So Your Toddler's a Toe Walker?

Ever since my kid started walking, I regularly heard the statement, "He loves walking on those toes!" from well meaning friends, family & innocent bystanders.   In fact I heard it so much it started kind of bugging me.  It wasn't until I got back from a week long vacation with husband where I left my child with the grandparents that I decided to do something about it.  

My sister has been an Occupational Therapist for close to 20 years.  (And no, she isn't a therapist for people trying to figure out their occupations in case you haven't heard the term before lol) In short, Occupational Therapists work on gross motor skills with people of all ages.  They are sort of the opposite of Physical Therapists.  While staying with the grandparents, my sister would visit him often and play with him.  Now, when you have a OT as a sister you often feel like playtime is actually more like "evaluation" time but there isn't anything wrong with that.  When I got back from my trip she let me know, as kindly as any sister can, that my son was walking a little too much on his toes and that if I didn't do something to correct it, he might shorten the tendons in his legs and end up a toe walker for life.  Well, I certainly didn't want that to happen!  But I didn't feel like the pediatrician was the right way to go because they are not foot experts and I felt like that co-pay would be money thrown out the window.  

These are the inserts that fit in my son's size
5 toddler shoes.

It just so happens that a close friend of ours is a podiatrist   He told me to make an appointment so he could check it out.  The appointment was short and to the point.  The Podiatrist checked my 19 month old son's feet, calves, and tendons and let me know that nothing seemed awry yet.  He observed my son walking flat and on his toes and let me know that my kid wasn't really in danger of being a toe walker for life.  He indicated that it's common for kids my son's age and that they should grow out of it by age 4.  He indicated that if a child hasn't outgrown the habit by age 3 or 4, then it is something that definitely needs to be addressed.  So I flat out asked him what he would do if my son was his kid (since his little girl is 4 months younger than my son) and he said that he would regularly give verbal reminders to him (which my sister started when he spent time with her and seem to work pretty well) as well as try some orthotics.  The goal of the orthotics would be to cause him discomfort when toe walking and ultimately keep him flat footed.  He grabbed my son's shoe and came back with an insert that was a perfect fit!  Meaning my son didn't need any kind of special shoe, just special inserts. He suggested that we put them on as often and as long as possible during the day.  If my son started removing his shoes a lot, it would be an indication that the inserts were bothering him and that I should stick with 1 hour a day if this was the case.  

As soon as we had the shoes with the orthotics on my son's feet, he went right up on his toes, but also came right back down.  That was a good sign.  Over the last few days I have noticed a marked improvement in flat foot walking.  When the shoes are on, he may go up on his toes for seconds but immediately comes down and starts walking flat again.  

So for now, I am happy that I decided to go this route as I think it will help greatly.  If you are concerned about your own child's toe walking it doesn't hurt to visit a podiatrist or pediatrician to see what they think about your own child's situation.  The information I have shared today is specific to my own child and advice given to me by a professional.  I am not a professional.  You should totally seek the advice of a trained medical professional with your own questions or concerns as each child is different.  I hope this article was helpful and informative!

1) The inserts are made of a hard plastic material.

2) You simply slide the insert down into your child's shoes.

3) Once inserted, this is how the inserts fit into the shoes. That's it!

I would love for any other moms who have had concerns or treatment for their little toe walkers to share what has or has not worked for them in the comments section.