If you’ve ever had three kids in a shoe store at once, you know how hard it can be to find your child’s proper shoe size — much less keep your sanity! Here are some tips to beat shoe-shopping stress and quickly find that perfect shoe fit.
It may not seem difficult. If it slips on your child’s foot, the shoe works, right? Done! Sure, that’s tempting, but it can actually take a bit more work. You can’t always rely on your child’s perception of foot pain. Children have a lot of adipose tissue in their feet. That’s a fancy way of saying foot pain will feel dull to them, even if a shoe is too tight.
If they’re full of mischief (and they are, at least sometimes), they need a proper fit to support all that movement. You can use standard shoe sizing as a starting point, but make sure your child tries on several sizes to ensure a true fit.
So here’s a foolproof and quick way to find that dream shoe. Pull the shoes from the box and remove any wrapping or filler paper. Open the laces or Velcro straps, then lift your child’s foot by the heel and slide it into the shoe. Pull the shoe and make sure it grips the heel.
Just one more step. Have your child stand and slide your fingers around the top of the shoe to make sure there aren’t any gaps between the heel and the back of the shoe. The shoe shouldn’t touch the anklebone, unless it has a padded support. As for the toes, make sure they aren’t touching the end of the shoe or bulging. Wiggle, wiggle!
For good measure, ask your child to take a few steps and make sure they’re comfortable.
How does your child feel about wearing shoes?
Tell us in the comments!
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