Socks and Shoes

[Blackcat31]

My rules:
No shoes on inside the house.
Socks stay on. (I've never had an issue with it)
Closed toed shoes in the summer/socks put on upon entering the house.
Water shoes for water play


But those rules are something I have eased up on over the years but some will remain forever.... such as no shoes in the house. Shoes in the house is gross.

I had a rule about kids wearing socks but to be totally honest, I used to have a lot of families that were less than what I'd call clean so... now it's not such an issue for me, but I personally think feet are kind of gross. (my sister buys shoes at garage sales for herself and her kids etc....I could never. eww!) So I prefer socks but don't necessarily require them.

Closed toed shoes in the summer is strictly a safety issue. Kids trip over sandals and those stupid Crocs (did I mention how much I hate Crocs )

This year I am considering requiring actual running shoes (with laces) and not just closed toed sandals as those sandals are starting to be a pain in the butt. Sand gets inside of them and the kids are constantly needing to sit and take them off to dump them out and that gets cumbersome all summer. Especially since the sandbox is a major playground attraction.

Still no matter what, I do not allow the kids to wear sandals, Crocs or go barefoot. All for safety reasons.

[Baby Beluga]

Late to the party, but I'm a stickler for wearing socks. For the reasons CH posted - feet in general can be gross, but especially kid feet! Plus, I have no idea how clean (or unclean) a child's home is. I tell parents I wash hand upon arrival (I do) but I can't wash feet. This is why we wear socks.

As far as shoes go, I require closed toe shoes. Sandals can be worn with socks as long as they are closed toe. I do not allow tie shoes until a child can tie independently and no crocs. I too hate crocs.

ETA: I have only had one family fight me on wearing socks. I kept an extra pair here and had child put the socks on upon arrival and take them off upon pick up.

[Cat Herder]

All the hate on crocs kills me. ::::::

I got a great deal years ago on them ($3 per pair) and bought several pairs in each toddler/preschool size (they are a hideous pattern, but functional). They are so great for the kids to grab out of the bin to go play in the sprinklers. When they come in I can toss them all in the washer with bleach. It was such a great solution to having to maintain everyone's personal street shoes after muddy play. We do water play every day in the summer, sometimes twice per day.

What does everyone else do for water and mud play?

[Blackcat31]

What does everyone else do for water and mud play?

Here in my neck of the woods, every kid I know owns several pairs of these:

https://www.google.com/search?q=water+shoes&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS821US832&source=univ&tbm=shop&tbo=u&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi0jpmtiYLhAhUsn-AKHQnFC0sQsxgILQ&biw=1366&bih=608#spd=6272050131283328254

[Msdunny]

I personally don't like shoes in the house and think kids' feet develop better unconfined. I have a pair of flip flops I switch to as soon as I walk in the door. I also have a dog and hardwood floors, both of which make socks dirty. So, I went and bought a bunch of cheap pairs of socks and when my littles get here, they know to go take their shoes and socks off and put on a pair of my play socks. At the end of the day, they take their play socks to my laundry basket and put their own socks and shoes on. This summer I will probably opt for barefeet. I also think kids learn to be better walkers when they start out if they do so without shoes.

As for water play, I will be looking for deals on water shoes soon, and each dck will have their own pair for the summer.

That said, if my policy were socks and shoes on all day, I would expect the parents to go along with that.

[Baby Beluga]

Here in my neck of the woods, every kid I know owns several pairs of these:

https://www.google.com/search?q=wate...50131283328254

Yup!

For my own children I buy the cheap ones from Walmart when they are on clearance. I get them for about $3 a piece then.

I used to allow crocs very early on. I had a child who would wear them every single day. Guess who fell every single day while outside? After I put two and two together (and was tired of writing incident reports...) I banned them ::

[missmisty]

i prefer that my kids keep shoes and socks on. it makes it much easier for me when getting ready to go outside or at pick ups. they are allowed to remove & place next to their cot at naptime, but then right back on when they wake up.

i do allow sandals in summer, but same rules apply. keep them on.

my babies are only allowed on the floor inside the play yard where theres a mat, which is cleaned daily so i dont have to worry about them crawling around in anything nasty.

[coloradoprovider]

no shoes inside

I require closed toe shoes for outdoor play but I have a no shoe policy in my daycare. Most of my kids take their socks off and I have to put them on a thousand times a day but I consider shoes dirty.

I don’t want the same shoes that were walked through a public restroom inside my home and on my carpets. It’s unsanitary!

Agreed! Shoes pick up the nastiest stuff, don't want my crawlers exposed. One exception, in warm weather, I encourage barefeet when playing outside (we clean before we come inside). There are many articles about why going barefoot is important; here's a link to one: http://naturalchildmagazine.com/1210...oot-babies.htm

[Blackcat31]

Agreed! Shoes pick up the nastiest stuff, don't want my crawlers exposed. One exception, in warm weather, I encourage barefeet when playing outside (we clean before we come inside). There are many articles about why going barefoot is important; here's a link to one: http://naturalchildmagazine.com/1210...oot-babies.htm

I agree that there are many benefits to being barefoot but not everything has to be experienced at daycare.

Parents that spend time with their children have the option of allowing their child to be barefoot in many different environments without the same risks or liabilities a provider might face.

[Cat Herder]

I agree that there are many benefits to being barefoot but not everything has to be experienced at daycare.

Parents that spend time with their children have the option of allowing their child to be barefoot in many different environments without the same risks or liabilities a provider might face.

Thank you

I was going to post something similar. :: Group care is for groups, Parent -It's a verb.

[Blackcat31]

Thank you

I was going to post something similar. :: Group care is for groups, Parent -It's a verb.

Sadly in today's child care world, providers are now "motivated" and/or restricted by having to consider liability and risk rather than what is or may be best for the child.

I remember having program goals that met the child's needs first and foremost.

This new goal of simply keeping a child safe and not creating unnecessary risk is the main focus or goal of my program. Everything else comes after risk assessment.

Of course this change is happening while parent expectations are heading in the opposite direction and they (parents) are now expecting care programs to do ALL things child related leaving very little for parents to be responsible for.

Unless you count posting pictures on social media and venting about how hard parenting is.

[LostMyMarbles]

Yeah I’m a no shoes inside here (yuck-I don’t want the babies and toddlers crawling in shoes that have been in bathrooms!) and as long as it’s warm enough, they don’t have to wear shoes outside either. Nature on feet is good for a child imo. As for foot fungus/diseases, I’ve been open for 15 years and have never had a problem with that. That being said, you have a right to your rules and you told her them respectfully (though honestly I think there’s more of a chance of them getting a foot fungus keeping their sweaty shoes on all day than if they took them off)

Same! No shoes EVER in the house. If you don’t want to wear socks, don’t wear socks. And in the summer, I’m usually the first one with my shoes off outside.

As far is the original poster, if it’s your policy to wear shoes and socks, then they need to abide by that.

[hwichlaz]

My daughter has a podiatrist. She says that children should wear shoes as little as possible. That it strengthens ankles and arches to be barefoot. Unless it's my kid. She needs orthotics and has to wear shoes....but her problem is a malformed knee.

[ColorfulSunburst]

Yeah I’m a no shoes inside here (yuck-I don’t want the babies and toddlers crawling in shoes that have been in bathrooms!) and as long as it’s warm enough, they don’t have to wear shoes outside either. Nature on feet is good for a child imo. As for foot fungus/diseases, I’ve been open for 15 years and have never had a problem with that. That being said, you have a right to your rules and you told her them respectfully (though honestly, I think there’s more of a chance of them getting a foot fungus keeping their sweaty shoes on all day than if they took them off)

all my kids have indoor shoes here. Every morning they come in, change shoes, go to play. Before to go outside they switch shoes again. I do not care about socks. The indoor shoes can be sent home to get washed if necessary.

[Pestle]

There are strong arguments on both sides.

And that's what they are: arguments. Arguments should go on between care providers sharing info. Arguments should go on between policymakers gathering data.

No arguments allowed between clients and care providers. These are my rules. They will be followed by the families who receive my services. The families that don't follow my rules won't receive my services.

No justification of my policies beyond a concise initial explanation. Go start your own daycare if mine doesn't suit you.