A question for people who don't wear shoes in the house.

[isittheholidaysyet]

I know the whole shoes in the house thing is controversial on mumsnet, so let's not go there.

My children don't wear shoes in the house, but they keep hurting their feet. They accidently kick walls or furniture or each other as they move around. They catch their big toes on corners. They run doors over their feet and rip their toenails/skin. They accidently stand on sharp things like toys, Lego or worse. They get cold feet.

All this results in regular crying sessions because of hurt feet. Plasters etc. And I get sick of have to deal with another child who hurt themselves for something I see as easily preventable.

My DH and I would solve this by telling them to wear the shoes we've spent a fortune buying, but if you don't wear shoes in the house, how do you protect feet?

Are you just careful?
Do you wear slippers which are basically like shoes?
Do you actually wear shoes but just 'indoor' shoes?

My kids have had slippers in the past, but they don't wear/like them, and they wouldn't provide much protection.

As they are at home bare-footed all the time now, it's becoming a problem.
Any ideas?

(Kids range from 9years to 15years, so not littlies)

What's worse than standing on Lego?.. Standing on an upturned electric plug. I think I've done that once or twice, the pain is horrific.

In this house everyone, bar me, wears socks, or goes barefoot. I usually have slippers as my feet get cold.

Very occasionally the kids stub a toe, mostly from being too sudden - running in the house etc.

Heh? Very baffled. I’ve never worn shoes in the house, nothing to do with hygiene, just seems very strange. Kids have never worn shoes in the house, again very strange. If we go outside we generally just skip on a pair of thongs (flip flops) we keep just inside the door. We also wear them out most places except work, school, sport. Even at church at least half the people would be wearing thongs, especially in summer.

I cannot remember any foot injury I’ve ever suffered from being barefoot in the house apart from treading on the odd piece of LEGO when kids were young and that’s hardly an injury. Likewise I have no idea what you are talking about with all these constant child feet injuries, none of mine ever suffered anything like that, as in never.

Slipper socks? Socks with rubber grips on the bottom.
Won't completely stop Lego and stubbing toe type injuries but will at least provide a layer of padding and should stop cuts and grazes.
Better than socks as no risk of them slipping on hard floors but more comfortable than shoes.

Errrr ok @cornersteps ... some people are just naturally more 'clumsy' than others or perhaps more carefree in their movement around the house. I often prang my toe/foot and I don't have SN.

Slippers usually but should really move to indoor only birkies or crocks for sturdier protection.

Ds is more prone to these types of ‘injuries’ as he tears around the house at 100 miles an hour.
I remind him multiple times per day to slow down but doesn’t have much effect!

My kids are brilliant at taking their shoes off when they come in but I often catch them going outside in bare feet or socks which kind of negates they idea of keeping dirt outside 🙄

4 kids 2 adults the only one who keeps stubbing toes at the mo is the 14 year old has grown to 6 foot 1 (from 5 foot 9 at xmas). He can't quite work out how tall he is!!!

Ive broken toes twice catching on door frame and bottom of stairs. The guy in a&e told me off for not wearing slippers, and said he has broken 3 of his because he doesn't take his own advice

Crocs

I used to be bare footed (or socks) in the house but since having a foot injury I was told to wear something supportive. Went for furry crocs, proved very popular so the kids got some as well. kids never wore slippers but do wear crocs.

They are only for indoors, very comfy and long lasting.

A lot of cultures don’t wear outdoor shoes indoors. They usually have indoor shoes especially if they have hard / marble floors - for example in India indoor shoes can be anything from flip flops to trainers depending on the size of the house.

Genuine question: is that why people wear slippers/crocs/etc? I always assumed it was for warmth or that they liked the support of footwear (eg some people find barefoot uncomfortable).

I didn't want to go there. But I'm going to!

Now I'm older and have back problems I mainly wear shoes for posture. And because I have poor circulation in my feet so need the warmth.

But yes. Growing up, my mum would do a lot of sewing, wasn't unusual to stand on a pin. Broken glass, however much you clear it up, I've had fragments in my feet weeks after the smash. My cousin put a dart through his barefoot once! Running the door over your foot rips the nail back and skins your toes and is agony. Recently I've found a new one of catching my big toe in the hem of the trousers on my other leg, which means I fall over. Probably once every two months I will drop a knife, usually I manage to jump out of the way, but its a worry. Equally hot fat, boiling water spills.
Standing on Lego or an upturned plug is more just annoying, but I'd still rather not do it. Also being stood on by someone who is wearing shoes and hasn't realised, that really hurts.

Just wearing socks means they get wet every time you walk into the bathroom or kitchen, there is always water on the floor, even a tiny drop spreads out on a sock. If it raining, the hall shoe area will be wet as well.

Surprisingly, I am a lot happier walking barefoot outside.

Right. Thanks for all your replies. I will leave this here now probably.
I think I've got my answers.

We both wear moccasins in the house. Maybe they would tolerate a cute pair of child moccasins in blue or red?

How old are they? It’s a good thing for kids to be barefoot. I wear flip flops indoors, or slippers in winter. My boys are always barefoot but they have ASD and to them shoes mean going outside so if I put shoes on them or slippers they’d expect an outing.

We live in Hong Kong. No one wears shoes in the house. It would be really weird and rude here to visit someone and not remove your shoes outside the front door. Bare feet in summer, socks in winter, no foot injuries!

Oh and many years ago my mum ran downstairs in the night to answer the phone - she’d had some dry cleaning handing on the picture rail, it had fallen and she stood on the coathanger and it went straight through her foot. Not a wire one either, the big chunky wooden ones with the thick hook with a ball on the end. Needed surgery to remove it.

I was only very little when that happened and I’ve never liked being barefoot indoors!

No shoes here & definitely no bare feet either ; gross.
We wear slippers or the teenagers wear their sliders.

We usually have bare feet in the house. No accidents here. Slippers to keep feet warm in the winter and if we go outside in the garden we usually put flip flops on. Just buy specifically indoor shoes if you are all that prone to injury? maybe canvas shoes?? Clarke's Doodles (Sorry can't remember the ages of your children).

Ok I'll bite.
We have toys all over the living room floor including lego and we rarely stand on it. 6yo did stub his toe yesterday but he had a whinge and then carried on with his life.
This issue occurs rarely. I dropped a glass a month or so ago and just kept the kids out of the room. Made them put slippers on and cleared it up. Swept, hoover, mop.
I guess we are just not a clumsy family? I dont think I could live with someone stomping about with no spatial awareness all day.
Sounds like you guys are so just wear shoes if you want. You don't need permission.

Our 'slippers' of choice are: Me, flip flops, DC their sliders & DH socks

I wear slippers or socks.

Being barefoot makes me cringe and my feet are always freezing 😬

I just wear slippers but with a thick sole (ugg ones are good). My partner on the other hand takes his socks off with his shoes as soon as he walks in the door and is always stubbing his toes 🙄

I am always surprised that anyone (particularly in view of the current Covid 19 situation) would wear the shoes they have been wearing outside inside - and I don't bleach my shopping so I am not an extreme clean freak.
Since I was grownup I have always had 2 different sets of footwear for inside and out. Currently I have a pair of skechers goga flats to change into when I have been out (hate slippers so it is slipper socks in the winter). Bare feet in the garden once I have checked where the dog has been. Exception only for safety seasons when I am wielding the lawnmower or any gardening tool when it is stout shoes or wellies..
Barefoot is the way we should use our feet - hazards and mud the only exception.

Errrr ok @cornersteps ... some people are just naturally more 'clumsy' than others or perhaps more carefree in their movement around the house. I often prang my toe/foot and I don't have SN.

What do you mean 'errr ok'?

It's not an unreasonable question regarding SEN.

I wasn't telling OP it must be that, I was simply asking if it could be a factor.

Socks with grippy soles

We either have bare feet (no injuries yet), slipper boots or gripper socks. There is me, DP and 2 teenagers, we have all survived so far!