Our children’s feet grow at a pretty quick rate as they go through elementary and middle school, and buying new shoes every year can be a financial burden for some families. Many families try to save some money by re-purposing shoes from older siblings, while other simply don’t know how a shoe should fit on a growing child’s foot. Because of these reasons and many more, too many kids are wearing the wrong size shoes, and that can cause serious health problems.
According to a recent study, nearly two thirds of all children wear shoes that are too small for their feet. Researchers say it can lead to foot deformities and posture issues.
Shoe Size and Kids Feet
For the study, researchers asked more than 2,100 parents about the foot length and shoe size of their children, as well as their shoe buying habits. After measurements were recorded, parents were asked to measure the actual inside shoe length using a stencil. When those numbers were compared to optimal shoe length based on foot measurements, researchers found that 65 percent of kids were wearing shoes that were either one size or two sizes too small.
Here’s a look at some other findings from the study:
- 47 percent of kids wear shoes that are one size too small.
- 18 percent wear shoes that are two sizes too small.
- 35 percent wear the right size shoe.
- 11 percent wear the optimal size shoe with a small reserve for foot growth.
- 52 percent of parents said they had never measured their child’s foot length.
Tips For Finding The Right Shoes For Your Kid
So now that you know that the majority of kids are wearing the wrong size shoes, how do we go about fixing it? Here are some tips to keep in mind when buying shoes for your kids.
- Growing kids rarely have the exact same size feet, so measure both feet and use the longer foot as a guide for which shoes to wear.
- There is no industry standard for shoe size. Although they might be similar in size, never blindly rely on shoe size.
- Perform regular foot checks of your kids’ feet every month or two during their prime growing years to ensure they still have the right size shoes for their feet.
- Allow a little room for your child’s feet to grow when buying a new pair of shoes.
- Use this measuring guide to help determine what size shoes are ideal for your child’s measurements.