How to Determine if Your Child has Outgrown their Shoes? – 2 Simple Steps!

Are you trying to figure out whether your child can wear the shoes a little longer? I am a shoe fitter with over a decade of experience fitting children’s shoes, and I came up with a system in which parents can find out whether their children still have growing room inside their shoes from their homes. However, if you have a local specialized children’s shoe store in your area I suggest that you take your child there instead.

I know how hard it is for parents to keep up with their child’s growing feet. However, you should check your kids’ feet periodically to avoid future foot, leg, and lower back problems.

How to Determine If Your Child Has Outgrown Their Shoes? 

This method can only work if your child’s shoes come with removable insoles, which nowadays 90% of them do. Simply remove both insoles of the shoes and place them on the floor. I always recommend removing the child’s socks for better visualization purposes.

1️⃣ Remove the original insoles of the shoes.

➡️ Have your child stand on both of the insoles and make sure that your child is standing up straight and looking straight ahead.

➡️ Make sure that your child’s heels align with the end of the insoles.

➡️ Check both feet since we all have one foot that is slightly bigger than the other one.

If you notice that there is some space between your kids’ toes and the end of the insoles, then your child can continue wearing the shoes. Take a look at the image below for clarification purposes:

If you notice that your child’s toes are matching up with the end of the insoles, then you should strongly consider getting your child a new pair of shoes. Take a look at the image below for clarification purposes:

The first step helps us determine whether the child’s toes are not rubbing against the front part of the shoe, but we also need to make sure that your child hasn’t outgrown the width area of the shoe.

2️⃣ Put your child’s shoes on and check the widest area of the shoe.

With your child’s shoes on, have your child stand up straight and make sure that your child is looking straight ahead. Slide your finger around the widest area and check whether you feel a small bump across that area. If you do, then it means that the shoes are too narrow for your child’s feet. That bump is your child’s small toe (pinky toe) that is being pushed against the side of the shoes by the other toes.

I have found this to be the most effective way to check if your child has outgrown their shoes or not, considering that you don’t have access to a specialized children’s shoe store in your area.

Still Unsure Whether Your Child Can Wear the Shoes a Little Longer?

If after following these two steps you are still unsure whether your child has growing room inside their shoes, please do not hesitate to contact me and I will help you figure it out: fittingchildrensshoes@gmail.com

Having your kids’ shoes properly fitted is critical to the healthy development of your child’s feet.

How to Find Out Your Child’s Exact Foot Length and Shape

I created a virtual shoe fitting service that will help you determine your child’s correct length, width (narrow, medium, wide, or extra wide), and instep height. I will also help you identify possible foot conditions such as flat feet and degree of pronation.

Have you found another way to check if your child still has growing room in the shoes? Please share your method below so other parents can benefit from your experiences.