Leather crawling shoes are popular with many parents. This is because leather is considered a safe and sustainable natural material. But you can also find baby shoes made of other materials in stores. They can be made of fabric and look like sailing shoes or tennis shoes.

Does the baby need shoes when all it does is crawl on the floor indoors? Or are shoes needed only when the child walks? A few points actually argue that crawling shoes are good for the baby. But they have to be the right kind of crawling shoes.

We explain what you should look for in terms of material, design and size.

Baby Shoes Must Provide A Lot Of Feeling

Now that you’ve asked yourself when babies start crawling, it’s about the right crawling shoes. Children learn to crawl, bear walk and run by simply trying it out.

That’s why they often end up back on their bottom, belly or nose. They simply try out movement sequences and thus gradually work out different ways of getting around.

It is important that they can use their body with as much feeling as possible. Thick clothing and stiff textiles therefore prevent your baby from learning at first. That’s why pediatricians recommend that children be allowed to romp naked or only in diapers as often as possible. After all, in the first year of life, children not only have to learn how to keep their balance: There’s a lot more to a fluid movement pattern in the vertical.

It starts with children having to learn the limits of their body. The foot is attached to the leg and can be moved, that’s clear – but how far exactly does the foot go? A sock on the foot moves with it, so does a shoe on the foot.

But a blanket under the foot pushes back, slides across the floor, and moves quite differently. That’s where the learning begins. Leather crawling shoes have a rough sole – it doesn’t slip away across the floor of the child ‘s room, but finds resistance, just like the bare sole of the foot.

From feeling to muscle control to direction and balance, it takes a lot to move forward without injury and with purpose. Babies have a remarkable tolerance for frustration. If you can help your child become mobile with good shoes, that’s a fine thing. What should crawling shoes be able to do?

Here’s What Crawling Shoes Need To Do

• Crawling shoes need to fit loosely on the foot so they don’t constrict.
• Crawling shoes must fit tightly enough so that they do not hinder movement.
• Shoes must have a non-slip sole, but not “stick” to the floor.
• Baby shoes must be safe for health.
• Shoes must be comfortable to wear and fit the shape of the foot.
• Crawling shoes should be easy to put on and take off.
• Crawling shoes protect against cold.
• The baby shoes protect the feet from injuries.
• A thin sole allows learning natural movements.
• Toddler shoes must have a sturdy sole that protects the foot even on hard and rough floors.
• Crawling shoes must be hygienic and easy to clean.

So at first glance, there is a lot that speaks for shoes for learning to walk or crawling shoes made of leather. Leather is soft and cuddly, wraps around the foot like a textile sock, and yet is easily stretchable.

The material feels good and keeps the cold of the ground away from the feet. A soft suede sole is non-slip. The material is safe for health (depending on the processing) and robust.

And of course, your child doesn’t need lace-up shoes or shoes with Velcro fasteners yet: crawling shoes are ideally easy to slip into. But what’s wrong with leather crawling shoes?

Does A Baby Need Leather Shoes?

In the proliferation of leather, numerous chemicals are used that are neither good for people, nor for the environment. Leather has been criticized for many years, because the material is usually processed in low-wage countries with low or no environmental protection requirements.

Not only non-toxic substances are used in tanning, dyeing and gluing. People in these countries often work under conditions that are considered socially intolerable and hazardous to health here.

Leather crawling shoes have a rather high price compared to textile shoes with a rubberized sole. You will not get these crawling shoes for your baby for less than 10 euros. Babies grow quickly, so you often have to buy new crawling shoes and walkers.

Leather crawling shoes are quite a high financial burden over time. Inexpensive baby and toddler crawling shoes in particular are often loaded with chemicals that don’t stay in the material.

Your baby sweats, it touches the shoes with saliva-soaked fingers, puts its toes including the shoe in its mouth, and chews on them. This behavior is completely normal. But what if the crawling shoes then rub off? Your baby absorbs the chemicals from the leather through the skin and mouth.

Vegans and vegan women have another argument against leather crawling shoes: a lot of leather is used worldwide for clothing, furniture, interior decoration, bags and more.

In fact, people need more leather than what is produced by slaughter animals anyway. So for baby shoes, animals die whose meat is not even needed for human food. The animals are often kept under undignified and not species-appropriate conditions. So crawling shoes made of leather also promote animal suffering.

Are Baby Shoes Made Of Other Materials A Real Alternative?

If your baby is to wear shoes made of other materials, it is also worth taking a closer look at the production and materials. Baby shoes made of vegetable textiles are always preferable to those made of plastic.

If the shoe is made of plastic, it may be waterproof. But it is not breathable. You know this from your sports shoes: the manufacturers promise that the soft foam sole and the mesh surface are breathable, but somehow you always have wet feet in the sneakers, and your socks smell accordingly.

If your baby wears shoes made of these materials, it’s the same. A damp climate in the shoe promotes skin diseases and infections. While you don’t have to worry about this at all with leather, the issue is important with shoes made of other materials.

Even with textile shoes with a rubberized sole, you should make sure that they do not stain. The shoes must be processed so that no small parts can come loose. Fashionable sneakers for babies and toddlers often have applications, are provided with rivets, ribbons, and patches.

These extras naturally invite your baby to play and are chewed through extensively. They must not come loose, because then your child could accidentally swallow them. Under what conditions are crawling shoes made of cotton, linen, synthetic material blends? If the shoes are manufactured inexpensively in emerging countries, the production is usually no less harmful to people and the environment than leather shoes.

Crawling Shoes For The Baby Only When Necessary

Of course, your baby looks very cute wearing clothes and shoes like adults. But your baby does not need such clothes and shoes. He feels much more comfortable in clothes suitable for children.

Soft rompers and thick socks give your child exactly the freedom of movement it needs. Your baby will also only need crawling shoes when he or she really starts crawling.

Most children begin to move very awkwardly across the floor at around two months of age. Most can seal at about four months, and early starters start crawling at six months. And even then, your baby doesn’t need crawling shoes right away.

Baby shoes are generally only necessary when feet get too cold or there is a risk of injury. If the floor at home is smooth and even, the apartment warm, your baby does not need shoes.

If it gets cold on the floor in winter, crawling shoes are appropriate. And the same is true for shoes for learning to walk. In the past, it was said that babies’ feet needed to be supported.

Footwear was hard and forced the foot into a position that it has in adults. Today we know that this is exactly what prevents the child’s foot from developing in a healthy way. The feet need freedom and must be able to move as freely as possible. Otherwise, your baby will not be able to develop healthy foot muscles.

From Crawling To Walking – Are Shoes Necessary?

No, that is quite clear. If your child learns to walk indoors and it is always warm enough, he or she does not need shoes. As with crawling, your child will be better able to practice their movement skills if they are barefoot. Have you ever heard of a baby walker?

However, you can help your child learn to walk outside and in unfamiliar surroundings with the appropriate shoes. If your child is in a daycare center or with a daycare provider, soft and healthy walker shoes are a good idea.

Because you don’t know what the caregivers will do with your child: Maybe your child is having a good time in the garden or on the playground? Maybe the ground is not as warm as at home? Ideally, you should consult with the caregivers and clarify whether your baby should bring shoes.