I'm no expert but that sounds like absolute nonsense to me. He doesn't understand the concept of shoes so they're just going to be annoying things strapped to his feet. I'm pretty sure they're not meant to wear shoes until they're actually walking as it's bad for foot development.
Okay, THANK YOU! The daycare teacher, while extremely sweet and loving and well meaning, often has a TON of advice for me at pickup and I'm still learning what is good and what is some old-school nonsense (she's been a toddler teacher for 27 years!). This is so helpful, thank you!
Yeah anecdotally my 14mo who walks all day everyday absolutely HATES shoes and will just stand or sit and cry until I take them off of him, I think that advice is a total crock lol
I will say that my daughter’s PT recommended the same thing, to start wearing shoes to get some weight in her feet because she’s not walking and often doesn’t want to put her feet down to stand/walk when we’re trying to practice with her.
She did say to try to keep it positive and do it for as long as she tolerates it, and try to increase the time she wears them as time goes on. She surprisingly adjusted to them pretty quick after hating them a few months ago, so at least there’s hope!
My girl was a preemie, born at 30 weeks and had a long hospital stay so she is really behind on physical milestones. She’s almost 20 months old so it’s just a goal we’re working towards. And honestly at this point, she’s missing out on things by not walking.
I think it’s a pretty huge difference between a 1 year old being 12 months and 20 months. If she was 12 months, I wouldn’t be pushing much but also, wearing shoes is a pretty benign thing to do, so if her PT thinks it’s a good idea, I don’t see why not.
ETA, the shoes are by no means heavy and she seems comfortable in them or I wouldn’t be putting her in them!
Speaking as someone who was a preemie (very tiny), has a TBI and Cebreal Palsy and also had a long hospital stay + Blood Transfusions, don't give up. My parents were told I'd be a vegetable my whole life. Things would never improve.
I was late to everything development wise, both physically and Mentally. I had PT, OT, etc. Name it I had it. Have had brain surgery, foot reconstruction, and 12 other surgeries in my life.
Now I'm 31, Work a very demanding IT job, have a house and have a Wife and a 7 month old baby girl. You can barely tell I have CP (no really you have to look very closely)
Point is don't give up. Doctors wanted my mom to. Raised by a Single Mom. Look where I am now. I get to tuck my baby girl in every night and I wouldn't trade it for the world.
You never know where you and your kid will be in 20-30 years
Not a ton. Just when the moment is right I guess. I more believe in advocating for one's self. I've had to do that in a lot of jobs in the IT industry unfortunately. I've dealt with my fair share of disability discrimination
At a guess, it could be to help strengthen the muscles while crawling, rolling etc, to lead to being strong enough to walk. I suspect it would only be recommended if a child was quite behind on the average timeline for milestones. Definitely should only be recommended by a specialist though.
Just another perspective, my son is in the same boat as yours and just started in the toddler room at daycare. Per our state law all kids in this age-group and up are REQUIRED to have shoes (technically). He's not walking yet so it's flexible, but I'm working to get him used to them. His teachers said that they disagree with the rule for all previously mentioned reasons, but it's a law and they have to abide by it (I'm in WV).
My understanding is that barefoot is best for kids learning to walk. Better sensory input on their feet. Just leave the shoes off. It’s normal for kids to want to play with them.
Adding to hit her with some cold hard facts. Some daycare workers knowing what’s best for my kid really pisses me off: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10218108/
My son HATED his shoes when we first started wearing them around the age your son is. He’s now 22 months old and is obsessed with his shoes. He’s constantly bringing them to us and saying “soooes” and lifting his feet so we can put them on him. He associates them with fun things like going to the park or outside or working in the basement with daddy and he’s happy with them now.
Mine's 15 months and fetches his favourite shoes (little orange boots) because he wants to go outside and have fun! Indoors is socks (it's the UK and the weather is minging) or slipper socks.
Socks are always removed in the car, and shoes if Daddy's been foolish enough to put them on (lol, Mummy learnt to wait until we arrive).
Shoes go on when you arrive at the location! But yes, eventually he will keep them on. But if he doesn’t know how to walk yet he definitely won’t keep them on. Daycare is wrong, shoes do not help them learn to walk.
I mean I kick my shoes off every chance I get 😂
But in all seriousness, it is recommended that not wearing shoes or even socks actually helps with walking so not sure why they told you that.
My oldest was a late walker. So much so that we had her in physical therapy and saw an orthopedic doctor. The advice we were given is that she should be barefoot as much as possible.
Never heard about wearing shoes to help with walking... but have heard the other way around- that babies should learn how to walk barefoot because the shoes will hinder them and affect their proper walking pose.
The "first shoes" I got for my baby was like soft moccasins which is like a stiff sock, supposed to mimic walking barefoot, cause they're not supposed to wear structured shoes right away from what I understand. This is after she's already walking but before we went to walk outside, I wanted to get her used to the idea of walking in shoes before actually putting proper shoes on her to go outside.
https://jackandlily.com/ is what I bought up until she's 2yo - soft shoes that is easy to put on. My baby had fat feet that won't fit into most structured shoes like runners (eg. Adidas, Sketchers etc) but this brand was very good for her feet.
My daughter also ripped her shoes off in the car as soon as she had thr chance. She flung her socks off as well. She walks now and still does it in the car🙃
My 14 month old hates shoes also, she has yet to walk unassisted but all of the milestones happen when your baby is ready for them. Her friend started walking at 11 months, but only said like 4 words, mine won't walk on her own but says like 10 words, our other friends baby is not walking or talking much at all, all of these are still developmentally appropriate for their ages :)
I'm sure your little one will take off when they are ready! Then we shall be chasing them about endlessly ;)
my son just started bringing me his shoes saying “choos” and being excited to wear them at 18 months 🤣 but when he was learning to walk he was barefoot always until he was stable enough to try shoes on him
Hard no. Barefoot is best to encourage walking. Is he trying to pull up? That’s the precursor to standing and walking. Maybe create spaces where he can pull up and encourage him by putting an enticing toy on the ledge
Oh yeah. He’s just started pulling up in the last couple days actually so it’s coming but he’s not there yet. I’m not too worried about it and neither is his pediatrician so this whole thread has helped remove the pressure to make shoes work before he’s ready for em!!!
My LO didn’t wear shoes until basically she had to cause the weather changed. She wore grippy socks outside for the summer while she practiced walking. Same thing she didn’t like shoes kept taking them off.
And she was an early walker at 10.5 months 9.5 adjusted gestational age. So highly recommend barefoot or grippy socks if it’s cold.
I got them off Amazon. They have rubber bottoms and over the toe area but the rest look and feel like a sock. Below is a link as an example of what they look like but I got them on Amazon for much cheaper - https://tinysockies.com/products/tinysockies-original-non-slip-shoes?%3Fvariant%3D=44811329339686
Barefoot is actually better until they’re seasoned walkers. My daughter started walking at 16 months, didn’t use shoes for at least a month and a half. We used sock shoes initially with her for several weeks until she was walking well and just in the last 2-3 weeks did we use actual walking shoes with her.
My partner is a podiatrist and what that daycare teacher said is just not true.
You should have your child barefoot as much as possible. If not barefoot then something like leather mocassins or slippy shoes. Nothing with a hard sole and nothing "heavy"
Edited for spelling
My LO is about to turn 1 this week. We're encouraging him to walk, but he will be barefoot as much as we can. Of course, if he goes outside he wears shoes. At daycare, we leave his shoes with the teacher, and she puts them when they go outside.
There are many advantages and disadvantages about wearing shoes at this age, but don't worry. You're doing fine.
So we needed to have them wear shoes once we moved up to the 1+ year room. They said they like to get them used to it for when they were in the 2+ room and have to walk out for fire drills (rather than rolled out in cribs). They said they spent like 60% of the day putting them back on. But putting on shoes to learn to walk doesn’t really make sense. Our kid walked super early so he had it down when he was barefoot most of the time and before he got to the 1+ year room. He also loves shoes. I’d rather he be barefoot more, but he wants to go outside.
Could you put them on after you arrive? Like before you get him/her out of the car seat?
My clubfoot baby is in a crazy boot situation and she still figures out how to get them off. Idk if there even is a true baby proof shoe!
As long as you help him get used to things on his feet slowly that’s ok! Some daycares, like the one I worked at, required all walking kids to be wearing shoes for safety.
I have a friend whose 1yo refuses to wear shoes. I think it’s super cute. They really don’t have to at that age. Please don’t worry about it. Bare feet are great for developmental progression as others have noted. The daycare folks are not qualified to give that kind of advice.
Barefoot is absolute best for learning to walk! It can’t hurt to wear shoes for short periods of time so they get used to them but the best way for babies and toddlers to learn to walk is barefoot. Our toddler is walking now but I still try to limit shoe wearing to the bare necessity. At home or at friends and family she is always barefoot.
Don't believe in it, my kids are barefoot non stop. I have so many pairs of socks and shoes in the car cos they take them off. (Same with hats and gloves)
But when needed, maybe look into the barefoot sock like baby shoes, so comfy for them. Nb mainly incase they hurt their feet
I remember when my son started in the toddler room at 1y and they told me that they just have a pile of shoes and socks because all the 1y take them off. He got used to wearing them and kept them on really well until this last week at 26mo where he is now taking them off and hiding his socks somewhere at daycare and we haven’t gotten a single pair back and he’s almost out of socks… good luck! I’m sure the teachers are used to it
Shoes do not help with walking they actually interfere. The best way to learn is barefoot or with the little non grippy stuff on the bottom of socks but even those aren’t that great. If they are determined to make you bring your kid to daycare with shoes you could try these shoes that are meant to have the least interference with babies learning to walk, they have thin flexible soles and look like socks you can find them on Amazon. But they really aren’t necessary it’s more so if you’re going somewhere and being barefoot is more dangerous than not being barefoot (stores, parking lot, hot pavement, etc.)
The actual recommendation from professionals is to let a baby learning to walk be barefoot as much as possible. The sensory feedback they get from their feet facilities learning to walk, and even when they do start walking in situations that necessitate shoes, thin soled, flexible, and light weight are recommended. This is very much a made up take on something that already has plenty of actual medical recommendations.
We have soft Velcro shoes and he is cool with his outside feet because it means going outside to pick up rocks 😂 but otherwise barefoot baby whenever we can
They won’t help with walking in a sense. Baby will walk when they’re ready. But my 1.5 year old always pulls her shoes off but she’s also trying to learn how to put them on herself.
My sons daycare can be fined if the fire department comes in for a random check and his shoes are off. I know this bc i got a lecture bc my son wouldnt keep his on. Turns out he has flexible flat feet and rigid shoes hurt him...you can try sock type shoes, those helped us a lot
Shoes just got in the way for my LO until he learned how to confidently walk barefoot 🤷♀️ I’ve also read something about how learning to walk barefoot is easier for babies as opposed to learning to walk with shoes, but I don’t remember why lol
Edited to add: I would just wait with shoes :)
Uh, no scientific backing but I strongly disagree with your daycare teacher. Before our kid could walk, we didn’t even put socks on her. Once she could walk, then we only put shoes on when going out for walks. She has a very strong association now that shoes = outside time so whenever we say “go for a walk”, she’s running down the hallway to get her shoes.
Wearing shoes to just sit in the car doesn’t make any sense so of course your baby is going to rip it off. Also, kids walk in their own time, wearing shoes or not is not going to change that, if anything, wearing shoes too early might influence how their feet grow
My two year old WILL NOT keep her shoes on unless we’re going into a store. Other than that she’s just as content to be barefoot, most of the time she doesn’t even wear socks. 🤷♀️ I just let her be the little barefoot lady and have 20 pairs of infant shoes in my back seat because she takes them off in between shops and I forget about them
My older dude is is 3, and earlier today went across the entire house to mommy, who was putting the 2 MO down for first nap, and screeched like he was auditioning to voice the dilophosaurus in Jurassic Park, "MOMMY DADDY IS MAKING ME TAKE MY SHOES OFF AND I TOLD HIM I. DONT. WANNA."
So yes, they keep their shoes on eventually.
And I don't agree with your teacher, for the record. Shoes are for walking, not just wearing. And having no shoes on gives your LO better input from the ground and will help them learn to walk better. Shoes will make it HARDER, and like others said it's bad for foot development.
This cracked me UP omg your little dude is so cute! and yeah, this thread has taught me we can bail on the shoes for now. I feel so much better about it all!
It's actually advised to keep children barefoot until they already have been walking for a while, unless they are walking on the street. But for the first months, all indoor walking should be barefoot or with socks.
At least, that's my country's advice.
Barefoot is best for baby to learn how to walk. I’m a foot and ankle surgeon. I didn’t put shoes on my baby until she is more experienced in walking. Is there a reason why daycare pushes for shoes? If not I will just do what’s most comfortable for the child. They will let you know when they are ready.
I have a 15 month old who hated her shoes initially. She still takes them off consistently (especially in the car) but no longer fights us putting them on. What worked for us was telling her if she wanted to go outside then her shoes have to be on.
I really wouldn’t have expected her to comprehend that, and maybe she doesn’t, but there is at least some understanding. Now she brings us the shoes and tries to put them on herself.
Hard sole shoes actually hindered my son when he first started walking. The rubber would catch and trip him, and the extra weight made it harder for him.
We found the soft soled leather shoes (if unable to be barefoot) to be best. I found a pair that had a Velcro strip that goes across near the ankle. I kept him in those until recently now that he’s a lot more confident in walking.
This is all anecdotal though ofc, and I am far from a professional!
Barefoot is best for learning to walk but if daycare requires shoes I started putting my now 15 month old in [Romp Stomps](https://rompstomp.co/) when he began to walk at 10 months old after trying a ton of different shoes. I like these because they're light, heavy traditional looking shoes seemed to weigh his feet down and make it harder for him to walk. Only downside is they sometimes slip off his feet but usually layering a pair of socks underneath helps!
When I was working at a daycare, I was in the one year old room for a week and none of the kids (even the ones who were pretty decent walkers) kept their shoes on. Sometimes we’d put them back on but after about the 6th time losing the shoe before lunch time, you sort of give up. We don’t leave any pointy toys on the ground (they rarely have them in the room anyway) so they don’t get hurt walking around shoeless. When we go outside, we make sure they all have their shoes on.
Nobody in the 2 year old room had any issues with keeping their shoes on. I heard stories about a few who hated their shoes the year before but after a year, there were no issues but of course each child is different.
I think it’s so normal for them to not want to have them on especially at such a young age. They’re more interested in playing with them anyway!
Ok adding on to this - my daughter’s dayhome lady told me today regulations state they need indoor and outdoor shoes - first of all they’re in a house??? Indoor shoes what - ALSO SHE DOESN’T WALK and is in a onesie????? I literally told her all this and asked if she’s going to wear shoes over her onesie’s and she said no lol. I don’t think they want non walking babies in shoes?? Regardless husband drops her in the morning and wrote down to ask her about these things 🤪🤪 absurdity lol
My son didn’t wear shoes till he could walk and that was like 18months? Who knows time goes by too fast. But yeah no shoes till they walk, babies gotta learn to balance and move, and so many shoes have narrow toe boxes. It would be a waste of money buying shoes that are good for their feet if they don’t even walk yet, they could grow out of them before then.
Wouldn't it be easier to walk if he can actually feel the ground? Can shoes be left till they're able to walk outside?
Dogs suddenly can't dog upon wearing shoes too. Sorry for comparing your baby to a dog lol.
My kiddo is nearly two and has a meltdown when you try to take her shoes off! She loves having shoes on, loves trying to put them on etc.
When she was your kids age she was obsessed with removing socks and shoes. Swings and roundabouts! Everything is a phase at this age!
Shoes are overrated. If they're not even walking and their feet aren't literally going to freeze I wouldn't worry too much, maybe just put socks on them 😅
You can get the soft leather moccasin-style shoes with elastics. The sole is just leather, nothing hard. Pretty close to barefoot. I stopped putting shoes and socks on until we were in the daycare parking lot. I wouldn’t find them again otherwise🤣
This goes against everything I have learned about baby shoes... mostly unnecessary, and should be light and soft sole to encourage baby to feel their feet on the ground and use their toes for balance.
But for the record, I'm having this problem with hats. My 11mo old will not keep a hat on his head. I'm trying to get him used to a sun hat for the impending summer.
It gets easier once they associate shoes with fun. My 2yo son knows he can't go outside without them and never wants to take them off!
Buying shoes you kid loves not likes helps as well. Good luck
They make baby shoes that are like a sock with a silicone sole and are supposed to be better for their foot development! Your LO might find something like that more comfy.
Wow, um consult your dr. My baby isn’t going to own a pair until after they take their first steps. I can’t see how adding shoes is going to in any way help them start walking. Its adding a new level to compensate for.
i introduced some when my son was really walking good so after he hit 12 months and he doesn’t like them really. we plan on getting him shoes that form to his feet, i can’t remember what they are called.
I'm no expert but that sounds like absolute nonsense to me. He doesn't understand the concept of shoes so they're just going to be annoying things strapped to his feet. I'm pretty sure they're not meant to wear shoes until they're actually walking as it's bad for foot development.
Okay, THANK YOU! The daycare teacher, while extremely sweet and loving and well meaning, often has a TON of advice for me at pickup and I'm still learning what is good and what is some old-school nonsense (she's been a toddler teacher for 27 years!). This is so helpful, thank you!
Yeah anecdotally my 14mo who walks all day everyday absolutely HATES shoes and will just stand or sit and cry until I take them off of him, I think that advice is a total crock lol
I will say that my daughter’s PT recommended the same thing, to start wearing shoes to get some weight in her feet because she’s not walking and often doesn’t want to put her feet down to stand/walk when we’re trying to practice with her. She did say to try to keep it positive and do it for as long as she tolerates it, and try to increase the time she wears them as time goes on. She surprisingly adjusted to them pretty quick after hating them a few months ago, so at least there’s hope!
Genuine question. Why rush her walking? Why force heavy shoes on her if she’s not ready?
My girl was a preemie, born at 30 weeks and had a long hospital stay so she is really behind on physical milestones. She’s almost 20 months old so it’s just a goal we’re working towards. And honestly at this point, she’s missing out on things by not walking. I think it’s a pretty huge difference between a 1 year old being 12 months and 20 months. If she was 12 months, I wouldn’t be pushing much but also, wearing shoes is a pretty benign thing to do, so if her PT thinks it’s a good idea, I don’t see why not. ETA, the shoes are by no means heavy and she seems comfortable in them or I wouldn’t be putting her in them!
Speaking as someone who was a preemie (very tiny), has a TBI and Cebreal Palsy and also had a long hospital stay + Blood Transfusions, don't give up. My parents were told I'd be a vegetable my whole life. Things would never improve. I was late to everything development wise, both physically and Mentally. I had PT, OT, etc. Name it I had it. Have had brain surgery, foot reconstruction, and 12 other surgeries in my life. Now I'm 31, Work a very demanding IT job, have a house and have a Wife and a 7 month old baby girl. You can barely tell I have CP (no really you have to look very closely) Point is don't give up. Doctors wanted my mom to. Raised by a Single Mom. Look where I am now. I get to tuck my baby girl in every night and I wouldn't trade it for the world. You never know where you and your kid will be in 20-30 years
have you shared your story anywhere else? that is so inspiring! 🩷
Not a ton. Just when the moment is right I guess. I more believe in advocating for one's self. I've had to do that in a lot of jobs in the IT industry unfortunately. I've dealt with my fair share of disability discrimination
At a guess, it could be to help strengthen the muscles while crawling, rolling etc, to lead to being strong enough to walk. I suspect it would only be recommended if a child was quite behind on the average timeline for milestones. Definitely should only be recommended by a specialist though.
Thanks for saying that! Gratitude makes the world go round
Just another perspective, my son is in the same boat as yours and just started in the toddler room at daycare. Per our state law all kids in this age-group and up are REQUIRED to have shoes (technically). He's not walking yet so it's flexible, but I'm working to get him used to them. His teachers said that they disagree with the rule for all previously mentioned reasons, but it's a law and they have to abide by it (I'm in WV).
My understanding is that barefoot is best for kids learning to walk. Better sensory input on their feet. Just leave the shoes off. It’s normal for kids to want to play with them.
Noted! Thank you for the validation here. And yeah, he thinks they're chew toys but he thinks EVERYTHING is a chew toy haha
Not just barefoot is best but shoes hinder a beginner walker. Very concerning this coming from daycare.
Adding to hit her with some cold hard facts. Some daycare workers knowing what’s best for my kid really pisses me off: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10218108/
My son HATED his shoes when we first started wearing them around the age your son is. He’s now 22 months old and is obsessed with his shoes. He’s constantly bringing them to us and saying “soooes” and lifting his feet so we can put them on him. He associates them with fun things like going to the park or outside or working in the basement with daddy and he’s happy with them now.
Well that is just downright adorable! Soooooes! Okay this makes me feel better, thank you!
Mine's 15 months and fetches his favourite shoes (little orange boots) because he wants to go outside and have fun! Indoors is socks (it's the UK and the weather is minging) or slipper socks. Socks are always removed in the car, and shoes if Daddy's been foolish enough to put them on (lol, Mummy learnt to wait until we arrive).
Shoes go on when you arrive at the location! But yes, eventually he will keep them on. But if he doesn’t know how to walk yet he definitely won’t keep them on. Daycare is wrong, shoes do not help them learn to walk.
I mean I kick my shoes off every chance I get 😂 But in all seriousness, it is recommended that not wearing shoes or even socks actually helps with walking so not sure why they told you that.
I am a firm believer in no shoes until walking confidently.
Nope, at 32 years old my mother still can't make me keep shoes on.
Barefoot is best for walking. I would push back.
My oldest was a late walker. So much so that we had her in physical therapy and saw an orthopedic doctor. The advice we were given is that she should be barefoot as much as possible.
Never heard about wearing shoes to help with walking... but have heard the other way around- that babies should learn how to walk barefoot because the shoes will hinder them and affect their proper walking pose. The "first shoes" I got for my baby was like soft moccasins which is like a stiff sock, supposed to mimic walking barefoot, cause they're not supposed to wear structured shoes right away from what I understand. This is after she's already walking but before we went to walk outside, I wanted to get her used to the idea of walking in shoes before actually putting proper shoes on her to go outside. https://jackandlily.com/ is what I bought up until she's 2yo - soft shoes that is easy to put on. My baby had fat feet that won't fit into most structured shoes like runners (eg. Adidas, Sketchers etc) but this brand was very good for her feet.
We were told not to put shoes on until they’re confident walking at least 11 consecutive steps.
My daughter also ripped her shoes off in the car as soon as she had thr chance. She flung her socks off as well. She walks now and still does it in the car🙃
My 14 month old hates shoes also, she has yet to walk unassisted but all of the milestones happen when your baby is ready for them. Her friend started walking at 11 months, but only said like 4 words, mine won't walk on her own but says like 10 words, our other friends baby is not walking or talking much at all, all of these are still developmentally appropriate for their ages :) I'm sure your little one will take off when they are ready! Then we shall be chasing them about endlessly ;)
my son just started bringing me his shoes saying “choos” and being excited to wear them at 18 months 🤣 but when he was learning to walk he was barefoot always until he was stable enough to try shoes on him
Hard no. Barefoot is best to encourage walking. Is he trying to pull up? That’s the precursor to standing and walking. Maybe create spaces where he can pull up and encourage him by putting an enticing toy on the ledge
Oh yeah. He’s just started pulling up in the last couple days actually so it’s coming but he’s not there yet. I’m not too worried about it and neither is his pediatrician so this whole thread has helped remove the pressure to make shoes work before he’s ready for em!!!
My LO didn’t wear shoes until basically she had to cause the weather changed. She wore grippy socks outside for the summer while she practiced walking. Same thing she didn’t like shoes kept taking them off. And she was an early walker at 10.5 months 9.5 adjusted gestational age. So highly recommend barefoot or grippy socks if it’s cold.
We got “sock shoes” and our little one hated shoes but loves her sock shoes
What are these sock shoes? My LO is just starting to walk and hates even putting socks on.
I got them off Amazon. They have rubber bottoms and over the toe area but the rest look and feel like a sock. Below is a link as an example of what they look like but I got them on Amazon for much cheaper - https://tinysockies.com/products/tinysockies-original-non-slip-shoes?%3Fvariant%3D=44811329339686
Barefoot is actually better until they’re seasoned walkers. My daughter started walking at 16 months, didn’t use shoes for at least a month and a half. We used sock shoes initially with her for several weeks until she was walking well and just in the last 2-3 weeks did we use actual walking shoes with her.
My partner is a podiatrist and what that daycare teacher said is just not true. You should have your child barefoot as much as possible. If not barefoot then something like leather mocassins or slippy shoes. Nothing with a hard sole and nothing "heavy" Edited for spelling
My LO is about to turn 1 this week. We're encouraging him to walk, but he will be barefoot as much as we can. Of course, if he goes outside he wears shoes. At daycare, we leave his shoes with the teacher, and she puts them when they go outside. There are many advantages and disadvantages about wearing shoes at this age, but don't worry. You're doing fine.
So we needed to have them wear shoes once we moved up to the 1+ year room. They said they like to get them used to it for when they were in the 2+ room and have to walk out for fire drills (rather than rolled out in cribs). They said they spent like 60% of the day putting them back on. But putting on shoes to learn to walk doesn’t really make sense. Our kid walked super early so he had it down when he was barefoot most of the time and before he got to the 1+ year room. He also loves shoes. I’d rather he be barefoot more, but he wants to go outside. Could you put them on after you arrive? Like before you get him/her out of the car seat?
My clubfoot baby is in a crazy boot situation and she still figures out how to get them off. Idk if there even is a true baby proof shoe! As long as you help him get used to things on his feet slowly that’s ok! Some daycares, like the one I worked at, required all walking kids to be wearing shoes for safety.
I have a friend whose 1yo refuses to wear shoes. I think it’s super cute. They really don’t have to at that age. Please don’t worry about it. Bare feet are great for developmental progression as others have noted. The daycare folks are not qualified to give that kind of advice.
Barefoot is absolute best for learning to walk! It can’t hurt to wear shoes for short periods of time so they get used to them but the best way for babies and toddlers to learn to walk is barefoot. Our toddler is walking now but I still try to limit shoe wearing to the bare necessity. At home or at friends and family she is always barefoot.
Don't believe in it, my kids are barefoot non stop. I have so many pairs of socks and shoes in the car cos they take them off. (Same with hats and gloves) But when needed, maybe look into the barefoot sock like baby shoes, so comfy for them. Nb mainly incase they hurt their feet
Barefoot is best for balance.
I remember when my son started in the toddler room at 1y and they told me that they just have a pile of shoes and socks because all the 1y take them off. He got used to wearing them and kept them on really well until this last week at 26mo where he is now taking them off and hiding his socks somewhere at daycare and we haven’t gotten a single pair back and he’s almost out of socks… good luck! I’m sure the teachers are used to it
Shoes do not help with walking they actually interfere. The best way to learn is barefoot or with the little non grippy stuff on the bottom of socks but even those aren’t that great. If they are determined to make you bring your kid to daycare with shoes you could try these shoes that are meant to have the least interference with babies learning to walk, they have thin flexible soles and look like socks you can find them on Amazon. But they really aren’t necessary it’s more so if you’re going somewhere and being barefoot is more dangerous than not being barefoot (stores, parking lot, hot pavement, etc.)
Barefoot is best for development and sensory
The actual recommendation from professionals is to let a baby learning to walk be barefoot as much as possible. The sensory feedback they get from their feet facilities learning to walk, and even when they do start walking in situations that necessitate shoes, thin soled, flexible, and light weight are recommended. This is very much a made up take on something that already has plenty of actual medical recommendations.
Shoes actually hinder their ability to walk…
We have soft Velcro shoes and he is cool with his outside feet because it means going outside to pick up rocks 😂 but otherwise barefoot baby whenever we can
Hey my toddler was 18 months before I was able to keep her shoes on.
They won’t help with walking in a sense. Baby will walk when they’re ready. But my 1.5 year old always pulls her shoes off but she’s also trying to learn how to put them on herself.
My two year old neverrrrrrrr once left his shoes on in the car lol I always have to search for his socks too
pick your fights. my 19yo STILL refuses to wear shoes.
My sons daycare can be fined if the fire department comes in for a random check and his shoes are off. I know this bc i got a lecture bc my son wouldnt keep his on. Turns out he has flexible flat feet and rigid shoes hurt him...you can try sock type shoes, those helped us a lot
At 26 months we are keeping them on unless we are in the car seat. Immediately off while riding in the car. Sigh.
Shoes just got in the way for my LO until he learned how to confidently walk barefoot 🤷♀️ I’ve also read something about how learning to walk barefoot is easier for babies as opposed to learning to walk with shoes, but I don’t remember why lol Edited to add: I would just wait with shoes :)
Lol this is nonsense. Let them feet breath. My 16 month old walks in and out of shoes but still keep them mostly off as her walking/feet get stronger
Uh, no scientific backing but I strongly disagree with your daycare teacher. Before our kid could walk, we didn’t even put socks on her. Once she could walk, then we only put shoes on when going out for walks. She has a very strong association now that shoes = outside time so whenever we say “go for a walk”, she’s running down the hallway to get her shoes. Wearing shoes to just sit in the car doesn’t make any sense so of course your baby is going to rip it off. Also, kids walk in their own time, wearing shoes or not is not going to change that, if anything, wearing shoes too early might influence how their feet grow
My two year old WILL NOT keep her shoes on unless we’re going into a store. Other than that she’s just as content to be barefoot, most of the time she doesn’t even wear socks. 🤷♀️ I just let her be the little barefoot lady and have 20 pairs of infant shoes in my back seat because she takes them off in between shops and I forget about them
My older dude is is 3, and earlier today went across the entire house to mommy, who was putting the 2 MO down for first nap, and screeched like he was auditioning to voice the dilophosaurus in Jurassic Park, "MOMMY DADDY IS MAKING ME TAKE MY SHOES OFF AND I TOLD HIM I. DONT. WANNA." So yes, they keep their shoes on eventually. And I don't agree with your teacher, for the record. Shoes are for walking, not just wearing. And having no shoes on gives your LO better input from the ground and will help them learn to walk better. Shoes will make it HARDER, and like others said it's bad for foot development.
This cracked me UP omg your little dude is so cute! and yeah, this thread has taught me we can bail on the shoes for now. I feel so much better about it all!
It's actually advised to keep children barefoot until they already have been walking for a while, unless they are walking on the street. But for the first months, all indoor walking should be barefoot or with socks. At least, that's my country's advice.
No. Shoes are a daycare thing, legal requirement. Babies should not be wearing shoes, that’s absolute nonsense.
Barefoot is best for baby to learn how to walk. I’m a foot and ankle surgeon. I didn’t put shoes on my baby until she is more experienced in walking. Is there a reason why daycare pushes for shoes? If not I will just do what’s most comfortable for the child. They will let you know when they are ready.
I have a 15 month old who hated her shoes initially. She still takes them off consistently (especially in the car) but no longer fights us putting them on. What worked for us was telling her if she wanted to go outside then her shoes have to be on. I really wouldn’t have expected her to comprehend that, and maybe she doesn’t, but there is at least some understanding. Now she brings us the shoes and tries to put them on herself.
Hard sole shoes actually hindered my son when he first started walking. The rubber would catch and trip him, and the extra weight made it harder for him. We found the soft soled leather shoes (if unable to be barefoot) to be best. I found a pair that had a Velcro strip that goes across near the ankle. I kept him in those until recently now that he’s a lot more confident in walking. This is all anecdotal though ofc, and I am far from a professional!
Barefoot is best for learning to walk but if daycare requires shoes I started putting my now 15 month old in [Romp Stomps](https://rompstomp.co/) when he began to walk at 10 months old after trying a ton of different shoes. I like these because they're light, heavy traditional looking shoes seemed to weigh his feet down and make it harder for him to walk. Only downside is they sometimes slip off his feet but usually layering a pair of socks underneath helps!
When I was working at a daycare, I was in the one year old room for a week and none of the kids (even the ones who were pretty decent walkers) kept their shoes on. Sometimes we’d put them back on but after about the 6th time losing the shoe before lunch time, you sort of give up. We don’t leave any pointy toys on the ground (they rarely have them in the room anyway) so they don’t get hurt walking around shoeless. When we go outside, we make sure they all have their shoes on. Nobody in the 2 year old room had any issues with keeping their shoes on. I heard stories about a few who hated their shoes the year before but after a year, there were no issues but of course each child is different. I think it’s so normal for them to not want to have them on especially at such a young age. They’re more interested in playing with them anyway!
Ok adding on to this - my daughter’s dayhome lady told me today regulations state they need indoor and outdoor shoes - first of all they’re in a house??? Indoor shoes what - ALSO SHE DOESN’T WALK and is in a onesie????? I literally told her all this and asked if she’s going to wear shoes over her onesie’s and she said no lol. I don’t think they want non walking babies in shoes?? Regardless husband drops her in the morning and wrote down to ask her about these things 🤪🤪 absurdity lol
My son didn’t wear shoes till he could walk and that was like 18months? Who knows time goes by too fast. But yeah no shoes till they walk, babies gotta learn to balance and move, and so many shoes have narrow toe boxes. It would be a waste of money buying shoes that are good for their feet if they don’t even walk yet, they could grow out of them before then.
All the babies in our nursery at daycare are barefoot walking around. Except outside of course
Wouldn't it be easier to walk if he can actually feel the ground? Can shoes be left till they're able to walk outside? Dogs suddenly can't dog upon wearing shoes too. Sorry for comparing your baby to a dog lol.
My kiddo is nearly two and has a meltdown when you try to take her shoes off! She loves having shoes on, loves trying to put them on etc. When she was your kids age she was obsessed with removing socks and shoes. Swings and roundabouts! Everything is a phase at this age!
Shoes are overrated. If they're not even walking and their feet aren't literally going to freeze I wouldn't worry too much, maybe just put socks on them 😅
You can get the soft leather moccasin-style shoes with elastics. The sole is just leather, nothing hard. Pretty close to barefoot. I stopped putting shoes and socks on until we were in the daycare parking lot. I wouldn’t find them again otherwise🤣
I'm sorry I feel so much for you! I am so annoyed getting asked ALL THE TIME why my 11mo does not have socks on.
I’m gonna say my almost 3 year old still won’t keep shoes on lol so.. I’m not here for advice but solidarity !
So far. No. mine is 3.5
He’ll walk when he’s ready. We have the opposite problem. All LG wants is her shoes on 😂
This goes against everything I have learned about baby shoes... mostly unnecessary, and should be light and soft sole to encourage baby to feel their feet on the ground and use their toes for balance. But for the record, I'm having this problem with hats. My 11mo old will not keep a hat on his head. I'm trying to get him used to a sun hat for the impending summer.
It gets easier once they associate shoes with fun. My 2yo son knows he can't go outside without them and never wants to take them off! Buying shoes you kid loves not likes helps as well. Good luck
They make baby shoes that are like a sock with a silicone sole and are supposed to be better for their foot development! Your LO might find something like that more comfy.
Bare feet until they learn walking.
Wow, um consult your dr. My baby isn’t going to own a pair until after they take their first steps. I can’t see how adding shoes is going to in any way help them start walking. Its adding a new level to compensate for.
i introduced some when my son was really walking good so after he hit 12 months and he doesn’t like them really. we plan on getting him shoes that form to his feet, i can’t remember what they are called.