So your little one has started walking? You couldn’t be more excited to see your little one take their first steps. But as you are excited about that, you also begin to wonder which shoe size you should get for them. How many pairs of shoes should you get them?
As we all know, babies grow at a fast pace that also includes their feet, and hence the shoe size also keeps changing fast. A baby’s shoe size varies at least twice a year, as their feet grow over an inch. But, only 33% are wearing the correct size, and only 10% of those have “room to grow”. BlitzResults recently conducted a survey and found that 67% of all little kids wear shoes that are too small.
As parents, you aren’t always able to take care of each and everything related to your baby, and so it might be right that the shoe size your baby is currently wearing might be small for them, but worry not, as you can measure your baby’s shoe size at home. If you want to find the right shoe size for your baby and learn more about shoe sizes for your toddler, then keep reading.
How to Measure Baby Shoe Size at Home
The first thing we are talking about here in this article is how to measure your baby’s shoe size at home only. Sometimes, you find it a hassle to go to stores and measure your baby’s shoe size and get them shoes from there. Online purchasing is relatively easy for any parent, working or non-working, and so it makes sense to measure your little one’s shoe size at home.
For a simple measure activity, you will need a few items like:
- Pen/marker
- A piece of paper
- A printing size chart
- A ruler
- A ribbon/thread of any kind
Measuring Guide:
- Make your baby stand on a sheet of paper. Please make sure they are balanced enough! Then with a pen/marker, trace the outline of both their feet on the paper. Make sure that they are marked well.
- Now, use a ruler to measure the length of the feet from heel to the big toe. Make sure to do this for both feet, and sometimes there could be a slight difference in one of the feet. Then write down the measurement in centimeters as of length.
- Then take the ribbon or thread and wrap it around their ankles to measure the width. Whatever the width comes as measure it against the ruler and note down as width.
- Now, you can easily compare the size you have measured with the printed size chart. Or compare them online where you are buying shoes for your baby.
US and UK Size
There is a difference between the UK and the US shoe size that you should be careful about. Many parents might get confused or order a different shoe size by getting mixed up between these two kinds of sizes. So, when you go to a store to purchase shoes for your little one, the salesperson could always help you. But if you are ordering online, make sure that you check their provided shoe size chart and refer from there.
Your Baby’s Shoe Size Changes Often
Once they start walking, your baby would quickly outgrow their pair of shoes as they keep growing once in two months. So, don’t tend to splurge in a lot of pairs and keep it to a minimum. Size 3.5 to size 10 are considered kids shoes.
From 10.5 onwards, it goes into big kids’ shoes. When your kid outgrows 13.5, they will go into adult shoes, and so you will shop from size 1 onwards.
This transition will take place relatively quickly, so try to keep the shoes count to a minimum.
Baby Shoe Brand Differences
When it comes to buying a pair of shoes, there is always a difference from brand to brand. It is not necessary that if one brand size 4 is a perfect fit for your baby, then another brand size 4 would be the same too. It might be that other brand’s size 5 is a good fit instead.
Also, depending on the baby to baby and their growth, things may vary. So keep an eye out for different brands and even your baby’s growth.
Check for Comfort
Comfort is a big concept, and a must when it comes to buying shoes for your baby. The last thing you want to do is make your little one wear shoes that are not comfortable. While sizing their feet is an essential factor, they wear the correct shoe size, but comfort is also crucial.
You can quickly tell if your baby is not comfortable in their shoes if they often remove them. If there are red marks around their feet, that’s also a sign.
How to Check if Your Baby is Comfortable in His Current Shoes
If you want to find out the comfort level of the shoes, your baby is wearing right now, and there’s a way to do that to. It is quite simple to check if the shoe your little one is wearing is a tight fit or comfortable fit.
You can check so by inserting your pinkie finger behind the heel of the toe and backside of the shoe. If you can insert the finger there, it’s a good sign. For the front, you should press your thumb in the front of the shoe and check to see if there is ½ inch of space between the big toe and shoe.
Shoe Soles Matter
Soles of the shoes you are about to get for your baby is something to think about carefully. If your baby has just started walking, they might not be smooth at it, so you need firm soles for their shoes that creates stability and doesn’t let your baby fall. You might also want to let them walk bare feet as much as possible when they are just starting to walk to let their feet create stability on their own.
How to Make Sure Your Baby Keeps Their Shoes On
There might be a lot of times that your little one doesn’t want to wear their shoes and keep kicking them off. First, check to see if this is because they have outgrown their shoes and don’t feel comfortable in them anymore. If that’s not the case, then definitely they are just creating a fuss. It might not be a problem when you are indoors as you can let them go barefoot or in socks.
If you are somewhere outside and still your baby is kicking out their shoes, you should look into shoes with laces so that they can create a grip and your little one isn’t able to kick them off. Velcro is also another good option to look into.
Lastly, it might help if you try different shoes on your toddler and let them walk in them a bit. For this, you will have to purchase from the store so you can try different ones on them. They might pick one that is good enough for them.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How fast do baby feet grow?
In the first 15 months, the baby’s feet grow half a size every two months. So, don’t spend a lot on buying different shoes at one time. In two months, your baby is going to outgrow their current shoes.
At what age should babies wear shoes?
You can quickly start seeing if your baby is ready to walk. They begin by taking a few steps and, over time, walking smoothly. As soon as you know they are walking a bit, it would be best to get them a pair of sturdy shoes that can create stability.
Should babies be barefoot?
Babies should as often as possible be left barefoot. Being barefoot is suitable for optimum development, improves agility, strengthens children’s awareness and balance on various surfaces, and boosts sensory-motor growth.
Is it normal for babies to have flat feet?
It is perfectly okay that your baby has chubby feet in comparison to other babies. You can quickly tell if your baby is weighted more than the average weight according to their age.
To Summarize
There are quite a few ways to measure your baby’s shoe size that you can easily do at home. If not at home, you can take your little one to a shoe shop, and the salesperson there can help you arrive at a perfect shoe size.
There isn’t much of a hassle to measure your baby’s shoe size at home, as we discussed in detail how you should go about it. Besides the perfect shoe sizes, make sure that you keep a tab on other aspects, like comfort level, soles of shoes, and US and UK sizes.
Most importantly, make sure that your child isn’t wearing tight fit shoes as it can be quite uncomfortable for them, and to check that, make sure to use the tips given in the article. Although you should go and buy a good pair of shoes as soon as your little one starts walking but letting them go barefoot as often as possible is useful for a number of reasons too. Happy walking!