Remember that feeling of soft grass on your feet or smooth sand under your toes as a kid? For adults, the equivalent might be the feeling of taking off those shoes, stretching those toes, and saying “ahhhh” after you’ve been on your feet all day.
Years ago, we put babies into shoes way too early, and it really wasn’t a good thing. Now we understand that how babies move their bodies is an important part of building up their strength in that crucial first year.
Barefoot Play Can Ground and Strengthen
Barefoot play builds up all those tiny muscles, ligaments, and nerves in your babies’ feet. All of these little structures work together to strengthen their arches, ankles, calves, and even their knees.
From a very early age, their bodies begin to shift and recognize different surfaces and adjust so they can move on them. Shoes can hinder this process, and there’s a possibility that they will develop flat feet if those muscles are not developed.
Barefoot Helps Brain Development
Your baby’s brain works on input. They take information, send it to their brain, and the body translates that to spatial information and movement. The more input their brain has, the more it disseminates that information and adjusts. It’s really miraculous!
When they can feel more varied environments, they learn more body control, balance, and coordination. And, they learn it amazingly fast. Little feet can discern quickly what surfaces feel good to walk on and what doesn’t.
Barefoot Feels Good to Babies
Most kids love to be barefoot. There’s much research that children feel more grounded to the earth when barefoot, and that can make them feel safer and can help regulate their parasympathetic nervous system, the part of the brain and spinal cord that controls rest and digestion.
For some kids, going barefoot has an instant “calming effect” and can help when they feel stressed, distressed, or just plain wound up.
Safe Barefoot Practices for Babies
When they are little, the safest place to maximize your baby’s barefoot time is at home. Make sure there are no rugs to trip on, sharp objects on the floor, or overly slippery surfaces.
However, make sure that they get used to a variety of surfaces. Little brains adapt amazingly quickly and will adjust their gait and footing when exposed to new surfaces.
When outside, show them areas that are safe to walk on, and they will quickly pick up on the fact that grass feels good on their feet, and gravel may not.
Wondering if Your Baby Could Benefit from Chiropractic Care?
At Knapp Chiropractic, we love babies! Pediatric chiropractic and family chiropractic services are what we specialize in. We believe a healthy family is a wealthy family!
This is the perfect opportunity to ask any questions you have about your child’s development and see how Chiropractic care may be the right fit for your family. We’d love to meet you and find out more about your family and meet your baby!
