How to keep your Children’s Feet Safe This Summer
For parents, summer time comes with anticipation for kids of all ages, especially during this time of COVID-19. From sporting events to playgrounds, pools and beaches, it is important to prepare your children for safety. While going barefoot or wearing flip flops is safe is some situations, it is important to wear the right footwear for different activities.
Here are some tips to keep your children’s feet safe during this summer:
Wear supportive shoes for sports: summertime sports such as baseball, soccer, tennis, and golf are more fun for children when they have proper, supportive footwear. It is important for parents to invest in appropriate shoes specific to each sport that can prevent foot and ankle injuries, and support leg muscle growth. For example, if your child plays soccer, we would recommend investing in soccer cleats that provide traction on grass, turf or sandy surface to ensure your child is less likely to slip and/or fall.
Choose non-skid shoes for waterparks: a waterpark environment is fun for kids of all ages but can also be areas where your children can easily slip and sustain injury. To protect your children’s feet, we recommend non-skid water shoes with rubber soles. Water shoes are also known to provide ample support for kids’ feet with extra cushion and protective materials.
Barefoot at the beach, sandals at the pool: Walking barefoot on the sand promotes balance, coordination and stamina while providing extra resistance that strengthen and stretches leg muscles. Sand is also a natural exfoliant for dry skin. On the other hand, it is best for your children to wear sandals when at the pool to avoid contracting athlete’s foot fungus and other germs. Wearing flip flops can protect against plantar warts that come from direct contact with wet pool decks or locker room showers. Flip flops can also protect against wounds that can be obtained by stepping on debris left around pools.
Sunscreen: Applying sunscreen on your children are very important, especially during those hot summer months. Remember to apply sunscreen to the feet and ankle as those areas can sometimes be forgotten.
Playground Safety: It is important for your children to wear supportive, protective footwear while on the playground. Although flip flops and sandals are good choices for the beach or pool, they are not a great option for the playground. On the playground, we recommend running or tennis shoes as the footwear of choice for your children. Laced-up tennis shoes provide support for your children’s feet and ankle. We also recommend visiting playgrounds with shock-absorbing surfaces (e.g. recycled rubber) that will provide your children’s feet with extra cushioning and avoiding playgrounds with cement or pavement that can lead to foot and ankle injuries.
As a parent, protecting your children should always be your priority. Click here to set up an appointment with our team at River Podiatry.
