These benefits of letting your toddler walk barefoot will surprise you!

As you know feet are one of the most sensory parts of the human body. The sole of the feet is very much sensitive. When we talk about barefoot walking which is very much also it does give many benefits to our body. Barefoot is also known as grounding. The foot is a dense structure of 26 bones and 35 joints, kept together and supported by the ligaments. A little one is flat- footed when they start walking, because the muscles, bones and ligaments of their feet are under development. A child's foot is padded with fat and is highly flexible. When babies walk barefoot it helps them to make a difference between carpets, hard floors, and grass.

Dr. Atchara Venakatraman, a child development consultant, child psychologist, Infant nutritionist & founder of Bump2Cradle says, “Unless you notice your child having problems with the foot development, being barefoot is ideal. When we link with the earth, when we walk barefoot it is found reduction in white blood cells and an increase in red blood cells which suggest better immunity.”

Here is the importance of toddler walking barefoot:

Studies have shown that babies’ feet develop stronger and coordinated foot muscle when they walk barefoot most of the time. Walking barefoot helps them to develop good posture. At the birth times bones of your baby's little feet are very soft, at the time they grow, the bones get harder and the joints, muscles and ligaments in feet develop. Sometimes walking barefoot can be the reason for the baby muscle’s to grow.

When your baby little foot is in direct contact with the ground the brain of your little one gets information through nerve endings and letting your body get to know how to adjust for balance. Wearing footwear increases the layer of protection to the baby feet which means the brain can’t get information when they are making it much harder for your baby to balance. Being barefoot means your baby is able to safely cross the different surfaces. Running and walking on different surfaces like grass, sand, mud gives toddlers the confidence to move their body in different manners.

“We all have noticed our little ones exploring things with our feet and hands. There are like 200,000 nerve endings in the sole of the foot. Baby will experience many textures while being barefoot before they stand and walk, push their toes and feet into the sofa, carpet etc. Keeping our baby barefoot allows them to continue with sensory motor development”, says Dr. Venakatraman.

Babies footwear on the shelves nowadays can be hard to stop. Try to use them for photo ops, and then let your toddler walk barefoot to explore and learn many things about his or her body, movement and surroundings by his or her feet.