Why?
Proper fitting shoes are important for a few reasons
- Well-fitting shoes offer more support and stability for your child
- They promote growth
- They will last longer…which means saving you money!
- They are comfortable…so your child won’t fight you every morning when you put them on!
- Your kids will have an easier time walking – less chance of walking pigeon toed or rolling ankles
Measuring
We use a brannock from New Balance to measure the length and width of your child’s foot. We typically go up a size from where their toe is, for growing room. If your child has a half size difference between feet we typically fit for the larger foot.
Every shoe style fits differently, just like jeans. It is important to try on each option before purchasing to ensure it’s the best pick for your child. Width is important too, not just length. Most little ones and boys have wider feet, so if the shoe is too narrow most have a hard time putting the shoe on and most complain it’s too tight or small. Children with narrow feet slip out of wider fitting shoes. We can guide you when it comes to certain styles fitting your child’s foot the best!
Several shoes we carry in store are not “true to size”, so don’t worry when the shoes you purchased aren’t the size your child was measuring! Our main goal is to check for growing room, which is about a thumb’s width from the front edge to the toe. We also check the sides for width, if it is too tight we will suggest other wide options. If there’s too much room it can be floppy on their foot, in this case we would probably suggest brands that tend to run narrower. We also ask the customers we are helping to walk, jump, run, and skip in their shoes just to be sure of the feel and fit.
We know that a lot of parents have a hard time getting their children in the store – maybe a long day at school or a long day at work! If you don’t have your child physically with you, we suggest getting an outline of their foot! Grab a cereal box, rip the sides and have them stand firmly on top of the brown cardboard side, with their feet shoulder width apart. Trace their foot, cut it out, and be sure to write their name and which foot it was (L or R). Bring it into the store and we can get a pretty good idea of what they need.
We hope this blog post was helpful and insightful! We love helping our customers find the perfect shoes to put their best foot forward! Come by and see us to get your little one in a proper fitting shoe. We would love to see you!