Doctors think your baby might get smarter if allowed to walk barefoot

A vitalistic chiropractor, Dr. Kacie Flegal, revealed that keeping babies’ little barefoot promotes a powerful foundation for an excellent nervous system and brain development.

In her article for Natural Child Magazine, Dr. Flegal explained how walking barefoot can assist in the growth of these systems.

Dr. Flegal, a member of the International Chiropractic Pediatrics Association, has said that even though the two sensory systems, proprioceptive and vestibular, are extremely important sensory systems, they are often left unnoticed.

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She said that it was necessary to expose these systems to sensory input, for them to develop thoroughly and properly.

When shoes are worn all the time, the feet, which are connected to many sensory cells, are not being stimulated. Walking without shoes can increase neuromuscular strength, enhance balance, and uplift the development of brain centers.

“It is obvious that when our little ones are playing in cold or harsher environments, we want to protect them and keep them safe, but with guidance and a soft patch of grass, dirt, or wet leaves available, encourage babies to discover how great it feels to tromp around with naked feet!”

Dr. Kacie Flegal, Natural Child Magazine.

As a result of allowing children to move around barefoot, parents would be allowing them a great platform for the growth of higher brain centers that are in charge of the emotional control, problem-solving, social skills, language, and self-assurance.

Though the development of these systems is applicable to a toddler, growing baby or child, this rationale also applies to adults.

In the case of an adult, if there are problems with respect to coordination, spatial reasoning or balance, walking without any type of footwear every now and then can be helpful, too.

It's not that parents have to send their babies outside without any shoes in the cold harsh winter.

Instead what Dr. Flegal is suggesting is for parents to find a lot of situations where they can easily let their children walk barefoot.

When it comes to their little ones, parents want to protect them at all costs. However, the expert assured that parents may not have to be too concerned about keeping their babies in shoes all the time.

Another study published in the Journal of Environmental and Public Health suggested that physical contact with the Earth’s surface could help regulate the autonomic nervous system and keep the circadian rhythms.

This helps in regulating body temperature, hormone secretion, digestion and blood pressure, etc.