Are you tired of having to return your kids’ shoes back and forth? Do you feel like you waste a lot of time and money buying your kids’ shoes? The most common mistake parents make when buying shoes for their children is thinking that once they get their children’s feet measured, that size automatically translates into their correct shoe size. The size that your children measure on the foot measuring scale is only a starting point when trying to find their correct shoe size. Let me show you how to buy shoes for kids online based on my many years of shoe fitting experience.
My Experience Fitting Children’s Shoes – Over a Decade of Shoe Fitting Experience!
I have been working for a specialized children’s shoe store for over 10 years now that focuses on helping children with “complex” foot shapes as well as foot and leg problems, but we provide regular shoe fittings as well. We carry some of the most supportive children’s shoes and orthotics, and I am familiar with which shoe brands and which shoe styles are better than others.
Please avoid taking your child to be fitted for shoes at places such as Nordstrom, Stride Rite (most sorts have closed down), or Payless. I have helped parents that come with their children from these stores, and they always come wearing the wrong shoe size.
Children that wear improperly fitted shoes suffer severe foot, knee and back problems. To avoid problems with bunions, blisters, calluses, painful tendonitis and even inflammation of the growth centers of the bones, proper fit is imperative.
How to Buy Your Kids’ Shoes Online
I developed the most effective way to determine your child’s exact foot size from your home and will personally assist you with a custom fitting tailored to your child’s individual needs.
1️⃣ Step 1: Measuring Your Child’s Exact Foot Length
➡️ Make sure that your child is standing straight, and then place a measuring tape or ruler below your child’s heels. You must measure your child’s feet while standing, as on weight-bearing the foot becomes longer. Measure both feet up to the tip of your child’s longest toe (make sure that your child is not curling his/her toes). You must measure both feet since there is always one foot that is bigger than the other.
We will input your child’s foot measurements in the standard foot measuring tool (Brannock device) to retrieve your child’s exact foot length.
2️⃣ Step 2: Pictures of Your Child’s Foot Width
➡️ The pictures below will help me determine whether your child has narrow, medium, wide, or extra wide feet. Also, the pictures will help me determine whether your child has a high instep and additional information such as whether your child has flat feet or not. Below you can find examples of how the pictures should look like:
This image helps determine whether your child is flat footed and whether your child has a high instep or not.
This image helps determine whether your child has narrow, medium, wide, or extra wide feet.
This image helps determine whether your child has rolled ankles or not.
Please note that I won’t need the measurements of your child’s foot width, the images will be sufficient to help me determine whether your child has narrow, medium, wide, or extra wide feet.
➡️ Recap – What to Include in Your Email
- Your child’s foot length measurements (or an image of their foot length measurements)
- Three images of your child’s feet (see example images above)
- The country you live in case you need specific shoe recommendations
Feel free to include in your email any additional information I should know about your child’s feet:
fittingchildrensshoes@gmail.com
You will then receive a response within 24 hours with your child’s exact foot length, shape, and specific shoe recommendations as needed.
How Much Does This Service Cost?
This service is completely free. I am passionate about fitting children’s shoes as I truly believe that the correct type of shoes can be life-changing. Children’s feet are constantly developing, and what happens to their feet during their childhood will affect their physique as they grow older.
If you wish to support the work of Fitting Children’s Shoes, you can Donate Here Your support helps ensure that families around the world can find the correct shoes for their children, regardless of their foot shape or condition.
It seems like this generation of parents doesn’t put the same emphasis on the importance of well-fitted shoes as the former ones. Why is it so important to get the right shoe size for your child? Because the shoes that you choose for your child can and will affect their overall foot, leg, and back health.
Providing your children with the correct shoe size is extremely important if you want to keep their feet and legs healthy. The wrong shoe size might lead to all sorts of foot issues such as blisters, calluses, and corns, as well as foot and leg pain.
Never assume that the shoe fits if your child doesn’t complain about the shoes. Most children will not speak up even when the shoes feel too tight or too big. It is your responsibility as a parent to make sure your child is wearing the correct shoe size.
How to Tell If the Shoes Fit – Get It Right!
There are 4 steps you must follow to make sure your child is wearing the correct shoe size:
1️⃣ Length Fit: Allow approximately 3/16 of an inch or 0.4 centimeters of space from the end of the longest toe. There is a trick you can use to check this. Remove the original insoles of the shoes and have your child stand upon them to be able to visualize this better.
2️⃣ Tip of the Little Toe: Make sure the little toe is not pressed inward, as this causes corns or blisters.
3️⃣ Instep Fit: Always check for any tight fit around this area. This can happen especially with fat/fleshy or stocky/muscular feet. It can exert pressure on the instep and affect circulation. Most parents don’t even know what the instep of the foot is. I have created a post where I explain this in more detail:
The Best Shoes for High Instep – Stop Getting the Wrong Shoe Size for Your Child!
4️⃣ Heel Fit: Make sure the heel of the foot fits snugly without any heel slip. This allows the child to walk and run comfortably with every step he or she takes.
If these 4 points check out properly, your child is wearing the correct shoe size. I assure you that this is really hard to do, that is why you need to take your child to your local kids’ shoe store to have their feet properly measured.
Children are still growing, developing, and working on their coordination. The right type of shoes will protect their feet, legs, and back by minimizing the impact caused by repeated running, jumping, and skidding.
Do you have a local children’s shoe store in your area? Where do you purchase your kids’ shoes? Have you ever purchased your kids’ shoes online before? Please share your thoughts and experiences below so other parents can benefit from them.
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Hi Juan
Another great post. I always bought shoes for my children depending on what the shoe measure device said. Now I know that numbers don’t mean that much when shopping for kids’ shoes. Can you tell me what are the best shoes for a child that has extra extra wide feet? Thanks in advance!
I wrote a post about children with extra wide feet that you might be interested in. The post is called: Children Extra Wide Shoes – Prevent Blisters, Calluses, And Corns!
You will find the widest shoes for children there. By the way, extra extra wide shoes do not exist. The widest width that shoes come in is extra wide.
This is such good information. I feel like I’m constantly shopping for shoes for my son and daughter. You are so right about the big shoe stores. I’ve gone to two different shoe stores and they’ve given me completely different shoe sizes for my children. I think we’ve finally gotten their sizing right, but it took a long time for us to get there. They’re now going through a phase that they’re growing so fast it is at times hard to keep up. I’ll use your advice next time I’m out shoe shopping with them (which could be next week) 🙂
I actually wrote a post about big chain stores that you might find it interesting, the post is called: The Best Place To Buy Kids Shoes – Avoid Stride Rite, Nordstrom, Payless…
Try to take your kids’ to your local kids’ shoe store to have their feet properly measured. Now you have a set of guidelines that you know you can follow in order to make sure you get your children the correct shoe size!
At the rate my children’s feet grow, OMG! It’s hard to keep up. I find myself buying a pair of shoes at least once a month for both my son and daughter. My daughter is 2, and my son is 8.
Now, maybe I’m not measuring their feet correctly, but sometimes I think the shoe is too tight too soon, and others they might be too loose. Maybe it’s the brand? And I like you, I don’t believe in hand me down shoes. What can I do about getting the right measurements?
Christian,
You must take your children to your local kids’ shoe store to have their feet properly measured. If you are replacing shoes every month, you are definitely getting the wrong shoe size for them. Take a look at this post, it tells you exactly how long kids shoes should last: How Long Should Shoes Last- How Many Pairs Of Shoes Your Child Has?
Hello Juan,
I know how uncomfortable it is to wear the wrong shoe size.I learned a lot from your article on how to get a right shoe size of a kid. I don’t have a local kids’ shoe store in my area so I always buy my kids’ shoes online. How can I make sure they are wearing the correct shoe size?
I explain how to get the correct shoe size for your child in this post: How Can I Make Sure My Kids’ Shoes Fit? – Learn The Secret Here! You will find all the answers to your questions about how to make sure your child’s shoes fit.
Wow! Awesome advise! I always did measure my son’s bigger foot, and then I made him put the new shoes on both feet, walk around and run in them to make sure they were comfortable. I never did measure width or really worry about that.
Now I found out he has an extra wide foot! They are a little harder to find but I love that you describe a selection of them. Do you know where I can find them online? For a good price?
Your son’s toes are going to be happy that they won’t feel all cramped anymore! I wrote a post where I describe the best extra wide shoes for children: Children Extra Wide Shoes – Prevent Blisters, Calluses, And Corns! Amazon offers the best price for them and you might or might not pay for shipping depending on which account you have with them.
I’m quite busy so I like to order my kids shoes online. I buy the New Balance brand which has fitted them before and I measure their feet to know which shoe size they need. Most of the time I end up returning the shoes because they don’t fit. Is there a set of guidelines I can follow to make sure I can get them the right size?
The only way to guarantee you are getting your children the correct shoe size is to take them to your local kids’ shoe store to have their feet properly measured. I do provide parents with a set of guidelines if they don’t have a kids’ shoe store in their area that they trust.
You can follow those guidelines here in this post: How To Buy Shoes Online- The Secret Revealed
Thank you for this informative article on how to buy shoes for kids. The guidelines that you have recommended will help me choose the correct shoe size for my kids.I don’t have a local kids’ shoe shop where I live so I need to order my children’ shoes online
My daughter’s feet are really wide and I always have a hard time finding her shoes. You know which are the best shoes for children that have wide feet?
The guidelines I provide you with will help you try to get the right shoe size for your child, but I always recommend to parents to take their children to have their feet properly measured at a local kids’ shoe store instead of buying them online.
In this post I describe the best shoes for children that have wide feet: Shoes For Extra Wide Feet – Stop Hurting Your Children’s Feet
Hi,
My son’s feet seem to be growing by the minute. For me it’s not only the size but the durability of the shoes as well. My son can’t wait to get on the play ground or where ever he sees fit to kick things around and do the stuff boys do with their feet. Sometimes I have had to get him another pair of shoes within two weeks. Will getting his feet properly measured make his shoes last longer?
Hello Juliet,
If you are worried about the durability of the shoes, I wrote a post where I describe the most durable shoes for children. Replacing your kids’ shoes every two weeks sounds crazy! Your child must be extremely rough on shoes!
The post is called: The Best Kids Sneakers – Learn About The Best Shoes For Children Ages 3 Through 10
Hey Juan
It is always a pleasure reading your posts as all of the information is really relevant. It is always very tricky to find the right pair of shoes – I have experienced it many times. My son is 8 and it is really a trouble to find the right shoes. First, it is due to him having no interest in fitting the shoes and secondly due to his very wide feet it is a challenge to find fitting shoes. I have some questions:
1. What do you think of Nike shoes? I see you haven’t mentioned them in your post about best shoes – I have bought Nike shoes for my boy for few years and they seem to be quite OK. But as you say – it is hard to understand as kids don’t tell how they feel in their shoes.
2. As kid feet are growing very fast I usually bought only each second size so for certain period of time the shoes were a size bigger than they should have been. You mention that it is not good that shoes are too big – but what exactly is the problem with too big shoes?
Arta,
We sell Nike shoes in the kids’shoe store that I work for because it is such a popular brand for children, and some children will refuse to wear any other brand of shoes. However, I always try to show children other type of shoes that are more supportive and have better structure.
Nike shoes will NOT fit a child with a wide foot, and they tend to be very flimsy compared to other shoe brands such as New Balance, Asics, or Saucony just to name a few. If your child is somewhat serious about running or he is an active child, I will advise you to stay away from Nike shoes.
To answer your second question, shoes that are too big can cause your child to fall, since you will be compromising his/her stability. Also,when a shoe it’s too big, your child’s foot will move too much inside the shoe, creating friction between his feet and the shoes, which will lead to blisters, calluses, or corns. You can find more information about the consequences of not getting the right shoe size for your child in this post: Foot Problems From Shoes – The Nasty Bits
Well now you hit a nerve. I have 3 kids and shoes are always on the top of the complaint list. They feel fine in the store then after a few days the shoes start to hurt. I appreciate all the great tips on proper sizing. I never even thought about proper sock size. And after reading your article my youngest won’t have to worry about getting hand me down shoes any more. Thank you
Sorry to hear about that! Make sure you ask your child to walk and run around before he or she leaves the store. That will increase the chances of them being 100% sure of liking how the shoes feel on their feet.
Definitely make sure you get them the right type and sock size. You can see the best seamless socks and how to get the right sock size here: The Importance Of Wearing Socks – Grippers Or No Grippers?
I love how helpful you are and how much information you provide on shoes. I never would have known most of the most important things but you lay them all out clearly right in front of me. I am going to recommend you to everyone I know with young kids and hopefully offer them some insight on where to look!
Brad,
Thank you. It is important to take care of our kids’ feet since they are their foundation for their entire body!