Anybody else have a baby with a high instep?

Question

I have a very difficult time finding shoes that fit my daughter comfortably. She is 13 months old and has a high instep. Before I would let her go shoeless because I can hardly find shoes for her, but now that she is walking she doesn't want to be carried or be in the stroller. I have found some shoes for her, but I am looking more for a tennis shoe. Does anyone know where to find shoes for a baby with a high instep? Or, does she just need a different type of shoe, like a bigger size? Last weekend we went to a shoe store, but again couldn't find any shoes, and I asked one of the workers what I could do about it, but they didn't know, basically they were useless.

Also, for beginner walkers, like my daughter, what kind of shoes are best for her?

Answer 1

I had that problem with my son for a long time, plus he would NOT walk in a firm sole (which is fine as they are horribly bad for a baby's feet).  The best option I could find was deck aka water shoes.  The Diego or Dora canvas style runners at walmart right now also seem to have a very soft sole and fit relatively well but my son's foot isn't as tall as it once was.  When his foot was really tall the best was the deck shoe from Children's Place.  If they fit buy two in the right size and two in the next size up because they only carry them in summer.

http://www.prematureoptimism.com/linkBlo...

http://www.babycenter.ca/toddler/caringf...

    A baby who’s just started walking takes 176 steps a minute!

    Experts say that the longer a child is allowed to walk without shoes, the better as this will allow their feet to develop naturally. Certainly when your toddler starts learning to walk indoors, let her walk barefoot as long as the floor is clean and safe, as this allows the feet to develop and strengthen without restriction.

    Once your baby can take a few steps confidently and may be walking outdoors on rough surfaces, protect her feet with early first shoes made of flexible, lightweight and natural materials, such as soft leather, with flexible soles and non-skid bottoms.

http://happyfeetz.com/category/how_to_ch...

    Shoes are not corrective and the foot does not need support for normal activities. The foot requires mobility to function normally. It has been demonstrated that populations that are predominantly bare foot have better feet than those that wear shoes.

    Children’s feet grow and develop rapidly. So choosing an appropriate child’s shoe is a very important task. While at home bare feet are fine.

http://www.footankle.com/pdf/Your_Chilre...

    There is controversy regarding the appropriate shoes for children to wear as their feet grow and develop. Barring such problems as severe flat feet, or excessively flexible feet, it is perfectly appropriate to allow your child to be barefoot much of the time. Certainly while in the home environment, bare feet are fine. The goal of children wearing shoes is primarily to provide a protective covering for the foot. Once protected, the foot can develop into a healthy, functioning structure.

    Shoe Recommendations Based on Age:

    Crib Age: A loose fitting soft bootie

    1—2 years: (toddlers) a flexible booty or shoe with a flat stable sole

    2– 3 years: (running age) - a firmer yet still flexible bootie or shoe

    3—4 years: a firmer shoe, bootie or possibly an athletic type of shoe.

    4+ years: walking or athletic shoes are fine for this age group.

http://www.oxpod.nhs.uk/childrensfeet.as...

    Footwear and Shoe Fitting

    Children should not wear shoes at all until they can walk, so avoid pram shoes. For babies, avoid tightly wrapped blankets that prevent kicking and leg movement and avoid baby-grows (unless you cut the foot out).

    Walking bare foot, where it is safe, is good for feet. Children’s feet are vulnerable to deformity from any ill-fitting footwear/hosiery until the bones are completely formed at about 18 years of age. Fitted socks made from natural materials are much better than stretch-fit socks.

Answer 2

Not sure about the high instep, but when my daughter first started walking, any shoe that was really flexible/bendable was really good. I love the Circo brand of shoes from Target. If you can bend the shoe so that the toes touch the back, then it's good.

You might have to look on-line for shoes to cater to just high-step infant shoes. I'm sure they are out there.....

Answer 3

try preschoolians, my son had a wide foot and a high instep and these were the only ones that fit him.  They have a lot of really cute styles

http://preschoolians.com/

Answer 4

Shoe or not to shoe... and what type.  Oi!  You're going to get conflicting answers to this question!  This is one of those topics that changes every decade or so and is highly influenced by old wives tales.

I have kids that are a decade apart and with the older, I was told to buy a certain type of "stability" shoe and with the youngest, it's "barefoot (or as close to it as you can get) is best" (and "stability" shoes are so out).  

I hate to punt on this but you need to do some research and understand the hype (and hysteria) around possible answers to your question.  Talk to your pediatrician.  The source I'm including is to PediaCast - excellent, wonderful show, btw - and he has a podcast from earlier this year about first walker shoes.  (Oh heck, it might be 2007 - I've been sleep deprived since then.)

As a last note, I let my first walkers run around barefoot as much as possible.  My youngest (now almost 2) wears birkenstocks now, he wore pedipeds when he 'needed' to wear first walker shoes.

Check out Zappos and Endless if you can't find inventory for any shoe ever.