how do I measure my kid's feet

3under3

The shoes measurements from a fitting machine are only a guide, a lot will depend on the fit of the shoe, where it lies on the ankle bone, how it sits on the foot etc. Fittings vary by brand so a 12F may be a different fitting depending on whether you were buying a start-rite shoe / clarks / hush puppies etc.

jess1974

My mum only ever bought me cheap shoes throughout my childhood, i have never suffered with my feet, my 3 children have never had clarks shoes, and there feet are fine.

I think this is a myth that if you don't have clarks or similar your feet will suffer...

Just for the record i always buy my children leather shoes...

fernliebee

jess1974 wrote: »

My mum only ever bought me cheap shoes throughout my childhood, i have never suffered with my feet, my 3 children have never had clarks shoes, and there feet are fine.

I think this is a myth that if you don't have clarks or similar your feet will suffer...

Just for the record i always buy my children leather shoes...

It's not necessarily feet that will suffer as poorly made or unfitted shoes can throw out spine alignment and alter your walk, causing other problems than just foot issues. Also I would guess you or your children are not elderly, your feet have to last you a lifetime and problems can be underlying.

Obviously it is your opinion, but personally I wouldn't dream of putting unfitted (and double checked by myself) shoes on my DD, especially not the cheap supermarket type shoes.

Your lucky you haven't had any problems but that doesn't mean it is pointless to buy fitted shoes.

All that said, I do not trust Clarks to correctly fit my DD feet, I'm sure their training procedure must have gone down hill as I hear so many bad things about them, and their baby shoes aren't that great IMO. Very few have buckles (like babies can't figure velcro out in a second and try to chuck shoes out of the pushchair- bang! goes £30!) Some have pointless lights etc, and all are weird colours that don't really match with much (obviously a secondary concern, but I only wanted a pair of simple buckle up black or navy shoes, Nope!)

fifipat

I recently bought my childrens shoes from Deichmann. Similar styles to Clarks but nicer and about £10 - £15 cheaper. I was still able to get their feet measured and shoes fitted. 3 pairs of shoes and 2 pairs of trainers for less than £65. Forgot to mention that all the shoes were leather.

blackcoffee

we have friends who are ex pats, my friend rote to start rite and they sent her a measure so she can keep an eye on her childs feet while they are away. i think you cant get them from verbaudet too.

when my son was a 2 1/2, his trainers were a 4 ! he couldnt get his feet into a 3! and 3 1/2 wernt much better ! My daughter had sandals and party shoes in a size 13 shop fitted, but her school shoes still fit her fine (size 12) you cant rely on the measure everytime, all styles are different !

Becles

The measuring machine is just a guide as to where to start fitting from. It's not a set in stone measurement. Often you might have to go up or down a size/width depending on the style of the shoe and the shape of the child's foot.

The bones in childrens feet are still soft and can be damaged by poorly fitting shoes. It is worth spending time either taking them to get fitted or making sure yourself that they fit properly, to prevent foot problems in later life.

livalot

littlemissmoney wrote: »

http://www.startriteshoes.com/fitting/measure-at-home/how-to-fit-your-childs-shoes

Thanks for this link, exactly what I hoping for .....bit spoilt for choice..... I can print a detailed measuring grid myself, buy a gauge from them or even get my children's feet measured using digital photos ! As said before, this is just so I have a measurement that I can start from and use in shoe shops like Clarks. Will def be keeping a lookout for Start Rite shoes as they seem to be highly recommended by parents on these forums.

juno

My mum always used to fit my shoes when I was younger. Well, once she didn't and had them professionally fitted. Then I wore the shoes for only a short time and ended up with a bad burn on the top of my foot from where the shoe had rubbed - I still have the scar now!

Quackers

livalot wrote: »

Thanks for this link, exactly what I hoping for .....bit spoilt for choice..... I can print a detailed measuring grid myself, buy a gauge from them or even get my children's feet measured using digital photos ! As said before, this is just so I have a measurement that I can start from and use in shoe shops like Clarks. Will def be keeping a lookout for Start Rite shoes as they seem to be highly recommended by parents on these forums.

This is just what the people in the Clarks shop did too

To have 3 different measurements is not unusual at all which is why the staff always tell you its just a guide.

You could measure your childs foot 5 times in one day and get 5 different measurements.:D

ailuro2

I'd take the child's foot with me to get the best fit.;)

I'm a child who had shoes fitted by Mum when I was growing up, and have horrendous feet to this day.

Shoes should not have to be 'broken in' and blisters or red raw patches should not be acceptable, no matter what my mother told me was 'to be expected' with new shoes.:mad: