Baby feet are adorable - soft, podgy and highly susceptible to being kissed! As precious bundles of joy, it’s only natural that parents are keen to protect their little ones’ feet. Watching your baby take their first steps is a privilege and getting their first pair of shoes is a milestone that many parents treasure.
First shoes are vital to protect little feet from the ground below, so once little ones are keen to walk around outside, it’s vital that they are wearing shoes. However, if your child’s shoes aren’t well fitted and supportive in all the right places, their shoes can rub, and this can cause issues such as corns and calluses.
Childhood corns and calluses are not uncommon, so here we explore what they are, what they look like and when to seek medical attention.
Corns are small lumps of hard skin usually found on the top or side of the toes and calluses are larger patches of rough thick skin usually found on the sole of the feet - typically under the ball of the foot or the heels.
Both corns and calluses develop from repeated friction or pressure - they are essentially a defence mechanism against injury to the foot. They can occur with any kind of shoe, but they may be more likely to form if your child’s sports or school shoes don’t fit well - these are the shoes that are worn most and go through the most active use.
Corns and calluses can cause discomfort so it’s important that when you identify a corn or callus that you put measures into place immediately to treat it. You can do this as part of your little one’s normal foot care routine.
At home, try very gentle exfoliation with a soft pumice stone during bath time. This can help reduce the build-up of skin, while moisturising after every contact with soap and water can prevent more dryness and any of the skin cracking.
We suggest applying the moisturiser to your child’s foot with a soothing foot massage. Telling nursery rhymes or singing songs about feet while you massage can make this a fun and memorable experience for both you and your little one.
Important! Always seek professional help from a podiatrist if the problem persists after you have tried these initial treatment measures at home.
Wearing bamboo or soft cotton socks will help to protect the skin from friction, but ensuring your child’s shoes fit properly, allowing the toes room to move, is the most fundamental step in protecting the skin from developing corns or calluses.
At Start-Rite, our shoes have ‘growing room built in’. What this means is that our shoes are designed to hug the heel to allow the toes room to wiggle. We call it ‘wiggle room’. If a pair of shoes does not allow for wiggle room then they do not fit the child correctly.
That’s why it’s so important to or measure accurately at home when buying shoes online. This helps to ensure a good fit when the shoes arrive. Another vital step is to have your little one try on the shoes once they arrive so you can tell quickly if the fit isn’t right.
Some children with medical complications such as circulation issues or diabetes could be at more risk of developing complications from corns or calluses as these conditions can make the feet more vulnerable. If this applies to you, keep a close eye on your child’s feet as usual, and seek medical advice if you have any concerns.
When checking your little one’s feet, a corn can appear in one of two ways - either as a ‘hard’ corn, or a ‘soft’ corn.
Hard corns, as the name suggests, present as small, hard, dense lumps in the skin. They are commonly a yellow or whitish colour, and may have a visible, hard core. These are usually found on the edges of the foot where a shoe has been rubbing - for example, on the top or sides of the toes.
This type of corn can be uncomfortable for your little one, but it might not be immediately obvious that that’s the problem. For instance, it’s not uncommon for a corn to feel like a pebble stuck in the shoe.
On the other hand, soft corns have a more rubbery feel to them and may be more of a grey colour when examined closely. This type of corn is more typically found between the toes, particularly if the area is moist.
In comparison, calluses are larger than both types of corn, and may feel hard to the touch. Calluses are more likely to form on the heels, ball of the foot and around the edges of the foot rather than the toes, as these are areas where pressure can be applied to a larger surface area.
One thing that’s important to remember is that a callus is the body’s natural defence against friction. In an attempt to prevent a wound like a blister, a callus forms to shield and protect the area.
The area affected by a callus may be less sensitive to touch as the thickened skin doesn’t contain nerve endings. This means that children with diabetes who have sensitivity problems in their feet must be extra vigilant in checking for calluses, as they may not notice the numbness otherwise.
