Best foot forward
Did you know the average person takes around 2.5 million steps in a lifetime? It starts with that all-important first step a baby takes from as young as 10 months of age. It makes sense, then, that taking care of your baby’s feet puts them in good standing for a lifetime.
Newborn tootsies
When a baby is born, one of the very first things most parents do is count their little fingers and toes. Their tiny toes (like the rest of them) will probably be covered in goop, which is a mixture of amniotic fluid and vernix. Their skin will have a pale blue hue and will be soft and a little wrinkly after floating in fluid for nine months. In a very short time a baby’s feet will be pink, warm and so cute their parents will want to cover them in kisses.
Within the first 24 hours of a baby’s life, they usually get a heel prick test performed, which tells the medical staff about genetic anomalies.
It’s uncommon for babies to have feet problems, but conditions do exist. Club foot, where the foot (or feet) is usually smaller and faces inwards, affects around 1 in 1000
