This is the big question. In my experience as a shoe fitter I have seen young parents keen to have their less than a year old babies wear their first shoes. The question I normally ask is 'why do you want shoes for your child at this stage'? This question helps them to re-evaluate their decision to get shoes for their babies. At this stage in their development their feet is only cartilage and very pliable.

The best form of development for your child's feet is no shoes at all until they start walking, to be on the safe side I will say for the first 12 - 18 months of their lives. This gives your child the opportunity for their feet to develop in their natural environment, free of any form of restrictions.

Did you know that even pre-walkers can damage your child's feet if not fitted properly? You may very well ask how? Well some pre-walkers have elastic bands around the throat of the shoe, considering that a lot of babies have fleshy feet the elastic may be tight enough to disrupt the regular flow of blood to the part of the foot below the elastic band, resulting in bruising and swollen feet. On the other hand, if too loose you stand the chance of loosing your £20 investment in a pair of pre-walkers, as you may not know when they fall off, especially if you are out and about at the time.

So what is the best solution for babies and toddlers under 18 months? My suggestion will be socks that are easy to slide on and slide off. Ensure that they are not too tight and constantly monitor them so that you will know when your child begins to outgrow them. Also check for shrinkage and loss of elasticity after the first wash and ensure that the socks still fit properly, this is very important. If you must use a pre-walker, please make sure that it is made of leather only, lightweight, and does not restrict feet movement in any way.

A great gift that you can give your child is helping them develop healthy feet. Remember posture problems, persistent back problems are often linked to footwear that are not fitted properly. So if you want to give your child a good head start in life take care of those precious little feet.

This article is meant to be a guide. Parents should assess what is best for their children (on a child by child basis) and determine when each child is ready for their first pair of shoes.