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 In a recent study
in the British Journal of
Dermatology, as well as a
study done at Washington
University, researchers have discovered
that many children have been
scarred by wearing tight
socks even just once. These
"sock-band" lines are
initially red markings that
happen when the elastic band
is too tight around the
child's ankle or leg. While
the redness will go away in
a few hours, the raised welt
that is left can be
permanent, even after just a
few hours of wearing socks
that are too tight.
The study conducted by
Washington University also
found a small association
with the continual usage of
tight socks and the banding
being associated with some
limb defects, but they do
note that this potential
link needs further study.
Because this has only
recently been noticed by
parents, doctors and
researchers; no one yet
knows if the welts will last
the entire life of the
child, or if there are any
other negative effects,
other than just cosmetic
ones.
Doctors recommend that
you buy socks that are made
for the size of the child's
feet or perhaps a little
bigger and wash them before
wearing. This is recommended
so that shrinkage will occur
immediately and the parent
will be able to tell within
5 minutes if the socks are
too tight. If after 5
minutes there are marks on
the child's ankles or legs,
immediately remove the socks
and either stretch them out
until they are no longer
tight, or change the socks
to a larger pair.
Parents often do not know
the actual size of their
child's feet, and sometimes
think their child's feet are
smaller than they really
are. You need to consider
the height and width of the
foot as well, especially if
you have a larger sized
baby! A professional can
measure your child's feet
and even if they are too
young to wear shoes, you
will at least know what size
sock to purchase.
Also a word of warning,
the popular soft shoe being
sold for infants has elastic
around the top of the ankle
and often the elastic is
very tight in comparison to
the size needed for the
length of the foot. This
will result in the same
banding problem on the top
of the baby's ankle. If in
doubt buy socks, or soft
slip on shoes one size
large, they will grow into
them and you will avoid this
banding that may cause
permanent damage to your
child's feet.
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