How Fast Do Kids’ Feet Grow? – Learn About When You Should Replace Your Kids’ Shoes
One of the most common questions parents ask me at the children’s shoe store where I work is: “How fast do kids’ feet grow?” I am going to show you when your child might be ready for new shoes based on your child’s age. I am always shocked when parents come to the store where I work telling me how their kids’ shoes lasted a whole year, or how their kids outgrew their shoes in two months. It doesn’t matter how old your children are, they should never outgrow their shoes as quickly as in two months, and the shoes should never last as long as a whole year.
How Fast Do Kids’ Feet Grow? – Let’s Find Out!
Keep in mind that the rate of growth depends on the age of the child, so I break it down by age. These guidelines should be taken as an estimate since every child grows at a different rate.
➡️ Children between the ages 1 to 3 should have their shoes replaced every 3 ½ to 4 months. This means that you should visit your local shoe store 3 times a year. Your child’s feet will grow ½ size to a whole size every 4 months.
➡️ Children between the ages of 4 to 6 should have their shoes replaced every 4 ½ to 5 months. This means that you should visit your local shoe store 2 to 3 times a year. Your child’s feet will grow ½ size to a whole size every 4 to 5 months.
➡️ Children between the ages of 7 to 10 should have their shoes replaced every 5 months. This means you should visit your local shoe store 2 times a year. Your child’s feet will grow ½ size to a whole size every 5 to 6 months.
➡️ Children between the ages of 11 to 17 should have their shoes replaced every 5 ½ to 6 months. This means you should visit your local shoe store 2 times a year. Your child’s feet will grow ½ size to a whole size every 6 months.
This should give you an idea of when to visit your kids’ shoe store. You must remember that children grow in spurts and they don’t all hit them at the same time. You should not be concerned if your children’s feet are not growing as fast as they should be. Children grow in spurts so they might catch up at any time!
How Much Growing Room is Too Much Growing Room?
Leaving some growing room for your kids to grow into the shoe is extremely important to avoid outgrowing the shoes faster than expected. As a standard rule of thumb, I recommend providing children with 3/8 of an inch between your kids’ longest toe and the end of the shoe to allow for growing room. I created a different resource that will help you visualize exactly how much growing room you should leave for your kids’ feet to grow.
When Will Your Kids’ Feet Stop Growing?! – Learn the Facts!
Most girls’ feet stop growing at age 14, while boys’ feet stop growing between the ages of 18 to 20. At the ages mentioned, growth plates have closed and the growth in length of the feet has stopped. Keep in mind that even though feet stop growing at certain ages, shoe sizes can change due to several other factors.
For example, the older we get, the weaker the muscles that support the bones get, which may cause our bones to move, making the foot bigger. Arches, for example, may collapse with age which might lead to the feet getting wider.
How Can You Keep Up with Your Kids’ Growing Feet? – Keep a Close Eye!
Taking your children regularly to your local shoe store is the best way to keep track of your children’s growing feet. Don’t wait until you think your child has outgrown the shoes, check regularly to be safe.
There are two times when you should replace your kids’ shoes:
➡️ When they have outgrown the shoes.
➡️ When the shoes start wearing out.
Even though your child might not be ready for a new shoe size, if the shoe has taken a beating from being worn for a long time, you should strongly consider purchasing new shoes for your child, even if it means getting the same shoe size.
Keep Your Kids’ Feet Healthy! – Follow my Guidelines
Now that you have a better idea of how fast kids’ feet grow, you should constantly check to make sure that they are wearing the correct shoe size.
Are You Having a Hard Time Finding a Specific Pair of Shoes for Your Child?
Do not hesitate to contact me directly at my e-mail if you can’t seem to find a specific shoe for your child or if you are unsure about your child’s foot shape (narrow, medium, wide, extra wide, high insteps).
Dear Juan,
Thank you for the very informative article! My problem in finding shoes for my daughter is a bit different than most people. She is 2yo and has very narrow feet and fallen arches (pronated feet); if they weren’t fallen in, she would have high arches. Can you recommend shoes that provide very good high arch support and correction to pronated feet, and which are what not too wide? Ideally you have ideas for tennis shoes, dress shoes and summer sandals that she could wear.
Thank you!
Hello Lino,
To recommend specific shoes for your daughter’s narrow feet and fallen arches I first need to know the country that you are contacting me to check what specific shoes you might be able to order.
My feet haven’t grown for 2-3 years and I’m a 16-year-old boy, is that normal or am I just build different?
Hello,
It’s totally normal. I have seen that some children’s feet don’t grow for a couple of years and they suddenly have a growth spurt.
I do get the point you are trying to make but I feel it’s a bit general. My daughter did have the same foot size for over a year and her shoes did last that length of time because she has a few pairs of shoes at any given time so they don’t wear down as quickly. She generally has leather School shoes/ soft indoor school shoes / sports trainers/ sandals / boots / party shoes / slippers all on the go at any given time.
Also her feet have gone up 4 sizes in the past 12 months – from a U.K. 11 to a UK 1 (she’s 8 years old) and I have her properly measured at a reputable shoe shop so I know it’s not me buying the wrong size to start with. I’m hoping the rapid growth of her feet are a sign she’s due a big growth spurt as she is very short for her age. Her feet are huge for her short height, but she’s always be a kid that’s ‘all feet’. Even as a toddler she had the biggest feet in the group whilst being the shortest.
Hello Linda,
You are correct, the estimates on foot growth I provide are just for a general guidance. The fact is that all children grow at a different pace, but I think it’s important for parents to have a general idea on when they should be checking their children’s shoes.
Your daughter wore the same shoe size for a year but that’s doesn’t normally happen among children. Maybe the shoes were fitted too long to begin with? Or she was due for a growth spurt… there could be many variables.
Good thing that you have a local children’s shoe store in the area that you trust so they can keep up with her growing feet!
Thank you for sharing!
I take my children to a good shoe store that properly measures feet and tells me the size they need to wear. I have taken my 5 year old to the shoe store every 3 months and she has not changed shoe size for a whole year. Today was the first time I had a hard time putting a pair of shoes on and I checked it and it just started getting to small. When she was younger I was getting different shoes every 2-3 months and yes even then she was getting properly measured. I also work for a podiatrist for the past 3 years so I also know and have seen that some kids feet and grow faster or slower than other kids just like their height. So your information is incorrect.
Hello Brandy,
You are correct, children’s feet do grow at different rates. The purpose of my article is to serve as a guideline for parents to have an idea how long they should be checking their kids’ shoes. However, you should not be replacing your daughter’s shoes once a year even if she hasn’t outgrow them. The shoes start wearing down and even if they don’t have holes on them they don’t provide the same support and they tend to stretch out around the heel area (this leads to the heel counter of the shoe getting softer).
There could be two reasons why you didn’t have to replace your daughter’s shoes for a whole year. The first might be that the shoes were fitted in the long side in the first place, and the second one that she was due for a growth spur. I am glad you are in good hands and have a children’s shoe store in your area that you trust. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Juan. Your site is very informative.
Your info about how quick their feet grows, I totally agree with what you are saying.
I haven’t been monitoring how long it takes for us to change the shoes of our children but I believe it is actually approximately a year. We either purchase because it is too small or because it has or is wearing out.
When we purchase the shoes, our children test them thoroughly and if comfortable we buy them. Not all shoes sizes are the same for every child for e.g. my youngest is 6 but looks 4. she wears shoes for 4/5 year olds because she is petit for her age. But all in all our shoes can last up to a year. There is a very small area of space left in the shoes for growth. At the same time it is not too big nor uncomfortable, loose, or tight. We make sure of that. So far we have had no issues with shoes and no incidents.
I more or less agree with all you have said. Thank you for the post. I have always wanted to know when the growth stops. I didn’t realize it can take up to 18 years!!!
Arif,
If your kids’ shoes are lasting you a whole year, something is not right. I believe you might be fitting them too long, since kids’ shoes don’t last for a whole year. They outgrow them way before that! Are you taking your kids’ to your local children’s shoe store to have someone measure their feet?
Mine lasted 4th through 7th and they looked nearly new when I finally outgrew at the start of 8th grade cross-country. I plan to buy my next pair of shoes 1.5 sizes large and expect them to last at least two years, and longer for casual use.
Thank you for sharing C. How old are you? As we get older our shoes start lasting us longer. I don’t recommend going a whole size and a half bigger since that might compromise your stability.
Children’s feet do grow fast, and knowing the methods to measure the feet over time will become helpful for the future. My parents are always complaining about my brother’s feet getting bigger every two months. Obviously they are doing something wrong. Is there a post you have on how to measure children’s feet properly? Maybe I can shoe it to my parents.
Thanks a lot dude
All the best
Lee
Lee,
Give this post a read: How to Measure Your Kids’ Foot – 2 Simple Steps to Determine Foot Length and Foot Width
Your parents will learn what steps to take in order to make sure your child is wearing the correct pair of shoes. If you have any other specific questions, please let me know.
This is awesome info! My wife always complained about how fast our children were growing and was always trying to leave extra room for them. But after I read your post, they weren’t growing so fast, they were growing at the rate they were supposed to!
Where can I find shoes for a child that plays soccer? Like wide soccer boots? Do they make them wide?
Hello Robert,Children feet do grow fast, we just need to keep a close eye on them and make sure they are not wearing shoes that are too tight! They do make soccer cleats in wide and extra wide widths for children. Is that what your child needs? I wrote a post where I describe the best wide soccer cleats for children. You can find the post here: Wide and Extra Wide Soccer Cleats for Kids
I just changed my child to a new pair of shoes this morning. Yesterday his grandmother saw his toes were red and asked me to check his shoes. I gave him this pair less than 2 months ago. And behold! They are already too tight for him.
Shoes are one of those things you can’t really buy wayyy in advance. I don’t have a particular shoe shop I frequent, so this is a problem every time I need new shoes for him. He’s turning 3 soon. I don’t keep track of how often he changes shoes.
Regina, A three year old should not have his shoes replaced every 2 months. I believe you are fitting his shoes too short or too narrow. It is hard to buy shoes when you don’t have a local kids’ shoe store in your area. Have you read my post on how to make sure your kids’ shoes fit? It will give you a set of guidelines to follow to make sure your child is wearing the correct shoe size: How Can I Make Sure My Kids’ Shoes Fit? – Learn The Secret Here!
Your website has a wealth of useful information, and as a parent of a 3-year-old, I’ve learned a lot from reading your posts. I actually have been replacing shoes much more sooner than what you state in your post, so I think your information here might be wrong. I find myself replacing my three year old shoes every 2 to 3 months,
Ayako,
You might be replacing your kids’ shoes every 2 to 3 months because you are not fitting the shoes properly. I believe you might be fitting the shoes too tight. Are you taking him to a children’s shoe store to have his feet properly measured?