I allow my ten year old to wear sandals and no socks and my five year old goes barefoot
It's healthy for your kids to go barefoot! The risk of injury is very low, not more than the risk of skinning a knee, getting a splinter in their hand, etc... active kids playing outdoors are going to get a scratch sometimes, no need to encase them in body armor.
The worms someone mentioned were probably hookworms, one of the few parasites that can enter through the skin. However these haven't been a problem in the Southern US since modern plumbing has replaced the outhouses, and never were a problem in cooler climates. Or she may've been thinking of Schistosomiasis, which is a tropical disease only, caught by swimming or wading in infected water in developing countries. However these enter mainly in the thinner skin on legs and -if you've been swimming instead of just wading- elsewhere on the body. Really, if your kids' camp has water infected with these you have more to worry about than what they're wearing on their feet ;-p
Filed under: Camping Socks
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wht is the problem, if they are comfortable..
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why not? if you take some if they want them who gives a damn?
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YES, IT IS GOOD TO GO BAREFOOT
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If they are wearing sandals or flip flops then there is no need for socks. Personally I dont let my kids go barefoot unless they are indoors because of the things that they can step on outside that are harmful. After having science and biology in school and being taught about worms that tunnel up your foot into intestines that has always grossed me out so much that barefoot outside is a no no. Not to mentiion nails, glass, sharp rocks and other things that can cause injury.
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Sandals are supposed to be worn with no socks, I never wear socks in sandals (Even in my sneakers I don’t wear socks) since I started wearing sandals back in 1995. I am 100% positive that your 10 year old is allowed to wear sandals at camp, I highly doubt it that he is not allowed to wear sandals at camp. If he is involved in a situation where he needs socks, I’d pack along a pair of socks or two, just in case.
For your 5 year old, he needs footwear, and not go to camp barefoot. IF he is in his cabin, barefoot if fine, as long the floor is clean, and not dirty. When I went to camp, which was a camp for special education students, back in my school days. (This was 20 years ago) You were NOT allowed to leave the cabin barefoot for any reason, even when you went to the waterfront, you had to wear something on your feet until you entered the beach area, where the sand is located. You were allowed to wear sandals, but the sandals had to have a heel strap, and in later years (when I toured the camp) you could wear Teva type sandals. WHen you went to the boating area, shoes were a must (sneakers prefered) otherwise you were not allowed to go boating, unless you went back to your cabin to get a pair of shoes.
You might want to call the camp and talk with the director, and ask them the rules about being barefoot outdoors.
Encourage your 5 year old to have something on his feet. Give him some flip flops, they are good to wear at camp.
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It’s healthy for your kids to go barefoot! The risk of injury is very low, not more than the risk of skinning a knee, getting a splinter in their hand, etc… active kids playing outdoors are going to get a scratch sometimes, no need to encase them in body armor.
The worms someone mentioned were probably hookworms, one of the few parasites that can enter through the skin. However these haven’t been a problem in the Southern US since modern plumbing has replaced the outhouses, and never were a problem in cooler climates. Or she may’ve been thinking of Schistosomiasis, which is a tropical disease only, caught by swimming or wading in infected water in developing countries. However these enter mainly in the thinner skin on legs and -if you’ve been swimming instead of just wading- elsewhere on the body. Really, if your kids’ camp has water infected with these you have more to worry about than what they’re wearing on their feet ;-p
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Parents for barefoot children website:
http://www.unshod.org/pfbc/
Especially this article may help when people give you grief about letting your children go barefoot:
http://www.unshod.org/pfbc/toysaw.htm
About hookworm:
http://www.barefooters.org/best-of/hookworm-ran.txt
About schistosomiasis:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schistosomiasis