Helping your child maintain a healthy weight isn’t only important to his or her social status, but being overweight is the main contributor to a variety of diseases, including heart disease and diabetes. Getting enough exercise will help your child keep his or her weight down, and will lower his or her cholesterol and blood pressure. This is where the child running shoes come in.
It’s important to teach children to live an active, healthy, lifestyle. But in order to do so, the child needs a good pair of child running shoes. Activities such as running, hiking, basketball, and even walking are much more difficult and much less enjoyable if the child’s shoes do not fit properly or don’t provide adequate support and cushioning. Also, child running or athletic shoes should be separate from those the child has for everyday wear.
When purchasing child running shoes, buy a pair that is slightly large so the child’s feet will have room to grow, but not so large that they are uncomfortable. It is important to take into account other factors besides length when determining fit. Arch size, width, and walking style (do your child’s feet pronate when walking?) are all things to consider when selecting a pair of running shoes for your child. Most athletic footwear stores will have salespeople who can help you select a pair that will meet your child’s needs.
Also, remember to ask your child’s opinion. Adults sometimes tend to make decisions without input from the child, believing they “know best.” But although you may know much more than your child about what makes a good quality running shoe, only your child can tell you how the shoe feels. The shoes you buy should be comfortable for your child, since he or she will be the one wearing them. A shoe should not need to be “broken in.” Any discomfort a shoe causes in the shoe store will be compounded when that shoe is actually being worn for an athletic activity.
It might not come as a surprise to you that your child’s opinion on how the shoe feels is important. But your child’s opinion on how the shoe looks is important as well. If your child thinks the shoes are “uncool,” or “ugly,” he or she may look for excuses to avoid wearing them, which may lead to avoidance of exercise — the last thing you want to foster. On the other hand if your child sees their athletic shoes as “really cool,” “awesome,” or another positive adjective, he or she will probably want to wear them often. If you restrict the wear of the athletic shoes to when your child is getting exercise, this will lead to your child exercising more, and maybe even cause him or her to look forward to it.
The importance of exercise can’t be emphasized enough. And the earlier an individual begins, the better. Especially if your child has weight problems, or shows a lack of interest in any form of exercise (which often leads to weight problems), you should purchase a pair of child running shoes — a pair that your child is comfortable in and likes the appearance of. Such a pair of shoes may well become the catalyst to a healthier and happier lifestyle for your child.
By Riannon Cutler