Pediatricians' Attitudes Concerning Infants' Shoes

A questionnaire concerning attitudes towards the necessity of specially constructed baby shoes for the development of normal feet was sent to 500 pediatricians. Of the 279 responding, three quarters of them thought that tennis shoes were adequate. This view was not influenced by the pediatricians' age nor academic status. It would appear that the widespread belief among American and Canadian parents in the importance of baby shoes is not widely shared by the pediatric profession.