Is this an abnormal set up of toes (pic included)?

[ItsAllABitMuch]

My DS (10 months) often has his toes all sprawled out. They aren't always like that so I couldn't get a pic of that. But he also seems to have a gap from his big toes to the others (pic attached). His big toenails are also really short. No other babies seem to sprawl their toes out at 10 months or have the toe gap.

I've Googled it (I know) and Downs Syndrome and Autism comes up. Anyone else have a DC with this?

No but my toes do this. Always have, never even realised it was abnormal?

My DD has this. Sorry it won’t help as she has a lot of very obvious and serious disabilities. I know it’s often a marker - but really I’m sure millions of people have this. Try not to worry and raise with your HV or GP if you are worried- best out of your mind.

Sorry posted too soon. I meant best out of mind by sharing

I think at ten months there would def be other more obvious markers of Downs Syndrome.

When yo u say his toe nail is that short, are you saying you've never cut it and it doesn't grow or that you've cut it shirt but it seems to sit low in his toe?

I have a huge gap between my big toe and the other 4. I have scoliosis and other conditions but nothing neurological and no neurodiversity

My ds 20 can pick things up with his feet with the same toes!!

@Blue4YOU Would you mind sharing what the disabilities are and when they became apparent?

@SleepingStandingUp We cut it but it sits low on his toe. It will grow but only a short amount attached to the skin.

It’s medical term is wide sandal gap.
It is noted antenatally as a soft marker for several conditions but alone is nothing to be concerned about.

Presumably no other symptoms of down's or ASD?

I thought it was pretty normal - my toes have always been like it and I have wide feet- I thought the two things were linked.

I don’t have the low set nail but I do have a noticeably wide sandal gap. I’ve never had any developmental issues but in my thirties I was found (almost incidentally) to have a chromosome deletion. My son meanwhile has the same chromosome abnormality and his toes are ‘normal’. His geneticist said my toes might be a ‘soft marker’ of my deletion or might be ‘one of those things’. She said that many people have some characteristic that could be a soft marker for a syndrome but on their own, these are nothing to worry about.

I’d try not to worry unless you have other concerns about his development.

My DD has this, called a sandal gap. She has a rare genetic condition. But if your child is otherwise well with no other signs/symptoms then its just a quirky feature 🙂

My son has this, we call him flip flop foot (to ourselves!). He’s 7. No worries with his development.

Well he didn't have great eye contact as a baby or smile very much. But he has great eye contact and very smiley now. He flexes his fingers sometimes. Other than that, I flip flop between being concerned andnot about ASD. He shares interests i.e. if I point at something or say look, he will look as I talk about it. He sometimes waves, eats well enough. But it's hard to definitively tell at 10 months.

As for downs, he does have small ears and potential flat nasal bridge. A doctor checked and said it's not but it was a brief inspection as DS was crying. He was high risk for downs at 12week scan then further blood tests came back low (I wish I'd taken the definitive test). I'm now quite spooked by the fact he has this toe gap aswell as small ears and the flat nasal bridge. In my mind, it's too much of a coincidence.

@Dolares Would you mind sharing what the genetic condition is?

I mix in barefoot circles and lots of adults and children have the sandal gap, it's perfectly physiologically within 'normal' range.

You will need to look for shoes with a good wide toe box, Happy Little Soles is a good place to start. Avoid shoes that pull his big toe in, you want a toebox that's more square than rounded.

Dd has this and is off to Uni in Oct, no other issues. One of my other children has the line across her palm (simian line??) which is a soft marker but seems fine.

Try not to worry.

Am I missing something? Those little toes look perfect! I don't see the issue at all.
I never knew there was a link to autism with baby toes. I'm having a panic now wanting to check my sons toes. Is this actually real?

I am no expert but I wouldn't be too concerned. Would just make sure correct shoe fitting. I'm saying this as a mum of a son that's gone under general for corrective toe surgery! But like I say still no expert. If you are worried you can ask your GP.

Don't Google these things, see gp and ask for referral to peads who can look into genetic tests

@Wednesdayafternoon yes, a large sandal gap really is a soft marker for a number of genetic conditions. It’s also a normal variant of foot development so if your DC are otherwise fine, don’t look for problems.

Hi, nurse here, a sandal gap can be a marker for chromosomal abnormalities like Down’s syndrome, it’s what’s known as a “soft marker” and normally there would be several soft markers present indicating that further testing was needed. However, it can also be a totally normal variation and so as long as he is healthy and developing as expected then it’s nothing to worry about. HTH

As others have said one or two “soft markers” rarely means anything. More than that and you usually have to explore things a bit more. Both my sons have various soft markers (one has a single palmer crease, both have sacral dimples) but both seems perfectly healthy and have no developmental issues. Just one of those strange body things.

Lots of babies have a flat nasal bridge, it’s another soft marker. Does he have any issues with muscle tone? If he is developing as expected I really wouldn’t worry.