Toddlers can grow an extra foot size in just 3 months. Therefore you must keep up by having your childrens’ feet measured regularly. Check their feet regularly also for spots and blisters which will occur if the shoes do not fit properly. On the other hand do not buy any more than a size too large as they could be worn out before they are properly grown into and anyway may cause the child to trip.

First Shoes

There is no need to rush into the first shoes – there is a lot to be said for the child to walk barefoot whilst developing their feet. Little bootees or non-slippery socks are fine. Then when you feel they are ready, go to a decent shoe-shop; this is not the time to skimp. A quality shop will have experienced sales-assistants who are well experienced in fitting childrens’ shoes. Do make sure they measure the width as well as the length of the childrens’ feet as it is common to find they need an extra wide shoe. These first shoes will be soft so that the child can still feel something of the ground.

Subsequent shoes

Keep on ensuring up to date measurements of the childrens’ feet are kept – they grow quickly. Still use a quality shop where they have good assistants who can spot ill fitting shoes better than you can. Try on both shoes as they do vary. Toes should have about 1/2 an inch clearance but heels need to be a closer fit. Get your child to take a good few trial steps before leaving the shop. These early shoes will probably have a velcro fastener. Lace-ups can wait until nearer school days.

Most shops only stock Wellingtons in season so it is even more important to provide for growth in the next year. This could mean getting them 2 sizes too large – they can always be filled out with double socks!

When it comes to buying a decent pair of children shoes, we all want to find the right balance between quality and cost. Particularly for children, a good pair of shoes is essential, providing protection for vulnerable feet, but also ensuring that future problems do not occur.
Therefore, it is vital that parents know the considerations they should make when choosing their children’s shoes. Here, we have some useful tips to help:

The most important consideration that you should be making when buying your kids shoes, is fit. Make sure that you know exactly the size of your child’s feet, this means knowing width, as well as length. As adults, we only really need to consider length, but to ensure shoes do not damage your children’s feet, width is an important feature of any shoes you buy, including slippers.

Once you know the exact size of your children’s feet, then you can set about looking at the various styles of shoe available. Keep in mind factors such as weather. For instance, in winter, you will want a waterproof shoe, problems will arise from wearing shoes that are constantly waterlogged – this will soften the feet and make them more susceptible to deformity.

When you find a pair of shoes, you like for your child, rather than buy them on the spot, hunt around to see if you can find the same pair of shoes for a cheaper price elsewhere. One place that you should certainly look for kids shoes is online. Online retailers are better positioned to offer potential customers the best prices on the market. A great cheat, is to get your children’s feet measured in a shoe store, then shop for that particular size online, not only do you ensure that you get the right fit, you also make certain you get the best price.

Moreover, when shopping online, the choice in shoes is incredible; you will not match the variety of shoes available online with those in any department store. Another fantastic advantage with online shopping is the degree of customer services afforded by online retailers. It may seem counter-intuitive to assume that online retailers look after their customers better than shop floor retailers, but they have a much more vested interest in keeping customers happy. Online, the market is extremely difficult to survive, thus online retailers must do all they can to ensure they get the necessary customers to stay afloat in their competitive market.

In conclusion then, when buying kids shoes, fit is essential (both length and width), shoes should be bought according to the time of year and to get the best bargains, then online shopping is the only way forward.