Shoes versus sneakers in toddler ambulation

The purpose of this study was to determine the relative values and differences between shoes and sneakers for young children just learning to walk. In phase 1 of the study, 79 toddlers (47 females and 32 males), ranging in age from 11 months to 3 years, were carefully measured for footwear. Only 15 toddlers (19%) could be properly fitted in the medium-width sneakers that are currently available on the market. The majority of the measured toddlers required widths greater than D, and to accommodate these wider feet, it was necessary to fit them with longer sneakers than they actually needed otherwise, thus making ambulation a bit more difficult and clumsy. In phase 2, eight toddlers, randomly selected except for sex (four male and four female), ranging in age from 11 to 16 months who had been ambulating 2 weeks to 5 months, were tagged with an identifying letter and videotaped in four walking situations: sneakers on tile, shoes on tile, sneakers on rugging, and shoes on rugging. Four hours of video taping was edited down to one-half hour. Twenty-three observers (orthopaedic surgeons, pediatricians, and shoe fitters) carefully reviewed the tape on multiple occasions and came to the following conclusions: better fit, stance, gait, cadence, and stability were noted with shoes in all the toddlers and in all situations. Falls were three times more frequent in sneakers as compared to shoes on tile surfaces and five times more frequent on rugging. It was concluded that the slight economic advantage of sneakers over shoes was not that great to warrant jeopardizing the capabilities of the toddler in the earliest stages of ambulation.