Your children are the most important thing in your life – that’s why you pay attention to what you make them for dinner, what toys they play with and what shoes they wear. Right? But the last point in particular is not so easy in practice. From the question of when the ideal time for the first pair of shoes is, to finding the right size, children’s shoes regularly give parents a headache. But don’t worry, we’ll give you some useful information to make buying shoes for your little ones child’s play from now on – starting with interesting facts about children’s feet through to common methods for determining the current shoe size.
The background – facts about feet
To understand why it is so important to choose children’s shoes carefully, let’s first take a look at the anatomical and physiological characteristics of children’s feet.
The right time for the first shoe
Do you still remember the moment when your sweetheart pulled herself up for the first time? Maybe it wasn’t that long ago – in any case, there’s a pretty good chance that a thought popped into your head pretty quickly: Is it time now? Do we need our first shoes now? To answer this question very briefly and succinctly: No, that would definitely be too early.
The child’s foot must first get used to the new strain. Muscles are built up, tendons are stretched and new stimuli are processed. Experts do not recommend the first shoes until the child can “safely walk freely”. What exactly is meant by “safe free running” is not clearly defined. Sometimes there is talk of around 20 steps that the child should be able to take independently. Other sources define the right time for the first pair of shoes as around four to six weeks after your little one has started to walk independently.
So you can take your time and relax and enjoy your little one’s first steps. In a good (children’s) shoe store, they will even send you away if your child is not yet ready for their first shoes – the specialist staff know how important it is for children’s feet to develop undisturbed.
If your little one is full of energy and wants to explore the world outside on two feet, you can get so-called crawling shoes for the transitional period. These keep the feet warm, protect the soles of the feet from moisture and foreign objects and at the same time keep the feet fully flexible. In good, dry weather, there’s nothing to stop your little one from exploring their surroundings in socks.
Problems with unsuitable shoes
The fit is the be-all and end-all when it comes to children’s shoes. You’ve probably already blistered yourself in a shoe that was too small and can well remember how painful it is. The problem is that children are not able to tell us when a shoe doesn’t fit. This is because their feet are still very soft and flexible. Even the bones in their feet are not yet fully hardened – so children can’t actually feel when they bump into a shoe. This means that parents have to be all the more careful to ensure that the shoes are big enough for the foot.
If a child wears shoes that are permanently too small, this encourages deformation of the still soft foot. The toes are constricted and bend outwards. The big toe is particularly affected. Shoes that are too big also have a negative effect on foot health. They do not give the feet enough support, which causes the child’s foot to slide forward with every step. There it bumps against the inside of the shoe, which is equivalent to a compression every time.
To date, there are no clear scientific studies that prove beyond doubt that incorrect footwear in childhood leads to foot malpositions as an adult – however, the number of people affected is revealing. While only 2 percent of all children have abnormalities in their feet from birth, 40 percent of adults struggle with foot problems. It makes sense to see a connection here – and to attach even more importance to well-fitting children’s shoes.
The growth of children’s feet
Once the first shoe purchase has been made, it doesn’t take long before the next question arises:
How fast do children’s feet actually grow?
After all, you don’t want your little treasure to go unnoticed in shoes that pinch, pinch or impair foot development.
The answer to this question depends on the age of the child. Until he or she is around three years old, you should expect your little one’s feet to grow by up to 1.5 millimetres per month. In other words, you should expect to have to buy new shoes every three to four months during this phase. This can put quite a strain on the household budget, as high-quality children’s shoes are not cheap. As a rule, however, two pairs of shoes that can be worn alternately are sufficient. So instead of having lots of pairs to choose from, it’s better to buy new shoes more frequently, at least initially. To make sure you don’t miss the right time for the next shoe size, you should measure your child’s feet regularly. You can find out which methods are suitable for this in the next section.
At kindergarten age, i.e. from three to around six years, the rapid growth of the foot decreases somewhat. Now, on average, children’s feet only gain one millimeter. This means that children literally go through two to three shoe sizes per year. From school age onwards, many children keep one shoe size for a whole year – others, however, still need several sizes and therefore need to change more frequently.
The prerequisite – measuring is a must!
So we have now clarified how important a suitable children’s shoe is. But how do you know which shoe size your children need? There is no correct answer to this question. Although children’s shoes have sizes, these shoe sizes are not standardized. This means that a child who needs a size 26 from one manufacturer may need a size 28 from another. For this reason, there is only one absolutely reliable method for finding shoes that fit: You need to measure both the shoes and the child’s feet. But what is important and what is the best way to get the data you need?
What is measured?
To find the right shoes for your children, you not only need to measure the foot length – i.e. the distance from the outermost edge of the heel to the longest end of the big toe – but also the foot width. This is the distance across the widest part of the foot. There are some differences between the individual manufacturers – and even between their models – when it comes to shoe width.
You then need to see which shoes fit the measurements you have determined. Twelve to 15 millimetres are added to the foot length so that the foot has enough room to move in the shoe. The problem: as already mentioned, shoe sizes are not standardized. So you have no choice but to measure the shoes in question – and each individual model. The relevant values are those inside the shoe, the so-called inner shoe length, often abbreviated to ISL, and the inner shoe width (ISB).
We want to help you find the right shoes for your darling! That’s why we have carefully measured every shoe model in our store. On each page you will find a table of children’s shoes with sizes and corresponding measurements. This allows you to quickly and easily find shoes that really fit – as long as the foot length and width have been determined using a reliable method. You can find out which ones do and don’t fit in the following section.
How do you (not) measure?
Let’s first take a look at measurement methods that are still very common, although – unfortunately – they do not provide reliable information about children’s shoe sizes. This applies not only to measurements taken at home, but also in specialist shops. Children’s feet are often placed in so-called foot gauges. These are devices that look a bit like diving fins. The child’s heel is placed at the back and the required size of the children’s shoes can then be read off the front of the toes. The process is simple and straightforward – but unfortunately not clear-cut, as there is no standardized table of children’s shoes and sizes. So if the measuring gauge shows size 24, your child will probably fit some models in size 24 – but by no means all of them. In addition, this measuring method does not take foot width into account at all.
Another popular but unreliable way to measure children’s feet is to mark the length of the foot on the floor. To do this, the child stands with their back against a wall so that the heel touches the back. A small mark is then made with a pencil on the floor or a sheet of paper underneath at the longest point of the foot – usually the big toe. The child can then step to the side and the adult measures the marked distance in peace. For many parents, this approach has many advantages: This way of measuring children’s feet can be done at home – so you can wait for a good moment from the child instead of hoping that your little treasure will be willing to cooperate in the shoe store. It also only takes a relatively short moment to draw the mark on the floor. Unfortunately, this measuring method does not provide exact results either. This is due to the fact that the foot and toes do not end in a straight edge on the floor, but are rounded. Depending on how the pencil is held during marking – completely vertically, slightly tilted inwards or possibly even tilted outwards – deviations can easily amount to a whole centimeter. However, since it is all about millimetres when determining children’s shoe sizes, this margin is too large.
The situation is similar with drawn templates of the foot. Parents like to use these to place them in different shoes in the shoe store. On the one hand, however, it is not possible to judge from the outside whether the template may be compressed on the inside, and on the other hand, the pencil position also influences the result.
Another method based on soles is to remove the inner sole of a shoe and have the child stand on it. A decision is then made by eye as to whether the shoe is big enough. However, it is simply not possible to estimate millimetres – an inner shoe length that corresponds to the foot length plus twelve to 15 millimetres is desirable. In addition, even the slightest shift in the child’s weight will give a different impression.
All of these methods are often supplemented by the so-called thumb test. Parents or sales staff press on the toe cap of a shoe after trying it on to determine whether the toes have enough room to move. The intention behind this is good, but small children in particular tend to pull their toes back when pressure is applied. This can give the wrong impression, although the shoe is actually already too small.
The Plus 12 measuring device
The last section might make it seem as if measuring children’s feet is a highly complex, almost impossible task. However, there is actually a tool that literally makes it child’s play: the Plus 12 measuring device.
This measuring device consists of two calipers that are positioned at right angles to each other. The child places their feet straight on one of the two calipers, which is then pushed up to the longest point, presumably the big toe. An elevation ensures that the slider is not pushed in too far. At the back, the heel should rest in the corner. Particularly practical: the value that you can finally read off already includes the 12 millimetre roll-off and growth margin. Plus 12, that is.
Also practical: the Plus 12 measuring device is not only suitable for measuring the length of children’s feet in a very uncomplicated way – you don’t even have to think about adding the roll-off and growth allowance – it can also be used to measure the inner shoe length thanks to its ease of use. The other caliper is used for this, on which actual values, i.e. without plus 12 millimetres, are displayed.
The shoes – quality instead of torture
Once you have determined the length of your little one’s feet, it’s time to buy the actual shoes. Children’s shoes should have several quality features, because the correct shoe size alone does not make good footwear. Therefore, make sure that the sole is soft and flexible. Ideally, the shoe can be bent in all directions with little pressure – so you can be sure that your little one’s movements will not be restricted by a rigid shoe.
Heels pose a risk to children’s feet because your little one can get stuck on uneven ground. So avoid this unnecessary detail, especially for the little ones.
The material from which the children’s shoe is made is also important. This must meet several requirements at once: On the one hand, it should be soft so as not to chafe children’s sensitive feet, and on the other, it should be robust enough to protect against stones or foreign objects. It is also important that the material on the inside of the shoe is breathable, as children’s feet sweat much more than adult feet. Genuine leather and TEX materials meet these requirements particularly well.
Which fastener you choose for your little one’s shoes – Velcro fasteners or laces – is a matter of taste. Velcro fasteners are quicker to tighten and are therefore particularly suitable for children who can’t get them off quickly enough. They can also be put on earlier by the little ones themselves and therefore contribute to their independence. Another advantage is the large opening of the shoe when the Velcro strips are pulled out of the fasteners. Shoes with laces, on the other hand, are usually easier to tighten and offer more support in the shoe, especially for narrow feet.
Conclusion
If you have paid attention to sizes when buying children’s shoes in the past, you may have found that a shoe that was supposed to fit was too small. Don’t fret, it happens to most parents at the beginning. At least now you know what you can do the next time you buy shoes so that they fit your little one’s feet perfectly.
So measure your little one’s foot length right now – preferably with the Plus 12 measuring device – and then browse through our large range. We have already taken care of measuring the shoes for you, which is why you will find a children’s shoe table with sizes and corresponding measurements for every model on offer.
We know that the health of your little one’s feet is important to you – just like it is to us! That’s why you can trust our expertise when it comes to children’s shoes.
https://www.blue-heeler.de/
