Babies With Bare Toes: Happier And Wiser?

Your little child took off their shoes and there you are again, denying them what is one of their most frequent fixations and also mothers hatred. Still, science claims that your nightmare disrupts children’s growth. But what does research say about babies with bare toes?

We usually talk about three basic principles: freedom, happiness and intelligence. In this sense, this controversial study, which came around the world, confronts the tendency to cover children’s feet from a young age. And reveals myths about colds, etiquette and physical problems.

The study is called ” Preventive Podiatry: Barefoot Babies Result in Smarter Children” and was conducted at Complutense University of Madrid, Spain. If babies feel comfortable and happy, and can explore and develop properly, why not let them be barefoot?

What does science say?

“For infants, physical movement and sensory stimulation through their bare feet are an accelerating factor in the maturation of the child’s proprioceptive and intellectual development,” said Isabel Gentil García at the beginning of the report.

Throughout the study , sales and advertising of footwear for “pre-walkers ” are criticized in the same way that the exaggerated pediatric recommendation to keep shoes on babies is challenged. An action that is apparently only necessary to keep the feet warm.

Gentil García warns that covering the child’s feet deprives them of all tactile information and the perception of their body’s position and movement in relation to space. According to the expert, barefoot children’s motor skills, as well as their visual and manual coordination, mature faster.

Thus, through an interdisciplinary approach, they emphasize the importance of leaving babies barefoot and maintain that the feet represent a path that informs the child about the outside world, thereby becoming familiar with different surfaces and textures.

The role of the feet for these babies with bare toes

In neurology, it is believed that babies’ feet are more sensitive to touch than their hands until they are ten months old. In these first months of their lives, the feet perform a significant function. It allows the child to experiment and learn through tactile contact.

For this reason, the article published by the University of Madrid strongly recommends leaving babies barefoot. When shoes are put on them, they are deprived of useful perceptual information that can play a prominent role in their central nervous system.

According to Piagt’s stages of intelligence development, it is in the sensory-motor phase that manipulation, movement and organization of sensory information are important as they provide the child’s first conceptualization of himself, space, time and causality.

For this reason, feet are considered as preferred receptors that contribute to the development of a child’s intelligence. This is the result of a complex interplay between their body and their environment. One of the most involved environmental factors is their knowledge of their own body.

In addition, barefoot babies who put their feet on all surfaces – even the irregular ones – have better muscle development because they do not carry extra weight on their bodies and can move freely, ensuring more control over their body.

Benefits of being barefoot

All children love to walk around barefoot, as well as to be naked. Whatever consequences this may have for their health, which is their parents’ primary concern . However, this norm not only contributes to the comfort of the child, but also provides many benefits:

• It increases their self-awareness when they are able to see the movements of their toes. And can feel them and smell their feet.
• It helps with the development of the feet and prevents flat feet.
• It facilitates and encourages them to go as children.
• It provides sensory experiences for the little new.
• It prevents bacteria and sweat that can cause fungus, blisters and bad odors from the feet.

Babies with bare toes, freer, wiser and happier children

Adults tend to feel nervous when they see babies with bare toes. But kids love and prefer to go without all kinds of clothes. Specifically, this study soothes this concern by showing that these children are happier walking barefoot.

Research claims that babies with bare toes have a deeper connection with their environment. They also perceive the world in a different way. At the same time, these children get to know their body in a different way, the more they use it to feel their surroundings.

“At the starting point for children’s development of their intelligence, they see no difference between themselves and the external world, everything is hidden together in one piece,” say experts. But as part of that “lump,” the pre-goer must explore and feel textures directly, as part of their learning.

And what about you? Did you know how important it is to let your child be barefoot? Do you know this information? Do you want to put aside the beautiful shoes you planned to wear at such a young age ? What is your opinion about this scientific study?