Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Children's health

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

Polydactyly - should I have babies extra toes removed?

31 replies

lauraknightc · 16/08/2023 06:38

Baby was born was with 6 toes on each foot, fully formed with bones etc. We’ve been seeing a surgeon about getting them removed and have had x-rays done etc to decide it would be the little toes to be removed. Just had a date through for the surgery and now panicking that we’ve made the wrong decision! When she was born you could hardly tell there was anything wrong with her feet but as she’s standing up the toes splay out to the side. Has anyone made the decision to have extra digits removed from their child??

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

applejack18 · 16/08/2023 06:42

Hi my niece had this with her feet and also extra fingers. My sil chose to have all the extras removed. It was around age 1. Obviously still stressful situation to go ahead with the op but it went perfectly and they are super glad they did it.

Original poster

lauraknightc · 16/08/2023 06:46

Ah that’s so good to hear! Thank you!!

OP posts:

Twiglets1 · 16/08/2023 06:51

I think you’re doing the right thing and your child will be grateful in future that you got it done early so they didn’t have to suffer any anxiety about the surgery.

Twilightstarbright · 16/08/2023 06:53

My friend did for her DC and doesn’t regret it at all. Her in laws have extra digits and disagreed with her decision but it wasn’t their choice.

chocolatecheesecake · 16/08/2023 06:55

If they splay out to the sides presumably that will make it difficult to find shoes that fit and don't cause pain/problems, so it would be worth doing for that reason. Hope the surgery goes well

Hollyppp · 16/08/2023 07:12

I would go ahead and it’s the op if it were my baby (currently have a 2 week old), I know it would feel painful to me to think she’s have surgery but in the long run I think it would be the right decision (IMO)

CrapBucket · 16/08/2023 07:15

It’s a big decision to make about a tiny person so I totally understand your worries, but from an outside viewpoint I think you are definitely doing the right thing.

Dragonsandcats · 16/08/2023 07:15

I think I would, sounds like otherwise wearing shoes will be uncomfortable/painful and will save your dc having to worry about an op when they’re older.

Tiddlywinks63 · 16/08/2023 07:22

Shoe fitting will be a nightmare if you don’t, and they’ll be teased when they’re older so why on earth wouldn’t you have them removed?
I had extra toes and fingers, removed as a baby with no scars at all.

leonde · 16/08/2023 07:25

What's the medical advice? I think you can only really go off what the doctors say/ recommend. Do they think that it will cause problems in the future?

If they are splaying to the side then I'd imagine they might cause pain etc as she grows, but you need to get a doctor to confirm that to lead your decision.

If it's just aesthetic and they think it won't cause problems then I probably wouldn't bother putting her through it.

Nonimai · 16/08/2023 07:48

I don’t think you are right to remove them. It is their body and their decision to remove them.

otherhalves · 16/08/2023 07:49

It'd definitely depend on the medical advice. If it's just cosmetic, it could be left for her to decide when she's a little older but if it's going to cause problems with footwear or walking then I reckon it's best to deal with it now.

I was born with Syndactyly between two toes on both feet. Doesn't cause me any issues but if I'm wearing flip flops and point it out, people find it fascinating.

jeorge · 16/08/2023 07:52

Absolutely the right thing!

AvengedQuince · 16/08/2023 07:56

I would remove them, I'd imagine the earlier the easier as they are less developed. Not sure on fingers but extra toes would make life difficult with shoes.

Catdemons · 16/08/2023 07:57

My brother was born with an extra finger, and my parents decided to have it surgically removed when he was quite young, due to concerns about future bullying. Also I guess because it seemed like the normal thing to do - it runs in the family, and older family members had previously had extra digits removed as babies, which sets a precedent. Just FYI, my brother did end up with pain at the location where the finger was removed as his hands grew later in life, and had to have a follow-up surgery.

With toes, I would be less concerned about bullying and wouldn't have them removed. For what it's worth, I have an uncle who has a version of polydactyly where he has 5 toes per foot but one of the toes on each foot is very wide and has two sets of toe bones (i.e., it would have developed into two toes but they didn't separate completely), and he's had to live with that - he just buys wider shoes.

IHeartGeneHunt · 16/08/2023 08:01

My daughter was born with an extra finger on each hand and they were removed at 4 months, they weren't properly formed but had bones and nails. The surgery was very quick, and the surgeon did a fantastic job, she's only got the tiniest of marks left where they were. You wouldn't know they'd been there and I'm glad I had it done when she was little enough to not remember.

OnTheRunWithMannyMontana · 16/08/2023 08:02

I think it sounds like you are making the right decision. I'm sure you have already thought about all this but it would be difficult finding shoes that fit, gloves in winter plus the issue of them feeling embarrassed and lack of self confidence (especially at school - kids can be cruel)!

TheIsleOfTheLost · 16/08/2023 08:08

I can't believe that people would remove perfectly healthy parts of a child in case they are bullied in future! Perhaps if people stopped chopping bits off kids, we wpuld realise that there is a lot more body diversity. I am completely against body modification without consent, unless there is a medical reason.

faban · 16/08/2023 10:19

I think you're making the right decision x

Talipesmum · 16/08/2023 10:24

Sounds like a sensible decision. As someone with very wide feet, it’s a massive pain to get shoes that fit, and even more so if an extra toe was giving that width - it would be a very hard shape to shoe. It seems very pragmatic - i would be wanting to know, though, about typical outcomes - longer term does it cause any pain or arthritis? (Dealt with club foot with my baby and while there was no toe removal involved, there used to be a lot of surgery and still is sometimes, though more invasive than a toe removal I think, and these are the questions asked about that).

Ineedasitdown · 16/08/2023 10:41

You are definitely making the right decision. Dd will be grateful to you.
I had an extra toe removed as a baby, my dm was worried about me fitting in sandals . If I hadn’t I wouldn’t have been able to manage ordinary children’s sandals let alone fashionable ones as a teen.
db didn’t have his toe removed till he was in late teens. Shoe buying for him was a nightmare and expensive -even the widest ones were too narrow and had to be stretched.
Thats just the practicalities of it all, doesn’t cover the numerous witch comments over the years. At least it’s been my choice whether to tell people I was born with 6 toes.

Rebeccaf91 · 26/01/2024 15:52

Hello, I'm 32 (female) and I was born with extra toes (12 total). I am so glad my parents got them removed. I have no problems now and just have a little scar on both my feet. I don't need special shoes and can wear all the high heels I would like.

I have a baby now who also has 6 toes (11 total) and we are going through the process to get them removed.

I am questioning whether or not to tell him he had extra toes and wait until he is older. I told everyone as a kid as I thought it was cool but I ended up being bullied for it in secondary school. I hope by waiting he will learn who and when to tell people when he understands. But I'm still undecided on this.

I hope this helps anyone who is worried around getting the toes/fingers removed. :)

WolfFoxHare · 26/01/2024 15:56

I think I would, if only because it’ll be hard to find wide enough shoes. Especially for a girl as women’s shoes often aren’t very practical or comfortable.

C1N1C · 26/01/2024 15:57

I 'personally' think yes, but with the way the world is these days, they'll probably sue you down the line for making the decision for them.

eenymeenymineymo · 26/01/2024 16:02

Our GD was born with 11 toes also a tiny bony extension bit on her R foot & she has now had the spare toe removed. It was a spare big toe so as she grew it would have impacted her shoes fitting as others have mentioned but also her balance & walking gait.
Her parents took medical advice obviously & the op was done before she was walking & putting weight on the area too.
GD's mum was also born with 2 extra big toes but had lots of problems & numerous surgeries to correct it - shes very self conscious of her "weird toes" (her words, not mine :) )

Flip

1 2