Are heels appropriate for toddlers?
posted by: Shomore in Foot Health and Fitness, Just for Kicks on October 17th, 2009
Now that my hubby and I are expecting our first child, my shoe universe seems to be expanding. While my interest still lies in women’s shoes, toddler footwear suddenly seems more interesting to me, irrespective of the gender of our child.
When I first saw this picture of Suri Cruise in tiny d’orsay heels, a few thoughts were running through my head.
Essentially they boiled down to three categories (edited to more coherent thoughts for this post):
1. The practical side- Nooo!!!! This young lady just learned how to walk. Her feet need to be close to the ground to provide her with better stability, allow for strong ankles, and for that arch to be built.
2. The feminist side- How can women expect to be treated as equally when we willingly choose to wear heels? When we wear hobbling heels, doesn’t this just symbolically emphasize how fragile and frail women are vs. our male counterparts who stand steady with both feet firmly planted on the floor?
3. The girly side- Awwwh, how cute. Suri is going to be quite the fashionista when she grows up. These must be Suri’s princess shoes (photo below of R5Bales’ granddaughter’s shoes)!
Honestly, I believe that everything can be done in moderation. As long as Suri is allowed to walk barefoot or wear flexible soled shoes the majority of the time, I think that low kitten heels are acceptable. Heck, they are loads cuter than Crocs. Little girls should be allowed to play dress up and experiment. It’s part of growing up and developing personal tastes and a personality. But what do you think? Are heels appropriate for someone Suri’s age?
13 Comments
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January 30, 2010 at 4:04 am, sneakerfreak said:
its just wrong!
October 19, 2009 at 3:42 am, galligator said:
R5 – those sound like the ones my kids called 'Dorothy' shoes. My kids loved those.
But yeah, with daughters, it's tough. The children's retail fashion industry seems to insist on a lot of scaled-down adult fashion. Which is OK sometimes & wildly inappropriate at others. Also, some things are okay on shorter girls but scandalous if you have a leggy tween like I do. Goodness help me when they are actual teenagers! Which could easily lead me to a rant on the overly provacative Halloween costumes that have been marketed to young girls & toddlers over the last several years…but that is a rant for another time & place!
October 19, 2009 at 2:33 am, r5bales said:
Gal, you hit the raising girls issue on the nose. DaughteR5 wore out three pairs of those sparkly red maryjanes by Stride Rite before she got too old… Yesterday she was looking at the sparkly Kate Spades the other day. Maybe she hasn't outgrown them yet. Talk about girly girl.
October 18, 2009 at 11:11 am, Gaelle said:
As long as the toddler is willing to, and as long as it is safe enough for her spine and health (I don’t have any inputs on that queastion. I don’t have kids), it’s fine for me
Gaelle
beinglovingdoing.wordpress.com
October 18, 2009 at 9:13 am, galligator said:
As a mother with 2 daughters under the age of 10 – I have been through this issue.
Most of the time, I insist that my girls wear supportive athletic shoes or age-appropriate sandals (for summer heat).
But, more dressed-up clothing calls for nicer shoes. And that is where the challenge & parental balancing act comes in.
The 1st challenge these days is to actually find dress shoes or boots without any heel. Check out the girls shoe sections at Target or Payless the next time you are out: The only reliable flat dress shoes I can generally find are ballet flats – which are just as likely to cause blisters on young feet and generally have no arch support or cause pronation issues. Most of the dressy holiday shoes I encounter have a 1/4 inch chunky heel. At least it’s generally chunky, and at least it’s generally only found on girl’s dress shoes.
An even tougher challenge is finding girl’s cute fall boots that don’t look too adult. Both of my girls like a closed toe protective shoe in colder weather & boots are a good way to get a dressy shoe that is still somewhat protective. But, since kids shoes are generally lower-priced, many of them are made with stretch-pleather and look like 1960-s era go-go boots (but with crystals or butterflys added) – not an image I’m interested in having my kids portray. So, too me, kids boots are actually harder to find styles that are age-appropriate in style.
Finally, kids do have their own little programmed personalities & we parents spend our time getting to know these little people that are now so much a part of our lives. No amount of overalls & tennies chosen by mom for her babies & toddlers have caused my girls to forgo choosing pinks, purples & all that is considered girly once they were able to decide for themselves. And, when my younger girl went to see the Nutcracker with her grandparents at age 5 & she & grandma went to buy her a new pair of shoes to go with her frothy pink dress, she chose a pair of pink, glitter-covered, chunky, low-heeled d’ordays with a little ankle strap. The were only ever worn for special occasions, dress-up, and once when she was a fairy for Halloween (I had to have them re-soled for that occasion, they were so worn-out from being previously loved).
So, I guess as a parent, I do my best to take it case by case. We hunt every summer for skirts and shorts that are not too short(skimpy) for a tall 9-year old (another challenge & woeful oversite by kids manufacturers) who has outgrown last years clothes. We always hope there are cute, comfy, & young selections on shoes as well. It’s one of those little ongoing challenges.
October 18, 2009 at 6:42 am, Ivy said:
Suri only wore these for a brief period because earlier and later, she was photographed not wearing those dress-up heels. They're clearly those "princess" toy shoes, so I don't see a major problem.
October 18, 2009 at 4:56 am, ShoeLover said:
I think it’s a real nonsence! she is a child and should wear child clothes.
October 18, 2009 at 3:42 am, Nathalie said:
Mh it just looks odd and not quite right. I do agree though, dressing up at home, have we not all done that? Although I have to say I had my mums shoes and not actually toddler heels… did they even exist?
But going out and fitting it to an outfit, no no no…. it’s so unhealthy. Maybe she had a tantrum and forced her mum to give in but I remember I always wanted to wear my patent black shoes, even in the snow and my poor mum had to struggle every time, she won every time though and do I feel I missed out? No! I say keep the heels for the adults!!!
October 17, 2009 at 8:23 pm, Fairy Shoe Princess said:
I think she looks adorable. Kids play dress-up in little heels like that all the time. They were probably just stepping outside (with cameras right outside their door, not something most of us have to face), but I doubt she was doing any serious walking. It seems pretty harmless.
October 17, 2009 at 3:22 pm, r5bales said:
For the life of me, I can’t figure out what this child’s parents are thinking. Last year she was seen barefoot late November all over New York with a damn blanket instead of a coat. This year she is bare legged in Boston wearing these heinous peeptoes that are too big and wearing a blister on her foot. They look like a pair of maryjanes with the straps cut off. I know how tempremental 4 year olds are. Baby R5 is the same age. I will allow that Suri’s parents have improved over last year. Photos have surfaced last week where she did have a cute pair of red maryjane Keds.
One of the biggest fights daughteR5 and I had was over the appropriate age for heels. We finally agreed that turning into a teenager was a good age for pierced ears and heels – NO higher than 2 inches. She first had to learn to sit in a dress. She learned how to walk and stand in shorter heels then gradually transitioned to higher heels. I am from the old school, but anything higher or younger is just tacky and begging for feet that look like Victoria Beckham’s.
October 17, 2009 at 2:07 pm, Maria said:
You proved your point well, BUT no absolutely no.
October 17, 2009 at 8:09 am, Sculptress64 said:
Playing dress up is great fun-preferably at home, however. A heel represents something grown up to me and I hate to see children dressing as "women" in their regular clothing.
October 17, 2009 at 5:25 am, Bronwyn said:
So long as they are her choice and not her mother's, and she is only allowed to wear them very occasionally, they're OK. I have to say I'd prefer they were only for dress-ups at home. If you DO let them wear them out you need to take some sensible ones with you for when they get tired of walking in them.