performances and treatments. Materials have a direct influence on the lives of shoes and in many cases shoes have different uses accordino to their different materials. The most common natural material to be used to manufacture shoes is leather. Leather is soft, it can breathes and it absorbs shocks. It models itself on the foot shape. There are some fundamental kinds of leather:

• Smooth – soft surface with small pores, it can be shining or dull.
• bottalata – soft and wrinkly surface
• Patent – smooth and shining surface; shocks and low temperatures can damage it.
• Nubuck – similar to suede. Even a finger can leave prints on it, but they can be remove simply by brushing it.
• Leather – used for shoe soles.
• Crusted leather – one layer of leather, one of underleather.

Shoe components

Upper	Sole	Inner layer and inner sole

Symbols and materials

Leather	Smooth leather	Fabrics	Other models

SEASONS
WINTER
Your child will need two pairs of shoes: one for walking outside, protecting feet from rain and cold weather, and one for walking at home, with flexible and soft soles, e.g. made of polyurethane.

FALL AND SPRING
Do not pass from winter shoes to summer ones. You will rather need mid-season shoes, made of light leather, the inner layer made of leather or fabric.

SUMMER
Before the child is 2 yo, especially when he/she is still crawling, the best choice is small sandals closed on the toes and the heels in order to protect feet. After 2, children can go on using this kind of sandals while playing or doing other dynamic activities, in other occasions can wear other sandals open on the toes.
Never let them wear, at any age, sabots open on the heels: movements are more difficult and feet get tired.

INTERNATIONAL SIZES
LG Junior usually indicates Italian standard sizes. In the following figure you will find UK and USA correspondences.
> see size converter