How to measure your child's feet

According to a recent media article based on new research there are over 4 million children wearing the wrong size shoes. I was surprised at this figure.   As a kid I vividly remember going to our local Clarks to buy new shoes with my mum. It was exciting and I would wait patiently (because there always seemed to be a queue) to have my feet measured.  Shiny new t- bars, summer ankle straps, black patent for school ....it feels almost like yesterday that I would strut out in my new shoes and pound the pavements feeling happy. It was part of my childhood this experience of having my feet measured and I recall the average life expectancy of shoes was around 6 months before your feet grew too big. I know it was very important to my mother that myself and my sisters had good shoes which were properly fitted. We all wore Clarks and had regular fittings until we progressed to high heels which is another story!

When I became a mum it's fair to say my lot had more shoes than the average baby because I made them. I regularly checked that the soft soles fitted properly ensuring they were not too small, big or rubbing any part of my baby’s feet.

So if this survey is accurate why has this happened and what are we as parents doing wrong? 

In a nutshell generally speaking we are not having our child's feet measured properly. The way we shop has changed.  The old fashioned shoe shop is in decline because we have so many other options available. Supermarkets pretty much have everything under one roof...a one-stop shop which is convenient and easy. And prices are low. (I will be blogging about buying cheap and why it's false economy in another post) The survey tells us that:

1 Parents squeeze their kids feet into ill-fitting shoes...too small or too big...

2 Two - fifths of parents admit that they buy shoes in a bigger size so they last longer to save money.

3 Parents are buying without a proper fitting. Guessing the right size.

Here are our tips and printable chart which show you step by step how to measure feet so you can get it right.

Always measure your child's feet before you buy new shoes. 
Always measure BOTH feet not just one. Sometimes one foot is slightly bigger. If this is the case the bigger foot should be used as guide for choosing the correct size.

Check that shoes are still fitting properly regularly. Baby/Toddler feet grow really fast. Blink and they are the next size up

The gap between the big toe and end of shoe should be:
No more than 14 mm when buying new shoes.

If it is less than 8mm shoes need replacing as they are too small.

When you buy Inch Blue refer to our size guide and use our printable measure chart. As part of our customer service we will send a replacement size if the size you order is the wrong fit.