Why small feet need a lot of comfort

START OF THE HIKING SEASON

WHY THE RIGHT CHILDREN'S SHOE IS ESSENTIAL

Off into the hiking season! You can read here why a good hiking boot is particularly useful for children.

"ALL GREAT PEOPLE WERE ONCE CHILDREN, BUT FEW REMEMBER IT." ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPÉRY

This quote presents us with a major problem when developing children's products. This is because they are usually made by "big people" who are sure they know what is good for children. What's more, these things are usually bought by "big or even very big people" who know exactly what children need.

The best example of this is school bags. These are usually given to children by their grandparents when they start school. The decision is usually based on the price. The fact that there are often some models that have an impractical carrying system, for example, doesn't matter at all.

This is because we no longer remember what we wanted as a child. That's quite a claim that I'm making because, as a paediatric surgeon, it must be very easy for me to remember. But when we create something for children, we should remember what we would have wished for as children - for example, a good shoe.

A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME

I would like to take you on a trip down memory lane to your childhood. We will soon realise that it is not that easy. When we went shoe shopping with mum, looks played a major role at first. The whole thing usually played out as follows: The pink shoe will certainly be great for Lieschen, but will pinch terribly on Kevin. Then it was important that you could run in the shoe. After all, children like to run. I keep seeing children running in the shoe shop. However, this is just an expression of children's joy of movement. The shoes should also be comfortable. Ideally, they should feel nice and soft. They should be a bit like trainers and, of course, light.

It used to be the case with us that children with Velcro shoes were the losers because they couldn't or didn't want to tie their shoes. Today it's the other way round. They also want to climb and run around outside, which means that the shoe should have a good, flexible sole. If you then incorporate a little "big people" knowledge into the development, you end up with really great shoes that shouldn't actually exist ..

THE CHILD'S MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM

The following would actually be correct: The child's musculoskeletal system is growing. This means that constant remodelling is taking place. The bones are not yet fully ossified. Many parts are still cartilaginous, which makes their skeleton softer and therefore more susceptible to deformation. In addition, the ligamentous apparatus is not yet as strong as in adults and the muscular system is not yet fully developed.

If you want to go into the mountains with the family, then it is usually clear that adults need good shoes. I wouldn't disagree with this at all. I often observe a wide variety of approaches: For some, a shoe is only right if it doesn't go over the ankle. It should be sporty. Regardless of whether it goes up high. In this case, however, people complain about tired legs by the afternoon at the latest. For others, the shoe is only right if it goes over the ankle - even if it's just for a short walk. For technophile men, there is also the one who pushes the pram around the Alpsee in absolute high-end alpine boots. But let's be honest: there are certainly worse embarrassing situations than this.

FROM PRINCESSES AND OPEN SPACE EXPERTS

But when it comes to the boots of our junior alpinists, we are totally relaxed. Why should we worry? Children are happy with what mum puts on them. What's more, they only want a mid-height shoe anyway. Shoes that go over the ankle make them feel cramped.

Sentences like "my Elisabeth is such a princess, she would never let herself be squeezed into a hiking boot like that" or "our Xaver needs his freedom and if his feet are locked up, he always gets all fuzzy" are things we hear again and again.

Secretly, it's usually the parents who prefer to wear trainers instead of hiking boots. Another issue is the price. A good hiking boot for children is very expensive. Many people therefore don't want to spend so much money for the short period of the year. This is completely understandable. However, it should be noted that the hiking boots we have developed for children can be used all year round because they are so comfortable and light that children's feet feel safe and very comfortable in them.

SEARCHING FOR AND FINDING THE RIGHT SHOE

If you go to the websites of large outdoor or sports shops and enter the search term "children's hiking boots", you will quickly realise that you will mainly find shoes that are offered for adults in the lower trekking segment. The models are mostly modified sports shoes with a somewhat coarser sole.

If you then go into the details and take a closer look at the shoes, you will notice many things that cannot be explained by natural movement sequences. Unfortunately, you often find a series of unfavourable constructions.

This was the reason why I embarked on this exciting journey with my family in spring 2016 and we contacted major German mountain shoe manufacturers to see if they would be interested in developing a children's mountain shoe with us. This should also be suitable for everyday use so that we could justify the price that such a shoe would cost.

I received feedback from a manufacturer, which is why my blog is now also published on this website. I can now say with 100 per cent certainty that it was the right one. After an initial critical reluctance on the part of the mountain shoe shoemakers, the project quickly picked up speed and a collaboration characterised by friendships developed, with many more projects to follow. I will never forget the day when the first jointly developed children's shoe was presented to me. I could feel that they had realised that their new development simply made sense

THE PATH TO CHILDREN'S HIKING BOOTS

At the beginning of the development phase, we presented the product designers with a specification sheet and also explained in medical terms why we attached importance to these details. This made realisation easier because we understood why something should be like this and not different.

The new shoes were developed on the basis of these specifications. Our initial focus was on creating a child-friendly sole, which LOWA mastered excellently. We also focussed on the toe dome, the heel cap, the support in the upper ankle joint and the height and composition of the upper. Finally, we discussed the lacing. We actually agreed from the start that it should be conventional lacing.

However, we still discussed it because the lacing is a selling point. Unfortunately, we live in an age where every two-year-old knows their mum's smartphone better than their mum herself, but six-year-olds still can't tie their shoes. In the backcountry, however, it is important that the shoe fits well on the foot. The easiest way to ensure this is with conventional lacing. If you are going on a long hike, parents should check the lacing and fit of the shoe anyway to avoid any surprises.

All in all, we ended up with children's shoes that are both medically sensible and accepted by the children. When we went on a test hike with a bunch of rascals and the children put the shoes on for the first time, several of them spontaneously said "oh, they're so comfortable" and then they started running. We couldn't have wished for a better compliment.

With this in mind, I wish you a great start to the 2022 hiking season!

Your Micha