Design & Development of Scientific Footwear for Toddlers

The toddler years of an individual (from 1 year to 3 years) are the formative years of foot health and development. Footwear impacts the formation of the gait during these early years as the feet are vulnerable and can be molded according to the footwear that they are housed in. There remains a lacuna in the research and development of toddlers’ footwear due to the small market share and limited product usage. The Indian market fails to cater to the requirements of this segment as there exist no technical specifications for the toddlers’ footwear. The present study assesses the toddler’s footwear available in the Indian market. The paper aims at designing scientific footwear that can help attain a gait in shod condition as close to the natural gait of an individual. The authors have looked into the architectural requirements of toddlers’ footwear and the materials that are suitable to be used for developing prototype. Comparison of commercially used materials for various shoe components reasons out selection of the material to be used for developing toddlers’ shoe which is high on comfort and is able to give a good fit. Through the study the authors have been able to give recommendations for materials, patterns and the length and the width allowance to be included while designing footwear for toddlers.