Skip to content

Just added to your cart

    Qty:
    View cart ()
    Logo
    Log in Cart
    0 items
    • Shop
      Heartbeat Animals Accessories Supplies Gender Reveal Supplies Ultrasound Gifts Bargain Cave Sponsorship
    • About Us
      Our History FAQs Videos
    • Pregnancy Blog
    • Contact Us
    • Orders
    • .
    Access Denied
    IMPORTANT! If you’re a store owner, please make sure you have Customer accounts enabled in your Store Admin, as you have customer based locks set up with EasyLockdown app. Enable Customer Accounts
    Home My Baby's Heartbeat Bear Ditch The Baby Shoes: Why Barefoot Is Best
    • barefoot baby
    • benefits of being barefoot
    • no baby shoes

    Ditch The Baby Shoes: Why Barefoot Is Best

    Elizabeth MacDonald
    June 3, 2019
    Ditch The Baby Shoes: Why Barefoot Is Best

    Those baby shoes you received at your baby shower would have been better as a gift card. If there’s still time, go ahead and exchange them for one. While the sweet little shoes are ridiculously cute, they aren’t great for your baby’s development. (And they are a pain to keep on the feet!)

    Even before your baby is walking, shoes are overrated and unnecessary. They remove the ability to use the feet to feel the ground as she is playing, kicking, rolling, crawling, and bouncing. The shoes become a more serious problem just as your baby is ready to start pulling up, cruising around the furniture, and walking on her own. Experts are now saying that babies should learn to walk and run barefoot to aid balance and foot development.

    The human foot is made up of 26 bones, 33 joints, and over 100 muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Shoes effect how a toddler uses these muscles and bones. Along with rapid physical growth, your baby’s brain development and motor development are each progressing quickly within the first year. Experts are now understanding that babies learn to use their bodies best when there are no objects that interfere with the process - including shoes.

    A podiatrist specializing in podopaediatrics, Tracy Byrone, recorded, “Toddlers keep their heads up more when they are walking barefoot. The feedback they get from the ground means there is less need to look down, which is what puts them off balance and causes them to fall down." More than just preventing falling, letting your toddler go barefoot allows her body to grow and develop in the ways that it should.

    Why Barefoot is Best

    It Allows for Optimal Development

    Toddler shoes tend to be narrow, stiff, and snug. As a baby grows into toddlerhood, her feet are still soft. They start hardening, and then the joints, ligaments, and muscles continue to develop. Shoes interfere with this development because the feet will conform to the shoes, especially when any weight is put on the feet.

    It Improves Motor Development

    Being barefoot teaches a baby about her surroundings. It doesn’t matter what is being touched, but the feet have close to 200,000 nerve endings in them - meaning that they may have a greater purpose than just walking. When your baby’s feet touch her blanket, car seat, bouncer, or your lap, they are being exposed to different textures and temperatures. Your baby’s body is understanding the world and allowing its toes to be used properly to push, roll, and feel the earth. Even when she is on her tummy, her barefeet allow her to push over or learn to crawl in a more freeing motion than if shoes were on her feet.

    It Enhances Agility

    The nerves in the feet send a message to the brain telling her when she should look down to see the ground. Shoes prohibit this action from taking place, as they absorb the friction of the earth below them. A shoe-wearing toddler is constantly looking down to make sure she does not trip and fall, but one who is barefoot feels grounded and safe with her steps. Being barefoot allows her to stay balanced with her toes naturally spread as she toddles around. Being barefoot also boosts coordination because the feet send messages to the toddler’s brain about how to organize her movement patterns and effectively move her body throughout a space.

    It Promotes Awareness

    When a toddler has been free of shoes, she understands and trusts her feet’s responses to touch. Her feet understand texture and how to navigate the world beneath her. Researchers believe that the habit of being barefoot helps to prevent injury, too.

    Perhaps this is why 'grounding,' even as an adult, is so important? It connects us to the earth, reminds the brain to feel, seek, and find balance. Go ahead and take your shoes off in the backyard today. Run around with your toddler and feel that happiness. 

    Previous Post
    Hosting a Happy Hour for Your Clients
    Hosting a Happy Hour for Your Clients
    7/24/2023
    Next Post
    Pregnancy Leads to Long-Lasting Changes in the Mother’s Brain
    Pregnancy Leads to Long-Lasting Changes in the Mother’s Brain
    7/28/2023
    Share
    Twitter
    Pinterest
    Share
    Email
    Comments
    Leave a comment
    Your Email Address Will Not Be Published. Required Fields Are Marked *
    Subscribe to our Newsletter
    Subscribe to our newsletter and receive our articles & discounts.

    Email have already subscribed!

    Vintage Giraffe

    Vintage Giraffe

    wholesale-cta_600x600_30ffe1f1-22dd-4d5c-9b4f-0fe47d46626e
    Featured Articles
    Processed Foods, Pregnancy, and Parenthood

    Processed Foods, Pregnancy, and Parenthood

    May 8, 2025
    Hair Changes Caused By Pregnancy

    Hair Changes Caused By Pregnancy

    May 6, 2025
    How to Stay in Love After Having a Baby

    How to Stay in Love After Having a Baby

    May 2, 2025
    Bellies & Blooms: Marketing Ideas

    Bellies & Blooms: Marketing Ideas

    Apr 29, 2025
    Invalid password
    Enter

    Featured On

    • Logo
    • Logo
    • Logo
    • Logo
    • Logo
    Badge
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • YouTube

    Subscribe and Save!

    Receive updates, access to exclusive deals, and more!

    Shop
    • My Baby’s Heartbeat Bear
    • My Angel’s Heartbeat Bear
    • My Furbaby’s Heartbeat Bear
    • Gender Reveal Gifts
    Support
    • Contact Us
    • Shipping & Returns
    • FAQs
    • Search
    • Accessibility Statement
    Find Out More
    • Store Locator
    • Become a Wholesaler
    • Login
    • Blog
    • About Us
    Download the App

    Record your baby’s heartbeat with our app for safekeeping

    FIND OUT MORE
    © 2020 My Baby's Heartbeat Bear. Privacy Policy / Terms & Conditions
    Use left/right arrows to navigate the slideshow or swipe left/right if using a mobile device
    • Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.
    • Press the space key then arrow keys to make a selection.
    • Tutus
    • Bow Ties
    • Gender Reveal Color Blasters
    • Ultrasound Heart Pillows
    • Gender Reveal Balloons
    • Gender Reveal Shirts
    • Digital Video Frames
    • Gender Reveal Scratch Off Cards
    • Ultrasound Photo Albums
    • Wooden Silhouette Frames
    • Wooden Ultrasound Ornaments
    • Heart Beats Shirts
    • Ultrasound Cards
    • Ultrasound Frames
    • Sweaters
    • It's a Girl & It's a Boy Shirts
    • Camo Shirt
    • Ceramic Ultrasound Ornaments
    • Valentine Heart Pillows
    • Lil Sis & Lil Bro Shirts
    • Gender Reveal Kit
    • Ultrasound Frame Shirts
    • Gift Card
    • Product Catalog Digital Download
    • Graduation Bear
    My Baby's Heartbeat Bear true grid__item grid__item--collection-template small--one-half medium-up--one-quarter pb-5 mt-4 mb-5 true true false infinite_mf2311bc_btn_01 8

    2025-05-01-02

    CANCELED

    free

    CANCELED

    Route A : Can use