With the summer heat at a constant high, your children may be asking, no, begging you to take them to the water park. After they’ve done enough good deeds and chores to convince you to take them to water park fun, make sure that with all else, you pack (or purchase) everyone’s water shoes!

You’ve never had to wear water shoes before, you say? Well, consider the following and you’ll see that they can be very useful for protecting your family’s feet at the water park:

• Thousands of people – Each of these people may or may not have foot-related issues. Many of them will also have water shoes on, and your children’s feet may get stepped on by them. Some will also inevitably have foot diseases that may spread easily from one set of little toes to another. Also consider hygiene – you never know what you may be stepping on in the various places of play.
• Hot weather – Have you ever gotten off a ride and headed back to get your flip flops, only to have to run very quickly to avoid scorching your feet? Perhaps if you just wear water shoes, that problem would be avoided all together.
• Different terrains – At a water park, there will be many different areas of play with different flooring. From hot asphalt to rough flooring in wading pools, and grassy areas, your family’s feet will need to adjust to all sorts of environments. Water shoes will protect and reduce the chance of injury or weird sensations on bottom of their feet.

So what’s important when buying water shoes?

• Arch and heel support for a long day of walking and running. They foot should be secured in the shoes, to prevent sliding around inside them.
• Correct size is important even if you are tempted to get some hand-me-downs.
• Closed-toed water shoes to prevent sunburn or scraped toes.
• Mesh material to allow for airflow.
• Good grip on the bottom of the shoes to prevent slips.

If you have any special considerations for your family’s needs at the water park, make an appointment with our board-certified podiatrist, Dr. Carl Ingrassia of Fords Foot and Ankle Care. He and his team will provide the best care for your family’s podiatric needs. Don’t forget to stay hydrated and wear sunscreen from your head down to your toes!