Walk Small - High Heels For Babes

The latest accessory for the baby who has everything has just arrived in the UK - a pair of high heels.

The shoes originate in America but have been introduced to British shores by Julia Taylor, herself mother to a young daughter.

"When I first had my daughter, she was the only girl in the mother and baby group, so the other mums often looked out for things for girls," she told Sky News Online.

"One of them saw an article on the shoes and when I went onto their website, I realised they didn't have an agent in the

UK so I applied for the job.

They're just a bit of fun and they're very soft, like comfy slippers really - with a bit of an edge.Julia Taylor - Heelsforher.co.uk

"We set up the website in August and we've had a steady stream of interest."

With

Christmas coming up, they're hoping the "sassy" shoes - a red pair for the festive season - will make them a spur-of-the-minute stocking-filler, despite the High Street gloom.

And Julia insists they will not damage baby's feet.

"They're from 0-6 months, so they wouldn't be suitable for a toddler," she explains. "Besides, if you try to put any weight on them, the heel collapses immediately."

Podiatrist Richard Handford is very alarmed by the idea.

"Horror", was what came to mind when I heard of these," he said.

"It sends the wrong message to parents and it could well have an impact on child development.

"With children, you're saying: "at this age they should be doing such and such, and at this age, etc". If you're tampering at this early stage, how can anyone judge what's appropriate?

"Some children may be crawling by the age of six months and such a shoe would destabilise them - the fact that the heel collapses is bad news in itself.

"The child's nervous system is growing and it's developing proprioception - spatial awareness - and you don't want to interrupt that. This is not a good idea at all."