Do you do anything special to care for your child's feet?

[chickenpatty]

I'm wondering if there's anything I/we should be doing? My kids love going barefoot outside. Should I have dd keep shoes on? :confused: What causes the awful foot problems that are associated with diabetes? Is it years of high bg's?

Cheyenne, mom to 6, one of whom was dx 2/19/08

[shekov]

I recently asked my endo about this. He said it is the nueropathy (sp?) and poor circulation after years of the disease that cause the foot problems.

He did say that we should begin teaching DD proper D foot care...always wear shoes (or water shoes) outside and to help her check her feet occassionally for anything unusual.

We have ALWAYS been barefoot outside. I'm not sure how much I want to change this at her age.

We still have snow on the ground so I have time to think about it. :)

[AlisonKS]

I make sure the shoes won't give him blisters, cause they seem to take forever to heal *cough damn crocs cough* I get closed toed sandals too, we have stickers out at some families homes. Tony has wide feet, so I make sure they fit well for circulation, we spent 2 hours today at the mall finding him new shoes-he is so picky! I figure it's best to start good care right now, since he's so little.

[KeltonsMom]

I make sure Kelton always has on shoes when he goes outside. When he is inside he wears slippers. He has tender feet and he refuses to go bare foot.

[CC'sMom]

We've done nothing different. My daughter still goes barefoot in the summer. But I've always tried to buy her good shoes and have them fitted. I think blisters are the worst, with or without diabetes. But she's a teenager now and clogs are her shoe of choice when not in sneakers.

Since I heard so much about foot care I spoke with the endo and she said not to worry until (if) my daughter gets nueropathy. So we're not. She needs to be a kid...

[Jeff]

The foot problems you hear about are not something that happens to kids with type 1.

Teach kids good foot care -- closed toed shoes when on bikes, something on when walking on hot concrete in the summer, things like that.

But also let them enjoy being kids -- running barefoot in grass and things like that.

[kyleesmom]

Kylee's endo told us just to use common sense. Close toed shoes when on bikes, scooters, skateboards and that type of stuff, water shoes in pools, lakes, rivers, not going barefoot on blacktop, putting something on your feet any time there was even a question, no tight fitting shoes, watch for ingrown toenails or sores and if we see any make sure to get them checked out. Pretty much the same stuff any person should do.

[Lizzy731]

My CDE said simply, if you teach her to wear socks/slippers in the house and shoes outside now...she will always do it in the future. She is absolutely right. My mother was from the school of "let the kids run barefoot so they are more free". I usually walk around barefoot unless it's freezing.

[Tripletmommy]

Alison, hahaha - I love the crocs comment - it's SO true!

Pedi. Endo said basically ANY smallish injury and/or cut/scrape could result in some problems WAY down the road, so it's best to wear shoes or sandalls outside (bummer for Bella, she loves running around in the grass with bare feet...)

[rare]

I let him go barefoot when appropriate (swimming, playing in water, etc.). I replace his sneakers with a brand new pair every 2 - 3 months because he tears them up frequently. Otherwise we do nothing special. ALL kids should wear shoes for the same reason - to protect their feet. Foot injuries suck and will cause problems for anyone later in life.

I'm a bare feet & flip flop type of person because I hate how shoes feel. Needless to say I've kicked the walls in the house a few times walking through doorways and have some pretty jacked up feet because I never taped my broken toes. So I give a thumbs up for sneakers and socks/slippers on kids feet lol.

[Tweety8]

I don't know why, but ever since my daughter's diagnosis, two months ago, I have been rubbing her feet and legs with baby oil every morning after she either takes a bath or gets dressed. It's turned into a nice bonding time for us and I must have wanted to keep that circulation going in her feet.

I am sure that this summer I will let her go barefoot in our yard.

[deafmack]

The main problem is neuropathy, but I have never seen it in children but it does happen after years of diabetes. The problem is that when a person has neuropathy they can end up with a cut or a broken bone and will continue to walk on it and end up with ulcers that will not heal. The biggest cause of amputations in people with diabetes is neuropathy and that is why we are told to wear shoes and check our feet. At the same time kids need to be kids, so I think just use moderation.