As parents, you want the best for your children. You don’t want to discover years from now that something you did contributed to a health problem in your child.
From a foot health perspective, there are a few things you may not know:
1. Your child’s feet are initially flat and develop as he or she starts growing and putting weight on the feet from walking.
2. Some children’s feet never develop arches and stay flat. Modern medicine and the field of podiatry both have no clues as to why this happens.
3. Flat feet collapse to the inside while a person is walking or running. This can lead to conditions such as plantar fasciitis, bunions, Achilles tendonitis and other foot conditions.
4. Children’s shoes, like adult’s shoes, are made with a cheap insole that is not meant to support the feet, especially if there is a foot condition such as flat feet that is present.
5. By using footwear that has arch supports, you can prevent and/or delay the onset of foot issues.
Thus, when you’re looking for children’s sandals, one of the things you don’t want is a sandal with no arch support. Some sandals are essentially a piece of foam and the manufacturer has no regard for the anatomical shape of the foot, which has many curves. Support for your children’s feet is best with arch support as a starting point.
Here are some Cobian sandals for children to evaluate:
Cobian Pink Lil Super Bounce Children’s Sandals
Style: Sporty and fun-looking
Arch Support: Yes
Heel Support: No
Price: Less than $22
These sandals are for toddler and junior sizes. They are made for the beach/street. The footbed is super soft squishy and yet there is adequate arch support. Good for pain relief in the feet, too. Triple layer density for extra cushioning. Has a 100% molded rubber bottom sole for durability.
Cobian Black Floater Jr. Children’s Sandals
Style: Sporty and fun-looking
Arch Support: Yes
Heel Support: No
Price: Less than $22
These toddler and junior size sandals offer good foot support with a soft comfortable arch support. The Black floater part of these sandals refers to the strap; the design on the sandal is blue stripes of different sizes and shades of blue. There’s an EVA top coat for extra cushioning. The bottom sole is made of 100% molded rubber. It’s lightweight, too and water-friendly.
Cobian Pink Lil Lalati Children’s Sandals
Style: Sporty and fun-looking flip flop
Arch Support: Yes
Heel Support: No
Price: Less than $23
These girls sandals are made with a triple layer density for extra cushioning and the bottom sole is made from 100% molded rubber. The arch support is soft and comfortable and the strap is braided and hot pink. It supports the foot and can also offer foot pain relief.
Cushioning is good for the feet but arch supports are essential. Although none of these children’s sandals have any heel support, some of the higher-end, best-constructed sandals have a heel cup that your heel can fit right into, impacting the way you walk. The heel cup keeps the bones of the foot in alignment during walking. Look for this rare-to-find feature in other pairs of children’s sandals.