"Put the slippers on him, he's going to catch a cold." How many times have we heard that phrase? The myth is widespread that babies and, in general, all of us, get sick from going barefoot. Today, in addition, there are many models of baby shoes on the market. They are cute, no one can resist them. But The best and most advisable thing is for your child to have their feet totally bare for as long as possible.
Having bare feet will not only help you develop strong feet; it can prevent future "flat feet". Babies perceive part of their environment with the soles of their feet; They will learn to feel hot and cold in them and the body to regulate its temperature. It is also said that they will be smarter. And the feet seem anything simple, but watch out for this: Our children's feet are made up of 26 bones, 33 joints, and more than 100 tendons, muscles, and ligaments.
They are a work of evolutionary engineering
Our ancestors did not know shoes. They were capable of far more than we are when it comes to freedom of movement. They could walk between sharp rocks, climb tall trees, and run fast to hunt or flee. Although we have a different lifestyle, we need our feet to fulfill their function; we cannot leave them undeveloped within a rigid shoe.
They will bear the weight of our entire body for the rest of our lives. That is why they need full development, and this has to begin in the earliest childhood. The child who grows barefoot will be earlier and more prepared to walk or run. This does not mean that by taking your child barefoot he will learn to walk at 6 months. But it is also seen more frequently that parents who put shoes on their babies early are the ones who help them walk by holding their hands. The latter is harmful to the baby's back and it can subject you to posture problems in the future.
Will they catch a cold from walking on cold ground?
Common colds are caused by viruses; viruses that come out through tiny droplets from the carrier. It is more dangerous for someone to speak to your baby one centimeter from his face than to put his feet in cold water. In the first case, if that person is a carrier of a virus (or bacteria) in the respiratory tract, he will expose the baby to contagion. Viruses and bacteria enter the body through "holes", be it the nose, mouth, urethra ...
In the second case, the feet will suffer a drop in temperature and nothing else. There are no entry routes for these viruses. It is said that if babies lived in a cold environment where there were no viruses, they would never get sick. Cold helps viruses enter our body. Being cold will not make you sick (unless you reach a state of hypothermia, in which if you get sick it is because your organs are not working well). But our baby's feet won't get to that point because we don't live in the open.
At home the longer you have your children barefoot, the better. If, for example, this is not possible, for whatever reason, The ideal is non-slip socks. But try to remember that through the feet they will not get sick; And believe me, you're going to have to fight with everyone (especially with the creature's grandparents) because they don't put anything on its feet.