Nursery World - Feet first

Most children are born with perfect feet, but their feet are soft and pliable. The bones are mainly cartilage. This means that although some congenital (birth) deformities such as talipes (club foot) can be corrected more easily than in adults, the feet can also be damaged easily. Toes can become deformed if they are bent or moulded into the wrong shape by ill-fitting shoes or socks, and many foot problems that affect older people start in childhood. Minor problems such as verrucas and athlete's foot are also common in childhood. FOOT FACTS

FOOT FACTS

The foot consists of 26 small bones, which are held together by ligaments, tendons and muscles. These start off as mainly cartilage and as the foot grows the cartilage hardens and becomes bone.

A child's foot is shorter and wider than that of an adult and the shape of the foot is not fully determined until it stops growing. This is usually at about the age of 20, although an adult shoe size is usually reached by the age of 14.

The child's foot on average will grow two full shoe sizes every year between the ages of one and four. It then it slows down at about four years.

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