Kids-in-crocs Safety Concern

Sun Herald

Sunday November 2, 2008

By RACHEL BROWNE

CHILD-safety experts have issued warnings about popular ultra-light, rubber-soled clogs, as child-care groups move to discourage youngsters from wearing them.

Child-care body Family Day Care Australia is telling parents that Crocs and other forms of loose-fitting rubber footwear are inappropriate for young children.

Day-care operators in Manly have written to parents asking them to avoid putting children in Crocs or thongs.

Sydney's Warringah Mall shopping centre management has notified patrons of the risk of wearing Croc-like shoes and thongs on escalators due to safety concerns.

The moves follow some incidents of children being injured while wearing the footwear, originally designed to be worn on boats.

Child-safety organisation Kidsafe noted the risk posed by the rubber shoes in a report this year, which referred to an incident in Perth where an eight-year-old girl wearing Crocs got her right foot caught in the side of an escalator.

She freed her foot from the shoe but when she attempted to retrieve the shoe, her hand was caught in the escalator, resulting in severe injury, which required extensive surgery. The reported concluded: "Crocs and similar shoes may not be suitable for toddlers and young children, and may be inappropriate for visits to places such as shopping centres where escalators are present."

Kidsafe chief executive Christine Erskine said parents should ensure children wore properly fitted shoes.

A Manly Council spokesman said family day-care staff found the shoes could pose a danger to active children. "They are really trying to discourage Crocs and thongs because they are slippery in wet weather and they come off really easily," he said.

"They are not suitable for toddlers and little kids who are still developing their co-ordination skills."

Family Day Care Australia national marketing and communications co-ordinator Kerry Hatton said while children's feet were still developing they should wear sturdy shoes. "The problem with Crocs and thongs is that they don't support their feet as well as enclosed shoes," she said.

However, Manly mother Sarah Whitaker said she thought Croc-like shoes were practical for her two-year-old son, Floyd.

"They are very practical for trips to the beach or the pool. Plus he can put them on himself," Ms Whitaker said.

Crocs is one of Australia's leading footwear brands with more than 675,000 pairs sold last year.