Why is important to have our children’s feet measured?
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We recently took our little guy to have his feet measured, his shoes appeared to still have plenty of length left but during a trip to the beach we noticed he was walking a bit funny. We’d always had his feet measured properly because both myself and his dad have duck feet, so naturally it seemed likely Ted would too. so we were surprised to learn that in a short amount of time his feet had got even wider. he now has some flashy dinosaur shoes which he thinks are amazing and is walking fine again.
Why is it so important to have feet measured?
Poor fitting shoes can cause a variety of problems from minor issues such as pressure marks and blisters to more long term issues such as posture problems, knee, leg or back pain and gait issues.
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Checking the fit of your child’s shoes
Most shoe stores offer a free fitting for children’s shoes. An excellent recommendation is that you take your children, especially young children for a proper fitting every 8 weeks, Checking the width of your child’s feet is as important as checking the length. Of course for some people it isn’t always realistic and each child will grow at a different rate. Another option is home measuring, we buy our children’s shoes through Clark’s who actually sell a gauge which can be used to measure your child’s feet at home to see if they have increased in length or width in Clarks sizes. Seeing if your preferred shop sell a similar measuring tool may be an excellent alternative to travelling in to their stores.
there are some signs that you can look out for which may tell you of a problem with your children’s shoes
1) check your child’s feet for any pressure marks or blisters especially around joints?
2) Does your child walk unusually, with a hobble or treading lightly on one foot ?
3) Does your child wince at all when walking?
4) Does your child frequently complain of knee, leg or back pain?
5) Does your child suffer often from inflamed nails?
(of course these issues could be related to something other than shoes and you should always visit a doctor with any concerns)
