Barefoot Babies: Happier And Smarter?
We usually deal with three simple principles: freedom, happiness, and intelligence. With this in mind, the following study, which has caused a stir around the world, questions the tendency to wrap children’s feet nicely and debunks myths about colds, etiquette and other topics. What does the study about barefoot babies say?
Responsible for the study entitled: “Preventive Pediatrics: Barefoot Babies Become Smarter Children” is the Complutense University in Madrid. So if barefoot babies are comfortable, happy, and developing well, why should they be put on socks and shoes?
What Does Science Say About Barefoot Babies?
“Physical exercise and sensory stimulation through bare feet is an accelerating factor for babies’ proprioceptive and intellectual development,” said Isabel Gentil García at the beginning of the study.
It criticizes two aspects: On the one hand, the sale and advertising of shoes for children who cannot yet walk. On the other hand, the overly frequent recommendation by paediatricians to always pull babies on to keep their feet warm.
Gentil García warns that covering children’s feet prevents them from experiencing their sense of touch and the perception of their body and its movements in space. According to the expert , barefoot children develop motor skills and the coordination of hands and eyes more quickly.
In an interdisciplinary approach, the researchers emphasize the importance of keeping toddlers’ feet free. Because barefoot , the baby becomes familiar with its environment, different surfaces and textures.
What role do feet play in babies
Neurology says that babies’ feet are more sensitive to touch than hands until they are 10 months old. During this time they play an important role, because it is through them that the baby experiments and learns with his sense of touch.
This is precisely why the Madrid University article advocates letting babies bare feet. If you put shoes on them, you prevent the absorption of information through perception. This process plays an important role in the central nervous system.
According to Piaget’s developmental model of intelligence, movement and the organization of sensory information are essential. They represent the child’s first conceptualization of himself, of space and time, and of causality.
Feet are therefore extremely important receptors that ensure the development of the child’s intelligence. The complex interaction between the body and the environment is responsible for this.
Barefoot babies who can stand on a wide variety of surfaces, including irregular ones, also show better muscular development. They do not carry any additional weight and can move freely, which gives them more body control.
Benefits of leaving your child barefoot
All children love to run barefoot, just as they love to be naked, no matter what the consequences for their health, which is the parent’s greatest concern. But this property not only makes children feel good, it also has other advantages :
- It sharpens your self-awareness when you can see and feel the movements of your toes and smell your feet as well
- Walking barefoot helps arch the foot and prevents flat feet
- It simplifies and encourages running
- Touching the floor without socks or shoes offers sensory experiences for the little ones
- It prevents sweat and bacteria build-up, which can cause athlete’s foot, calluses, and foul-smelling feet
Barefoot babies are freer, smarter, and happier children
Adults get nervous when they see barefoot babies, even though children love them. This study alleviates parents’ fears by showing that children are happier when walking barefoot.
Research suggests that barefoot babies have a deeper bond with their environment and perceive the world differently. At the same time, such children get to know their bodies differently the more they use it to explore their surroundings through sensory means.
“At the beginning of the development of intelligence you cannot distinguish between yourself and the external world – it is all a big chunk.” so experts. But as part of this “chunk”, the learner must come into direct contact with surfaces in order to learn.
And you? Did you know how important it is for your child to be barefoot? With this newfound knowledge, will you put aside the pretty new shoes you wanted to put on your little one? What is your opinion on this study? Let us know!
