Children’s Shoes - What a parent needs to know

Children's feet could be at risk from growing more quickly than you realise. The soft bones of their feet grow really fast in the first few years of life and the nerve endings grow more slowly so they may not always tell you if their shoes are too snug on their feet!

The Science bit…

It is very important for children’s feet to be looked after at a young age to allow healthy development of their bones and prevent any long-term problems into adulthood. One of the most important checks when evaluating a child’s foot health is determining the appropriateness of their footwear in terms of fit and design. It is estimated that around 70% of feet-related problems in adults are caused by ill-fitting footwear during childhood. Children’s feet grow very fast and that is why it is important to have them measured regularly in order to avoid issues caused by ill-fitting footwear. Up to the age of 3 years old, there is a rapid phase of growth in foot size with a rate of up to 9 sizes. However, the bones in children’s feet continue to harden from cartilage to bone until 13 years of age. Likewise, nerve endings in a baby’s feet slowly develop which means that your child is unlikely to tell you when the footwear is uncomfortable.

What you should look out for…

One of the main presenting problems from ill-fitting footwear is redness, pressure marks, or calluses which in time can turn into nasty blisters! Another problem is frequent trips and falls due to footwear that is not very supportive or too big. Therefore, it is recommended that children’s feet are measured approximately every 3 months up to the age of 3 and then every 6 months after that. New footwear may not be necessary at each measurement interval however, this allows parents to keep a lookout for growth spurts when they occur.

Keeping your child’s feet safe in their footwear makes us all feel better…

A study reported that parents found the experience of being involved in their child’s foot health and measurement appointments thoroughly enjoyable. This may be due to the ease of the measurement procedures, more insight and knowledge about their children’s general foot health, and the added security that their children are unlikely to experience any discomfort that would have been caused by ill-fitting footwear. At BxClinic, we aim to do just that with our check and measure service. The service includes an assessment of the lower limbs, foot size measurements, and a report with footwear size and design recommendations to suit your child’s needs. The report will help parents understand the main requirements when choosing footwear at a retail shop. They will also be able to present the report to a shoe retailer to ease the process of purchasing the right style of footwear.

Author Credit: Zainab Abdul Hadi, Orthotist, BSc(Hons), MSc, Prosthetics and Orthotics, HCPCpo

You can book a Check and Measure appointment with Zainab where she will assess the correct footwear size and attributes for your child’s growing feet.

References:

Foot facts: https://www.kidoshoe.com/foot-facts

Start-Rite. The importance of fitted footwear. (2024). Available at: https://www.startriteshoes.com/advice/the-importance-of-fitted-footwear

Royal College of Podiatry. Your children and their feet. (2022). Available at: https://rcpod.org.uk/blog/your-children-and-their-feet

Rae, S., Ong, F., Dennis, CL. et al. Parent involvement in child anthropometric measurement. BMC Prim. Care 24, 89 (2023).