Hello!My daughter is almost one. She has been walking great since about 10 1/2 months. I just noticed about two weeks ago it looks as if she is walking on the inside of her feet, it is more noticeable on one foot then the other. She does not wear shoes yet, just the little leather soft ones. I have her 1 year check up this month, i will surely ask the ped. However i was wondering what any moms have to say who have had or heard of the same thing? If she was barefoot, you would not notice-but in her shoes or footed pj's it is noticeable when brought to attention. Just curious.....
She could be flatfooted. My daughter and husband are. She was also walking with her knees facing each other. She has to wear Orthodics for the rest of her days, but it makes a difference. Take her to a foot doctor.
I was pigeon-toed and walked on the insides of my feet (and wore out the sides of my shoes!) until I started taking ballet in my teen years. The doctor prescribed ballet for me when I was 8 or 9, but nobody followed up on it-- I wish they had!! It caused me a lot of knee and hip pain (knee surgery at age 20!!) that could have been taken care of with proper attention to alignment in dance/athletics before I hit puberty. Please consider putting her in dance as soon as she is old enough, so she can start to pay attention to and correct her body's natural tendencies. Usually foot and knee displacement and injuries come from the position of the hips in their sockets, so if she can strengthen this area early on, she's much less likely to have pain or require surgeries when she's older! It will help her bones develop in a more healthy manner as they grow.
It is very important that your daughter be fitted with an Orthopliance called DAFO's. Ask her pediatrician to refer you to a good child's Physical Therapist, or Podiatrist who can arrange to have her fitted with them. My little guy, who is now three has been wearing them for about a year and a half, and I am happy to say his stance is now perfect. TAKE CARE OF THIS NOW while her little bones are forming. She will not grow out of this, and you will be preventing future back problems for her. She is also young enough that she will not know the difference in her footwear! Our awesome PT is at a place called CAN DO KIDS in West Los Angeles, if you need a place to start. Good Luck, and don't wait. xx
I noticed the same thing with my daughter at about 15 months. The doctor said it is called pronation and is not something that can be corrected by medical procedures. He said she will likely be a pronator her whole life but that as long as she wears shoes with the proper support it will not be a problem for her. The shoes need to have arch support and a strong heel box.
Your daughter needs shoes that support her arch. Get her good shoes that have an arch support. The soft ones don't give any support. Make sure the doctor sees it too. I think orthodics are available as inserts for shoes (my husband has these and moves them from shoe to shoe. Since she is so little, she will need a new one often as she grows.
E.,
My son had an issue with walking, not on the inside of his feet, but tip toes and then started not being interested in walking on his own. So, his Pedi sent us to a Pediatric Podiatrist, who recommeded OT/PT for the stiffness in his ankles.
It's good to get it checked just in case...I wouldn't have thought anything of it, if he hadn't started walking and then, lost all interest.
Could totally be nothing, but better to get things like that which start to spark questions in your mind check than not.
Good Luck!
Deanna
It could be a hip problem. My daughter did that and one hip turns. I took her to a chiropractor. Good luck. M. R
Hopefully your pediatrician will refer you to a podiatrist. When my son started pulling himself up to standing at 9 months, it was very obvious that his ankles were pulling inward, and he was walking on the inside of his feet.
I can't remember how old he was (maybe 2?) when he started wearing orthotics in his shoes, but he is now 6 and the problem is much better. He still needs orthotics though.
Those will help him not to have to have pain and possibly surgery later in on life.
My 1 year old had the same problem. I took her to a "foot" doctor and they told me that babies feet aren't that strong, nor is the legiments yet strong enough to hold the foot in place. Also, the arch in their feet don't usually come until they are 3 years old. He said don't worry, it'll streghten over time. It's been a few months and I already see a difference! It'll stregthen on its' own!
I thought the same thing about my daughter and when I brought it up to our Ped, he almost immediately dismissed it as normal but also told me to make sure we put her in "good" shoes (Stride Rite, Pedi-Ped, etc.) with arch support. I think maybe she's just somewhat flat-footed like her father!
Had the same issue with my daughter. Her feet were kinda turned outward and she was walking on the inside of her feet. My daughter outgrew this and now her feet are perfectly normal. Never had any medical intervention or speical shoes...just give her body a chance to take shape as she begins to walk and build those leg/feet muscles.
I'm glad I read this, because my 11 year old and my 4 year old do this.
I put insoles for my daughter because her knees started hurting. She's always walked on tip toes, too. Her muscle seems too tight. It helps her pain, but she still walks on her toes.
I will follow up on her, it obviously doesn't go away.
