Keeping Children's feet Safe in the Summer

School is out in Oak Park. Camp is in session. The pools and parks are open and busy. Now is the time to think about keeping your children's feet safe for the summer. Here are some handy tips! 1. No barefoot walking! It is important to have a supportive gym shoe or sandal on when playing outside. Barefoot kids can step on twigs, leaves, rocks, and other outdoor items when they are having fun in the yard or park. This can lead to pain, blisters, sores, and infection if not treated properly. Worse yet, walking around the pool locker rooms or snack bars without shoes can cause kids or adults to develop warts (a virus that loves warm, moist environments). 2. Wear supportive shoes! Many flip flops offer no support to the feet and are not recommended for children's growing feet. Running and playing in these types of shoes makes kids (and adults!) less stable, and each summer people come into the office with blisters, abrasions, broken toes, and pain from flip flops. Want to know about some supportive shoe options for kids or adults...ask me! 3. Keep the feet dry! After a swim in the pool, make sure to dry the feet before putting on socks and shoes, as it will reduce the chance of warts, athlete's foot, blisters, and foot odor. Also, it is important to change the socks frequently during the summer months for these same reasons. Keeping an extra pair in a camp bag or gym bag allows kids to change their socks if they feel damp. 4. Come to the office if something looks or feels funny! It is so much easier to treat one wart before it multiplies and spreads. A mildly tender ingrown nail is much easier to treat before it becomes infected. Finally, heel pain and other aches are easier to control if you come to the office sooner. oakparkpodiatry.com