Proper Shoe Fittings for Toddlers

Shoe Fittings for Toddlers
It all boils down to whether a shoe fits your toddler's foot well. The first step in buying toddler shoes is to have your child's foot sized by an expert.
"Go to a store that specializes in children's shoes and work with a knowledgeable salesperson to get a good fitting," Cox says.

There are three key areas of the foot that you should focus on when buying toddler shoes: the front of the shoe, the back, and the width. All three will play a part in whether or not the shoe fits properly.

"First, you want the appropriate length in the front of the shoe," says Tillett, who is also a fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. "The general rule of thumb is you want about a centimeter to a half inch of space in the front of the shoe. Too big [and] they could be unstable; too small and it constrains the foot."

Width is also very important, Tillett says.
Kids' feet tend to be wider when they are younger, and as the foot grows, the length proportionately catches up to the width. So you want a shoe to accommodate a wider foot, and you need it to not be too restrictive or too tight through the arch.
"The key to making sure a shoe is the right width is to use the tongue of the shoe as a guide," Tillett says.
The tongue of the shoe and the edges where the laces or Velcro are usually located should be parallel; if there is too much space between them, the shoe maybe too tight, and if they overlap too much, the shoe is too loose, Tillett says.

Finally, the back of the shoe should offer some wiggle room as well.
"You want to make sure the heel of the shoe is not too loose so they slip out of it, and not too constricting that it puts strain on the Achilles tendon," Tillett says. "The rule of thumb here is that you should be able to slip your pinky finger in the heel, but only up to the first knuckle. Anything more than that and the shoe is too big, and anything less and it's too tight."

Tootsies Stride Rite has been fitting children shoes since 1985 in Richmond, Va. Over the past 25 years, we have properly fitted tens of thousands of children. We now bring that expertise to the internet. To visit our site, simply click on our web site name: Tootsies Stride Rite