Recently I saw a question posted on Yahoo by a mom to a 9 month old boy who was just starting to walk. She was wanting to know what type of shoes to buy for him. She had first tried a pair of soft soled shoes, but was concerned that he walked too “stiff.” She then bought him a piar of thick soled athletic shoes and noticed his gate had changed and become less stiff, which she thought to be an improvement. She was wondering if it was really that big of a deal to keep her baby in stiff shoes since she thought he was walking better in them than in the soft soled shoes. The short answer is yes it’s a big deal and no the stiff shoes are not better for your baby or even your toddler for that matter.

The bones in a baby’s feet are not yet hard like that in a child. The bones are still soft and easily molded. Putting your baby or toddler in soft soled shoes allows their feet to grow and develop naturally, which is healthy. Putting your baby or toddler in standard stiff athletic shoes, dress shoes, or anything other than a ultra flexible soft soled shoe can actually damage their delicate foot which is still growing and developing. This can cause them foot problems for the rest of his or her life.

So, why then did this mom observe her baby walked stiff in the soft soled shoes, but more fluid in the stiff shoes? A baby is supposed to shuffle when the first learn to walk. Soft soled shoes allow for this naturally gate by gliding easily on the floor. Stiff shoes, on the other hand, grip the floor which forces your baby to lift his foot before taking his next step. This encourages an unnatural gate and can set your child up for future developmental problems.

Learn more about the importance of soft baby shoes and view a great selection of soft leather shoes for babies and toddlers.