Back then, playing barefoot was nothing strange. Children ran around a block or neighbourhood with nothing but the skin under their feet to feel the grass blades and the gooey mud. While parents did not understand the benefits, modern parents should know the advantage of letting their kids play barefoot. Unfortunately, today, parents are so overprotective of their children that they cannot imagine sending them to play barefoot in their clean backyard. Luckily, pediatric chiropractors have been on the front foot advising parents on the benefits of allowing children to play barefoot.

Natural Strengthening and Alignments

The feet are the foundation of the body; therefore, children need to develop strong and properly aligned feet to stand, walk and run efficiently without risking injury. While a pediatric chiropractor can help your child with such issues, they still advise that the best way to strengthen and align a child's feet and overall body is by letting them play barefoot. The reason is that playing barefoot stimulates the feet, ankles and knees in your child's feet during their early years of growth. Consequently, it improves the stability and flexibility of the arches on the feet, bone structure and ligaments. Besides, playing barefoot helps avoid over-reliance on shoe supports, preventing flat feet. Of course, the best place to allow your child to play barefoot should be clear of safety hazards.

Better Foot Mechanics

Walk around baby shoe shops, and you will not miss the thousands of overprotective footwear designs. While the footwear promises to protect your child's feet while they run around, they adversely interfere with a child's movement patterns. Notably, playing with bare feet gives a child complete control of their movement, making them aware of their body. It means that your child will gradually learn how to stabilise their foot mechanics independently. Better foot mechanics translate to healthy and efficient movement patterns as a child grows.

Stimulates Pressure Points and Nervous System

Most people think chiropractors only focus on the spine and the musculoskeletal system. Therefore, they are surprised when they learn that chiropractors also understand the nervous system, and some make it their focus and specialty. Since the feet comprise multiple nerve endings and pressure points, your child's foot functions depend on proper stimulation. Notably, the nerve endings on your child's feet convey messages to the central nervous system; hence, you should be careful about dulling natural foot stimulations with shoes. When children play barefoot, the feeling of the ground and everything on it stimulates the nerve endings on their feet, boosting their sensory experience.

For more information, contact a children's chiropractor near you.