Kids With Flat Feet

If you are a parent and are worried about your baby and young kids because they have flat feet, relax.

When babies are born, their feet are covered in fat deposits. So until the age of 4-5, expect your kid to not show any signs of a prominent arch. Now ofcourse this varies from baby to baby, but this is what to expect on a regular. 

Also, even like adults, the arch is formed on the foot, when the big toe is engaged. When babies crawl or are in a passive position and there is no load on the foot, the big toe is not actively engaged. 
The arch muscle in this case is not firing up, and there is a good chance that it is not visible. 

When the baby starts walking slowly, climbing things, running, this is the phase where the arch muscle finally gets loaded, and starts to truly develop. 
This is where the muscle memorizes movement, starts to absorb the impact from the floor and becomes stronger.

This is the phase in your kid's life that is super important for their foot development. 

A  lot of parents would put their feet's kids in super tight socks, even "comfortable" highly cushioned shoes that stunt this growth and learning of the muscles.
Without the impact, the kid doesn't learn to use the arch muscle. 

So while you may be trying to protect your kid from discomfort, you are putting them at a disadvantage from a musculoskeletal point of view.

The best thing you can do for your kid is to allow them to be barefoot in safe spaces as much as possible. 
The spatial awareness, the feeling from the ground all help develop them physically and also psychologically.

Feet come in all shapes and forms, even an arch that lies flat on the ground, but has the ability to contract and support when needed is really helpful. 
So it is time to work on making our arches functional, and not just high.