Shopping for your baby’s clothes is important but you also need to shop for their shoes, especially baby trainers.
In fact, for some babies, you need to shop for a new pair of trainers every three months until they get to five or six years old. This is because babies’ feet can grow by at least two sizes until they get to five years and above. However, babies differ in their growth.
Now, you need to know that trainers go a very long way in determining the posture and gait of a child. As a result, many factors need to be considered before buying baby trainers.
What Category of Babies Should You Buy Trainers For?
There are two categories of babies you can buy trainers for. They are: pre-walkers and walkers. Pre-walkers are babies who are not walking steadily yet; they are most likely still crawling. It is important to note that these babies need trainers that have soft soles which feel as natural as the feet when they walk. This will help to strengthen their grip, feet muscle, and ligaments.
On the other hand, the walkers are babies who are already walking. They are either pattering or stomping their feet. Therefore, they need trainers that will support their heels.
What Should You Look Out for When Buying Baby Trainers?
When buying baby trainers, you should look out for comfort and durability. Parents who are budget-savvy are tempted to buy trainers that are too big for their babies. They do this to make allowance for growth, but it is wrong. Babies’ shoes should not be too large or too small for their feet. They should be just their size.
Other factors to consider when deciding on the baby trainers to settle for include:
1. wiggle room for the toes
2. flexibility
3. the material should be breathable
4. the type of straps (Velcro or lace)
Bonus tip: shop for baby trainers in the evening
Wiggle Room for the Toes
Baby trainers should have enough wiggle room for the toes. You can test this by trying to grab the front portion of the trainers when your baby’s feet are in them. Also, try inserting your little finger between your baby’s heel and back portion of the trainers.
If you can’t grab the front portion or insert your pinkie in the back portion, then the trainers are too tight for your baby’s feet.
Flexibility
When buying baby trainers, try to bend it into two. Trainers for babies should be flexible enough to bend as this will come in handy when babies need to crawl. However, this will be occasional.
Breathable Material
Baby trainers material should allow easy inflow of air so that the baby’s feet can breathe. It should also be lightweight to allow the baby lift their feet easily.
Velcro or Lace Straps
Velcro straps make it easy to put on or take off trainers for babies on the go. However, as they get older, it is best to buy lace trainers for them so that that they won’t be able to take them off at will.
Shop for Baby Trainers In the Evening
A baby’s feet, even those of an adult, get swollen in the evening after walking around all day. So, the best time to get trainers that fit for any time of the day is in the evening. This is because if you buy baby trainers in the morning, chances are that they will feel tight in the evening.
Types of Baby Trainers
What Are the Types of Baby Trainers Available?
Here are the types of baby trainers available:
1. Nonskid baby trainers
2. Boot trainers
3. Soft leather trainers
Nonskid Baby Trainers
Nonskid baby trainers are not necessarily for newborns. They are ideal for when they begin to toddle around. With a non-skid bottom, you can feel confident. This is due to the fact that your child will not slip but stay on their feet as they explore their world for the first time.
Boot Trainers
Apart from being a stylish accessory in your baby’s wardrobe, boot trainers help to keep your baby’s feet warm during very cold weather conditions. They also help to develop your baby’s balance and coordination in the legs and feet.
Soft Leather Trainers
Soft leather trainers usually come with soft soles. They mold according to the contours of your baby’s feet. This helps your baby’s feet to grow and breathe well as they patter around.
Check out these other articles:
- Baby Blankets And How To Pick The Right One
- Newborn Baby Clothes: What You Really Need
- Baby Safety Equipment: What Baby Needs To Stay Safe
- Baby Bedding Sets: What You Need To Know
- Baby Wallpapers: How To Choose The Best
- Baby Boy Gifts And What To Get For Little Princes
Conclusion
No matter the type of trainers you decide to buy for your baby, it is very important that you sit back, relax, and enjoy this milestone with your baby. Do not get all worked up trying to show off your baby’s trainers to the detriment of their feet. Your baby’s comfort and happiness come first.
In as much as it’s a beautiful thing to be able to match your baby’s trainers to yours, your baby’s safety is a priority. If the matching trainers are ill-fitting for your baby, go for another pair. It is better to have a happy child with a different footwear than matching trainers and a whining baby. Or would you prefer a baby with bad feet?
Thank you for taking the time to go through our guide. We do hope that you are now conversant with the required information that you need before purchasing your baby trainers.
Baby Trainers — Related FAQs
When Should You Shop for Your Baby’s First Trainers?
You should shop for your baby’s first trainers when your baby’s movement becomes steady. Your baby can wear soft-soled pre-walker shoes at the early stage of walking. This is to protect their delicate feet from bruises, coarse surfaces, the cold floor, and injuries.
At this stage, babies need to learn to feel surfaces under their feet and wiggle their toes freely. So, putting their cute little feet into trainers will create a barrier to achieving that. It will make it hard for them to learn balance and achieve their own proper gait.
How Do You Know When Your Baby Is Ready to Put on Trainers?
Your baby’s readiness to put on trainers largely depends on them. Some babies are early developers while others are late bloomers. The best thing to do is to wait until your baby is walking unaided for a larger part of the day. At this time, their feet have gotten a good grip of the ground and will start to need the extra support that first walking shoes can give them.
Once your baby has gotten to this stage, they will be ready to move on from their pre-walker shoes. You can then buy their first set of baby trainers.
How Can You Choose Baby Trainers with the Right Fit?
You can choose baby trainers with the right fit by ensuring that they are approximately 12 – 16 mm longer than the longest toe. You can also measure the baby’s feet before shopping. You need to know the width and the length of the feet. And the best time to do this is in the afternoon or evening.
You will not know if the baby trainers doesn’t fit them because the nerve endings in babies’ toes are not completely developed. Therefore, if the trainers are uncomfortable, they will not feel it. And if the baby can feel it, they are still babies who can’t talk yet.
How Can You Choose Baby Trainers with the Right Support?
You can choose baby trainers with the right support by avoiding high-ankle trainers. It is best to keep babies’ ankles free in order to help them build muscle strength. Also, it is normal for babies to be flat-footed, so you need not worry about support for their feet arch.
Lightweight trainers are also good for walking babies. Look out for flexible and non-slip soles that have the best grip on the ground. It is also important that the shape of the trainer follows the shape of each foot – wider in the front and narrower at the heel.
When Should You Change Your Baby’s Shoe Size?
You should change your baby’s shoe size when you observe that the shoe is becoming tight for your baby. There is no hard and fast rule to this because babies grow at different rates. You can press down the front part of the shoe when your baby is wearing it. Also, you can insert a finger in the space between your baby’s heel and the back portion of the shoe.
You should change your baby’s shoe size if you feel your baby’s toes as you press on the front part of the shoe. Additionally, if you can’t insert your finger freely in the back portion, then it is time to move up a size for your baby.
How Do You Know That Your Baby’s Trainers Are Ill-fitting?
The following signs will tell you that your baby’s trainers are ill-fitting:
1. Baby’s posture and gait: Watch out for limps or foot-dragging in your baby and if their feet are excessively turned in or out.
2. Curled in toes: While it is normal for the fifth and fourth toes to curl under one another, the first two toes must be straight. So, watch out for that.
3. Rashes or redness around toes, ankles, and heels: These are signs that the trainers are loose-fitting as they rub against the skin of the feet when the baby moves around.
4. Discoloration or inflammation of the toe nails
You should watch out for these signs every time you remove your baby’s trainers.