Purchasing Shoes for Kids - How to Get the Right Fit

To this day, I still remember wanting a certain pair of Spiderman sneakers as a kid. I must have been about six years old, and Spiderman was my favorite superhero. I remember one day I begged and begged my mom to buy me those shoes. I must have either worn her out with all my begging or caught her in a particularly weak moment, because to my surprise she agreed to buy them for me! I even remember the car ride to the mall in our silver Oldsmobile...I was so excited. When got to the store, I ran to the aisle where I knew the Spiderman sneakers would be. They had boxes and boxes of them and I immediately started looking for my size. I don't remember what my shoe size was when I was six years old, but I do remember how disappointed I was when I didn't see my size among the boxes. But I wanted them so badly that I took a box that had a size a little too small for me and put the shoes on. They felt a little tight, but I didn't want to go home without my Spiderman shoes. So I convinced myself that the shoes fit fine and that I would just get used to the tightness after a while. Perhaps they might even stretch. So we bought the shoes and I wore them happily...for about a month. Because after a month or so, the pain got so unbearable that I just couldn't wear them anymore!

If only my mom had checked to see if the shoe fit correctly on my feet, she probably wouldn't have let me get them. Sure, she did ask me if they felt ok. But I wanted my Spiderman shoes. What was I going to say? Of course, I said they fit ok. I probably really believed it at the time. Don't get me wrong, I'm not blaming my mom for my painful Spiderman shoe experience. But now that the "shoe is on the other foot" so to speak (I am now the parent), I am going to make sure that the shoes I buy for my child is going to fit correctly.

So how do you make sure your child's shoe fits? Here are some tips to follow.

First of all, don't depend on what your child says about the shoe. Remember, kids will make themselves believe anything if they want something bad enough...like Spiderman sneakers. Check for yourself whether your child's shoe fits or not.

Have your child stand up and wiggle his toes. If he can't wiggle his toes, the shoes are too small. Also, have him walk a few steps. If the heel slips while walking, the shoes are too big. Don't expect shoes to "break in" or stretch to fit your child's feet. The shoes should fit correctly when you buy them.

Try shopping for shoes later in the day. This is because your child's feet will be a little bit bigger later in the day than in the morning. By the way, the same is true for you too. So if you shop later in the day, you'll be sure to get a pair of shoes that fit well.

When you go shopping with your child, have him wear the socks that he will be wearing with his new shoes. I see parents shopping with their kids bare foot and trying on sneakers. Most likely, those kids are going to be wearing socks with those sneakers. And when they do, the shoes won't fit too well. So have your child wear sports socks if you are shopping for athletic shoes. Likewise, has him wear dress socks if you go shopping for dress shoes.

Your child may have one foot that is slightly larger than the other. This is fairly common. If this is the case, make sure the shoes that you buy fit the larger foot. If the smaller foot is slipping around, you can always buy an insole to make it fit more snuggly.