Some young girls are opting for higher heels and making buying decisions earlier than ever before.

If your daughter insists on wearing heels, there are some actions you can take to protect their feet and minimising the damage:

1. Wear the heels two to four hours maximum and not on a daily basis.
2. Before you buy them explain to your child that those shoes will not wear them at the school, sports activities and the playground.
3. Choose the thicker heels like block heels or flatforms instead of ultra-thin stilettos.
4. Choose the lowest heel height possible. 
5. Look for styles with a rounded or square toe instead of pointed.
6. Don’t shop this type of children's shoes in the morning. Shop them at the end of the day.

All the experts are unified in their stance that kids and teens are too young for high heels.

The main topics of the psychologist are :

• Dressing too sophisticated too soon, and believing that your value is tied to how you are looking, is directly linked to issues such as anxiety, self-consciousness and depression.
• This kind of footwear sent the message that looking sexy is more important than personal comfort, and definitely, social media plays a big part in girls’ wanting to grow up so quickly.
• When kids wearing heels is part of this impossible standard of beauty that they feel pressured to chase.
• You have to ask your child why she wants to wear them. If she answers that she thinks that heels are special, you have to choose with her a special pair of flats. If the answer is that they make her look sexy, then you have to put right the inside story that these types of styles send.

The podiatric profession is equally outspoken about the physical risks of wearing higher-heel styles too soon.

• They recommend that girls wait until they are between 14 and 16 years old, if not longer because by this age, the feet have stopped growing and the growth plates have fully closed. Also, the muscles development of the legs and feet are almost done and able to tolerate greater stress.
• They warn about the danger of lower back pain, shin splints, ankle sprains and fractures, muscle fatigue, bunions and hammertoes.
• High heels, can shift children's centre of gravity forward and may cause a shift in angular alignment of the ankles and knees and changes in the postural system, putting girls at a higher risk for falls, stress fractures and other injuries.



As a woman, my whole life I am wearing high heels, and I feel uncomfortable, but I feel grateful for my childhood, that my mother kept me young and innocent for as long as possible.

Thanks, mum!!