This Little Piggy Went to the Shoe Store.

This Little Piggy Went to the Shoe Store. Shopping for Children’s Shoes

Dr. Kayla Emter, DPM

Purchasing new shoes for your child may seem like a nuisance, especially when they hit growth spurts and are in need of new shoes before the old ones are even worn out. Or perhaps you have one of those kids who has half the sole worn off or a part of the shoe blown out in no time. Though shoes can be pricy, the process of purchasing a shoe should not be a headache.

1. Make sure your child is along during the shopping excursion and gets his/her feet sized. Their feet grow fast and sometimes grow more than a half a size between purchasing the last pair of shoes.

2. Different brands can vary in size, so be sure that they try the shoe on prior to purchasing as one size in one brand may not be appropriate for the next.

3. Purchase age appropriate shoes. A toddler who is just beginning to walk should have a soft soled shoe vs a hard one. Their proprioception or sense of position is highly dependent on them being able to feel the ground which is much more difficult to do with hard soled shoes. Imagine just learning how to knit and your hands are learning their positions. Now imagine having to wear oven mitts while doing this. It makes the task much more difficult.

4. Another tip is to trace your child’s foot on a piece of paper and cut it out. If you take out the factory insole and place the cut out on top of it, there should be approximately a half an inch between the end of the insole and the cut out. This is also what you are looking for when you feel for their toe through the shoe.

5. Some children have one foot that is bigger than the other. Always accommodate the bigger foot when purchasing shoes.

6. Bring any inserts along that the child wears in their shoes for sizing. These often take up a little bit of room in the shoes and may require going up in size.

No one told us when having kids that not only should we have a college fund, but a shoe fund too. With that being said having appropriately sized shoes for your kiddo’s feet is very important and can prevent injuries and deformities that would only be a kick in the pocket book!

If you are not sure your child is wearing correct fitting shoes stop by Happy Soles Footwearand we can check them out.  

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Dakota Foot & Ankle Clinic

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8:30 am-4:30 pm

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Wednesday:

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