Why Children are Wearing the Wrong Shoe Size—and How You Can Help

If the shoe fits…well, first off, are you sure it fits?

In a recent study by Blitzresults, 67 percent of child participants were wearing shoes too small for their feet. Of that group, 48 percent were one size too snug, while 19 percent were off by two sizes. Only 33 percent of the study participants were wearing the correct shoe size, with just 10 percent still having “room to grow.”

The fit of children’s shoes is critical to their long-term foot health and development, which is why retailers must help educate parents on proper fit techniques. If you sell kids’ footwear, you’ve surely witnessed many of the “tricks” moms and dads use to determine whether a shoe fits their child.

Below are some common examples and subsequent solutions to propose for achieving optimal fit results.

Holding the Shoe to Foot: The length on the inside of the shoe can’t be estimated from holding a shoe sole up to the child’s foot. In fact, it’s often much shorter than you’d expect once the lining, seams and foot bed are taken into account. Solution: Use an appropriate measuring device.

The Thumb Test: Pressing a thumb on the toe of the shoe to see how much room there is to grow often causes the child to draw their toes up by reflex. It may seem like there’s enough room, but the shoes are actually way too small. And yes, the heel test is just as bad for judging free space in the heel. Many kids push their feet forward until their toes are crammed in leading to an inaccurate fit. Solution: Carefully feel the child’s foot inside the shoe. Place one hand on the front of the shoe, so the child can’t draw their toes up. Then, with the other hand, check the position of the toes.

Size Comparison Using a Stencil: The shape and size of the foot is traced and compared with the shoe sole, but this comparison is likely imprecise. Solution: If there is a removable insole, take it out and place the foot on it. There should be about 1/3- inch of space behind the heel and 1/2-inch in front of the toes.

Asking How It Feels: When parents ask a child whether the shoe fits, the answer will likely be wrong. The nerves in a child’s feet are not fully developed, and their awareness of pain is significantly less than adults. You are bound to get a misleading answer. Solution: First and foremost, measure their feet!