
The Best Shoes for Kids Might Be No Shoes - mooreds
https://www.parent.co/why-the-best-shoes-for-kids-might-be-no-shoes-at-all/
======
skc
I grew up running around barefoot as a kid in Zambia. We used to play football
(soccer) anywhere with no shoes. Didn't matter how rocky the field was. The
only time we wore shoes was to go to school.

Occasionally you'd step on a thorn or some broken glass but I can't remember
that ever hindering us in any way other than enduring the mirth of your
friends at your misfortune.

It's ridiculous now how I can barely make it across my pebbled driveway
barefoot without crying out in pain.

~~~
ak39
I grew up in Zambia too (Kabwe). Still remember playing "frukutu" (makeshift
ball from old tattered rags and pieces of string) bare feet, pretending to be
"Champ" Chitalu!

There was a game we also played outside in the rains called "Taach" ("touch").
A sort of Catches in mud, with slides and all the messy fun!

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thesmallestcat
Incidentally, lack of shoes was the cause of hookworm epidemic in the American
south into the 20th century, and there was a (clearly) successful humanitarian
effort to shod southerners. Hookworm infections stunt growth, which made some
southerners dwarf-like. It also saps your energy and was one of the reasons
southerners were considered lazy.

So yea, you want your kid to wear shoes, at least outdoors.

[https://www.abebooks.com/9780870496851/Disease-
Distinctivene...](https://www.abebooks.com/9780870496851/Disease-
Distinctiveness-American-South-0870496859/plp)

~~~
gregwebs
You might instead consider if it is possible to go outside and avoid stepping
in human feces (which is how hookworm is transmitted) [1]. Presumably in the
American south in the 20th century people were defecating in common outdoor
areas.

[1]
[https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/hookworm/gen_info/faqs.html](https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/hookworm/gen_info/faqs.html)

~~~
thesmallestcat
Dog and cat feces too. Ever seen that on the ground? Also, San Francisco :)

Edit: Also, no, outhouses were the norm in the American south. That doesn't
mean their environs were sanitary though, and this was indeed where people
picked up hookworm. As far as I know, the only times Americans would/will
defecate in the open was on the frontier/in the wilderness, that is, when no
other options exist. In spite of the meme that Americans are not so different
from some people in rural India who defecate in their own water supply, one of
the first things built in a given American frontier settlement was an
outhouse, because poop is gross and toxic.

~~~
sooheon
Let's just be clear, Americans as a people really are "not so different" from
people in rural India. It's the environments that differ. The American West
always had more than enough acres of land that people could spare a pit +
outhouse on top of it, and rural India is... well, crowded. It's not as if
rural Indians are innately unsanitary people who will seek out water sources
to shit in.

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mabbo
Everyone replying to this article seems to be under the impression that it's a
Boolean choice- shoes and poor foot development or no shoes and a long list of
terrible other things. And this is a news site for innovation?

I've worn a variety of minimalist shoes, from vibram five fingers (you get
looks, and they can smell awful, but they feel amazing) to Nike's thin soled
line. Currently wearing a normal looking shoe with a vibram thin-sole and
loving it. We can have the best of both worlds!

It sounds to me like what kids need is something closer to a strong sock-
protect the foot, leave room for growth. Someone get on that!

~~~
ScottBurson
I've tried the Nikes, but I prefer some of Merrell's running shoes. They keep
changing models, so I can't give you a link to the exact ones I've bought, but
[0] and [1] look similar. These are both zero-drop models, meaning the heel is
no higher than the forefoot; they bend well under the ball of the foot; and
the toe box is very wide and roomy.

[0] [http://www.merrell.com/US/en/bare-
access-4/17570M.html](http://www.merrell.com/US/en/bare-access-4/17570M.html)

[1] [http://www.merrell.com/US/en/trail-
glove-3/17571M.html](http://www.merrell.com/US/en/trail-glove-3/17571M.html)

~~~
tmerc
Merrell has backed off their old barefoot line and quality. The trail glove 1
was great. I still have a pair with no tread left and they're still great
anywhere but mud. On trail glove 3, they started adding arch support. Now
there are none without some support in the arch.

If you can find old stock Reach in your size, they're a great more formal
shoe. Leather upper and a similar sole to the trail glove 2.

------
andai
Related: Research finds that optimal skull development occurs in the absence
of artificial cranial deformation.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_cranial_deformation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_cranial_deformation)

~~~
aaron695
You are against wearing helmets?

Plus some children need assistance because of cranial deformation issues so
your statement isn't really true either unless you think the doctors are
wrong.

~~~
andai
I would say that when a device is used to prevent cranial deformation rather
than cause it, that is exactly the opposite (not sure what it is called,
google brings up "cranial remolding" and "molding helmet") of artificial
_deformation_.

What I am saying is that most feet, as with most skulls (and even, I daresay
-- as e40 humorously mentioned -- most brains), form naturally, without
external "assistance".

------
mod
I'd love to go barefoot, and let my kid go barefoot--we live in the country.
But we have chiggers here and that's a show-stopper unless you want to be
miserable for a week after.

I've been tempted to see if I can...I don't know, build up an immunity? Or get
rid of them somehow?

But it doesn't seem possible.

If anyone knows a solution, I'd be happy to hear them!

~~~
paulddraper
I don't know if you want to try building up an immunity to Lyme disease.

~~~
mod
We do have plenty of ticks here. I wasn't aware that chiggers carry Lyme,
though.

According to purdue, they don't:
[http://www.purdue.edu/uns/html3month/2001/010716.Gibb.chigge...](http://www.purdue.edu/uns/html3month/2001/010716.Gibb.chiggers.html)

~~~
paulddraper
True. AFAIK chiggers don't cause anything but itching.

That said, they live in pretty much the exact same environments.

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kalleboo
> While it might not make sense to walk into your office barefoot, you can set
> an example by taking your shoes off when you enter the house

And this is where I'm once again reminded of that odd American custom of
wearing shoes indoors at home.

~~~
sikosmurf
This is more common in dry climates where shoes don't get as dirty/muddy.
Notably, this describes California, where most TV shows and Movies are
produced. It's not as widespread as it would seem from American media.

------
alan-crowe
I was surprised that there was no link to the Society for Barefoot Living
[http://www.barefooters.org/](http://www.barefooters.org/)

I think the piece is actually an instance of a press hit as described by
[http://www.paulgraham.com/submarine.html](http://www.paulgraham.com/submarine.html)
since it ends up linking to [http://www.feetfreex.com/single-
post/2016/10/07/Feet-Friendl...](http://www.feetfreex.com/single-
post/2016/10/07/Feet-Friendler-Footwear-for-Kids) who have a product to sell.

------
paulddraper
Maybe if you live in a yoga studio.

Real life has asphalt, sharp bits of metal, thorns, and snow.

Fractures, tetanus, infection, and frostbite aren't optimal either. (Note:
this is why footwear is not a recent invention.)

~~~
justinator
> Maybe if you live in a yoga studio.

I mean, I live in a house - and that house has either carpet, tile, or a
covered in hardwood, so that's a good place for being barefoot.

Finding flexible, neutral footwear for most anytime else is not a problem. The
spectrum is flip flops to the most fashionable trail runner. I'm a buddy with
one the biggest proponents of minimal footwear during the whole born to run
craze.

He'll still jog barefoot, but only for like, 10 minutes after his real run. He
needs shoes like the rest of us, since his goal is to run _fast_.

------
theprop
I really agree with this that kids are better off in most environments without
shoes, and probably everyone. I'm an adult, but for years I've had to wear
orthotics. I recently started climbing stairs and even small mountains without
shoes occasionally and it's helped get my foot arch back, I no longer need
orthotics. Hundreds of millions of Indians in villages walk and run without
shoes, thorns, rocks, etc. don't bother them that much. You want to of course
avoid walking in waste-water or where there are ticks or other dangers, but I
think in most sanitary environments it's better to not wear shoes.

There are some photos I've seen in the past of kids feet who had worn shoes
and who hadn't worn shoes, and there was a lot of difference.

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dnautics
You have to be careful. In Hawaii there is a parasite carried by semislugs
that can melt your brain.

------
TTPrograms
FYI, foot wounds are very susceptible to infection. So yes your kids may have
better arches, but if they get a severe infection from a splinter in the deck
that's probably going to offset those benefits.

~~~
crooked-v
This makes me think of "foot glove" shoes like Vibrams, which are designed to
give the minimum of impact/penetration protection against splinters, nails,
etc, but constantly replacing those as the kid grows would probably be rather
expensive, given that they have to be very well-fitted to avoid friction
blisters and the like.

~~~
toomuchtodo
[http://www.newsweek.com/vibram-caught-flat-
footed-250388](http://www.newsweek.com/vibram-caught-flat-footed-250388)

[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/22/barefoot-
shoes_n_53...](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/22/barefoot-
shoes_n_5353439.html)

[http://www.runnersworld.com/newswire/vibram-settles-class-
ac...](http://www.runnersworld.com/newswire/vibram-settles-class-action-
lawsuit)

[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2625700/Bizarre-
bare...](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2625700/Bizarre-barefoot-
shoes-celebrity-fans-including-Hugh-Jackman-Scarlet-Johansson-forced-drop-
claims-health-benefits.html)

~~~
nradov
While this is purely anecdotal, I run in Vibram FiveFingers shoes and find
that I have fewer blisters and less pain afterwards than with conventional
running thick-soled shoes. YMMV.

~~~
maxerickson
How far do you run?

I run ~20 miles a week (not that far) in normal shoes and never get blisters.

~~~
nradov
I don't run that far but I'm very prone to blisters. Weak skin I guess.

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griffinmichl
I step over used needles in SF every day on my way to / from work. No thanks.

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rmvt
UGH! unscrollable page!

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nraynaud
Cool, a new hysterical trend. Are we done with kale and paddleboard yoga yet?

