Choosing the right shoes for your baby is an important part of supporting healthy foot development. The shoe industry has changed significantly over the years, and so have the styles parents purchase for their little ones.
Hard leather soles and stiff uppers were once the rule. Today, rubber or PVC soles are standard, and soft leather uppers that conform to the foot and offer greater freedom of movement are recommended. Narrow, medium, and wide widths have replaced the traditional B, C, D, E, and EE sizing.
With all of these changes, one constant remains: no matter what style of shoes you choose for your baby, they need to fit properly.
Why Proper Fit Matters
Foot problems normally found in adults are now showing up in children, and in most cases, this can be attributed to ill-fitting or improper footwear.
Often, parents don’t know how a shoe should fit or what areas of the shoe need to be checked. The guidance below will help you become more confident in fitting your child’s shoes.
When Does Your Baby Need Shoes?
Shoes are really not required until your child starts to pull up and cruise around objects. You will notice they stand on their toes and try to edge themselves around a table, sofa, or anything else they can hold onto. Toe-gripping helps them balance and learn to take steps.
Understanding a Baby’s Foot
Babies’ feet are very soft and pliable, with padding surrounding the foot. This is nature’s way of protecting the underlying foot structure.
This means the foot is thick, with the heel being narrower. Because of the narrower heel and the flexibility of the foot, high-tops are generally better at keeping the shoe on the foot. They also allow the shoe to be fit a little larger than a lower-top shoe.
Fitting shoes is not a science, but an art. It takes practice and experience with different shoe types and feet. Using the following guidelines, you will be better able to fit your child with the proper shoe size.
Measuring
Both feet should be measured in a standing position if possible. Feet are flexible and will expand in length and width with body weight.
There are three measurements taken from the standard Brannock device: length, width, and arch length. It is important to understand that the size of the foot measured is not necessarily the size of the shoe that your child will wear. Differences in construction, materials, last (the form the shoe is made on), and sizing systems will determine the actual shoe size.
Note any differences in foot sizes, and be sure to fit the largest foot.
Length
How much length is necessary for growth? Generally, there is one-third of an inch between sizes, and one-sixth of an inch between half sizes.
Allowing one-third-inch growth translates to one shoe size. This allows two to three months of wear for an infant. Keep in mind that the growth rate will vary with individual children.
Purchasing shoes that are too large is likely to cause an already unstable walker to trip.
Width
Judging the proper width of a shoe is not as obvious as judging the length. Since the length and width of a shoe are proportional, the width will increase along with the length, about one-fourth inch per full size.
Many manufacturers only make mediums. Try to find brands that are made in multiple widths.
Remember that the foot is three-dimensional. Two of those dimensions are width and thickness. The thicker the foot or the higher the instep, the wider the shoe must be to accommodate it. As noted earlier, infants’ feet are naturally padded and thick, requiring a wider shoe.
How to Check Width
Inserting the tip of your index finger between the shoe and the foot at the instep is the first gauge of how well the shoe fits in width. If your finger will not fit, then the shoe is not wide enough.
Room in the throat of the shoe is critical to allow the foot to grow forward into the shoe. Since the growth of the foot is three-fourths heel-to-ball and one-fourth toes, most infants will outgrow the width of the shoe before they do the length. Parents will often check the length but not the width of shoes.
Using your thumb and first finger at the ball of the foot, gently pull the leather in a lifting motion up from the foot. There should be enough room to lift the shoe material off the foot slightly, but not in excess. Check the inside and outside of the foot for pressure points and cramped toes, especially the little toe.
Heel
If you are fitting a high-top walking shoe on your baby, the heel fit is not a major concern. The heel is covered, and the shoe will stay on well.
On a lower shoe, the heel should stay in the shoe without popping out when your baby walks. Tightness in the heel will cause more problems than a slightly loose heel. A little looseness is permissible, but not a large gap between the heel and the shoe.
Walk Test
If your child is not walking on her own yet, let her pull up on a chair or a fitting stool. All checks of the shoe’s fit should be done with your child standing — feet are not static but dynamic. Standing will allow the foot to expand in length and width to its normal size when walking.
If your child is walking, let her take a few steps and watch her balance. Take note of the break in the shoe. It should be straight across the ball of the foot:
- A deep break (excess wrinkle) or breaking at an angle would indicate that the shoe is too wide.
- Breaking forward of the ball of the foot would indicate that the shoe is too long.
Check the shoe again after your child has walked in it and the foot has relaxed and settled into the shoe.
Other Checks
On a low-top shoe, the shoe material should either cover the outer ankle bone or be far enough below it to avoid irritation.
Always check the inside of the shoe before putting it on your child. Nails, tacks, paper, and plastic tags are just some of the objects that can end up hidden in shoes.
Learn More Today
Fitting your child with the proper shoe size and style now will help prevent potential foot problems in years to come. Longer life spans and more active lives mean more wear and tear on the feet.
For more information on choosing the right shoes for your infant, contact Sweeney Foot & Ankle Specialists today.