A study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2004 revealed that parents who earn $70,200 or more per year could expect to spend $269,520 to raise a child from birth to age seventeen. Lower income families who earn between $41,700 to $70,200 can expect to part with $184,320 during the same period of time. Those numbers show how expensive it is to raise children. One of the highest expenses is clothing, of course, since kids grow so quickly. To help reduce the costs of shoes, in particular, you may wear second-hand shoes on your kids. But, are hand-me-down- shoes damaging your children’s feet?
Unbreakable Rule: Throw Away Well-Worn Children’s Shoes
First off, you should throw away any well-worn children’s (and adult) shoes you have. This may sound like a “Well, duh!” statement, but it isn’t. As someone who visits garage, yard and church sales in the warm months, as well as thrift stores and other second-hand shops year-around, I know what I’m talking about. I’ve seen some pretty ratty-looking children’s footwear for sale that should have been tossed in the trash several steps ago. It’s obvious that shoes that are well-worn should not be handed down to another child. No one can argue about that.
Here’s the Controversy
But, what about good-used children’s shoes that show little or no wear? Are these kind of hand-me-down shoes damaging your children’s feet? This is where things get hairy. Some medical experts say you should absolutely not wear hand-me-down shoes on your child. Period. Their reasoning? They say that since your child’s feet are growing and developing, s/he needs shoes that are properly fitted especially for them. There should be growing room between the longest toe- not the big toe- the longest toe and the end of the shoes. Yet, the shoes should fit properly in length and width. Hand-me-down shoes that are too large can cause foot and leg problems.
Another argument these experts present, is that, no matter how little children’s shoes are worn, the feet make imprints in the inner soles. Then, when the shoes are passed down to another child, their feet will not have the proper support they need. Afterall, no two children have feet that are alike. So, by being worn even a little, the shoes are broken in, or molded, to only fit the original owner. And, after that owner has outgrown the shoes, they should be tossed out since no other child’s feet can properly fit into the shoes.
The rest of the medical experts (I share these views) answer the question, “Are Hand-Me-Down Shoes Damaging Your Children’s Feet?” with a resounding “No!”, as long as certain conditions are met:
1. Baby shoes and young children’s shoes are normally worn very little. Children’s feet grow so fast, that these types of shoes usually show hardly any wear at all. These types of shoes are usually the most acceptable to pass down.
2. Make sure that hand-me-down shoes fit properly; never allow children to wear shoes they need to “grow into.” This can cause foot and leg problems, not to mention being a tripping hazard.
3. Inspect the insides of the shoes for wear. If the insoles show much wear, especially, if you can see the imprints of the feet, toss them out!
4. Inspect the outsides of the shoes for wear. Are the soles in good shape, or do they have smooth spots? Are any sides of the soles worn down? Some children have a tendency to walk on the inside or outside of their shoes. If you see signs of this, toss the shoes instead of making them hand-me-downs.
5. Check your children’s shoes sizes often. Are hand-me-down shoes damaging your children’s feet? If they only get bigger shoes when a sibling outgrows a pair, then the answer to that question could be “Yes!”
