Literally Dragging Her Feet!

Ignore it. It's not worth the battle. Her getting activity is more important thatn some scuffs on the shoes.

cheap route, if she starts to drag her feet tell her to stop give her a warning. then if she does it again go home. and be prepared to go home. or if you out somewhere and can't go home don't let her walk put her in a cart or a stroller. another option let her pick out a pair of shoes she likes and when they get ruined by her dragging her feet throw them away. she'll stop. this may also be a power struggle between the both of you. but first make sure there is nothing physically wrong with her that makes her drag her feet. easter seals have free feet clinics once in a while call your local office and find out when one is and take her. i think shriners have them as well.

I would definitely check with the doctor. My daughter did the same thing. I was referred to an orthopedic doctor. My daughter is flat footed and pidgeon toed. She got fitted for heel supports and now wears them all the time. They have helped a bit.

You may not have any of these issues, but I'd rule them out before anything else.

Good luck!

Got luck. I have a five year old that will be six in Jan and she still drags her toes. I don't spend big money on shoes (Walmart, Target and PayLess are the only places I buy her shoes) because she destroys them by dragging her toes. I don't know how correct it and I'm not sure I will ever be able to. She's better now than she was when she was little....she wears a shoe for a few times before they start getting scuffed. :)

Hi C.. :) I wonder if putting her in old or inexpensive shoes when you walk and ignoring it for a bit would help. She may just like the sensation on her toes and with you making a big deal out of it be doing it to get a reaction? I also agree with the other poster that maybe something is wrong...do the shoes fit her well? I know that my son did this when he was getting used to new shoes. Good luck. :)

Hi C.,

I would make a game of it. Do the walking game. We walk and we walk and we walk and we stop!!! You can also do that with marching. Make sure you hear her stomp her feet as loudly as she can. It may annoy people around you, but you will hopefully get rid of the bad habit.

Good luck

I did that when I was a kid! It drove my parents NUTS! I guess eventually I just outgrew it because I don't do it now.

After checking with the doc to make sure there isn't anything medical that is causing this I would let it go. I understand that you don't want the shoes scuffied but they are shoes and meant to be scuffied. Save a pair of shoes that she only wears when you want her to look a little bit more presentable but the other times just let her wear the scuffied pair all the time. There are many battles ahead and this one is not one worth fighting and getting upset over. She may just be doing it because she is getting such a reaction out of you. When the reaction is gone the behavior may disappear very quickly.

maybe there is something wrong and she should see a doctor.

Have you taken her to a pediatrician? You need to rule out anything physical. I would think the last thing to do is to keep her in a stroller. She needs practice walking. Two year olds can't walk a long time as an adult can but short distances are good. A.

Find fun rhymes and songs to get her addicted to. My daughter learned some through her parent-child class and I continued to use them outside of class. When walking through the parking lot is a game, for example, then suddenly she'll be more aware of what she's doing with her feet AND not dragging along. Make sure you do it at first too and she'll love to mimic you!

Hers is what I remember of one of the ones we used in my parent-child class:

Big steps (take oversized, huge steps)
Sturdy steps
Walking through the snow
Big steps
Sturdy steps
Through the snow we go

Little steps (take tiny, tiptoe steps)
Tiptoe steps
Quickly through the snow
Little steps
Tiptoe steps
Through the woods we go

---
My daughter loves to do this. I've also dubbed one of her boots to be her "stomping boots" too, but sometimes that one can backfire. My daughter loves to pick her shoes out too - if she has a favorite pair you could remind her that she wouldn't want to scuff up her "sparkly shoes" or whatever cute term you can apply to them.

Good Luck!

I'm sure you're right that it's probably not medical -- and especially if you've already seen an orthopedic doctor most of the behavioral answers below will probably help a lot. Just to put it out there, though, my daughter is a toe-walker -- I thought it was "cute" until I heard a physical therapist refer to it as something that needed to be corrected because it could lead to later back and leg problems (she's now wearing leg braces to which force her on her heels and "retrain" her brain to walk correctly). Plus, tons of kids also have sensory issues these days, which PTs are very attuned to. They give free evaulations at Pathways Center (www.pathwayscenter.org) in Glenview. Not sure if it's convenient for you. You can also contact the state's Early Intervention (EI) program to get a free evaluation until your daughter is 3, and I've heard great things about DuPage Easter Seals(might be more convenient).

First of she is 2 and learning her body, sensations, limits and developing. She may be able to walk for short distances without a stroller but don't press your luck too long with good behavior and a tired child. She may have under developed muscles, sensory issues or she may be experimenting with what her body can do, her shoes may not fit right. So either put her into really cheap shoes you don't care about, reminding her to pick up her feet now and then(no big amount of attention as she will know this is an attention getter), have her sized for shoes, make sure with doctor the other issues are not issues and have her ride. If it's more about driving you nuts than anything else, let it go. This is one of the very many annoying challenges of parenthood and the road is a long one.

Make sure she has nothing psysically wrong. If not, take her by the hand and almost drag her to keep up while telling her come on, lets go or you're in the stroller. She may trip a couple of times but you'll be holding her to catch before a fall occurs. She'll learn what you want or she'll ride.

You've had some good advise. Teach her to skip. It's more fun to walk that way! Or....don't step in the sidewalk squares with a writing in it. Distract her from doing it. Otherwise, ignore the habit - it's getting your attention and that's ultimately what she wants! It's great that you take walks together. This habit will pass soon and another will take its place. Good luck.

P.S. As far as ruining her shoes - she'll grow out of them at that age faster than she can ruin them.

My little one is much younger, so I can't give you advice as a parent, but as a teacher, I have found it much more effective to show kids what I want them to do, rather than what they shouldn't do, especially when they're very young. If you demonstrate, have her practice, and praise her efforts, it might help. Is there a time or place where it's ok to drag her toes - like inside the house or when her shoes are off? If you can give her an outlet for that urge while still encouraging the other way to walk it might help to eliminate the power-struggle aspect that sometimes takes over with 2s and 3s.