Kids and shoes can be such a minefield, I think we can all agree.
In one shop they might be one size, in the next, another one entirely, and don’t even get me started on how quickly their little feet grow, and how expensive this can be when you are the one constantly stocking up on new sandals, football boots, ballet slippers or even just everyday trainers.
And then there are school shoes, of course, because whether or not your child wears a uniform to school, chances are you will be buying them new shoes for the start of the new school year regardless.
For many of us, the summer holidays seems like the perfect time to get our kids’ back to school wardrobes ready. They are off school anyway and can come to the shops with you, and honestly, just knowing we have this done already and checked off our list, well, it’s one less thing we have to worry about when end of August and back to school season rolls around, no?
Kids’ feet grow in the summer
However, experts have now warned parents against buying kids’ footwear in the month of July. In fact, podiatrists in the UK say school shoes bought this month can end up being both ‘a medical risk and an expensive mistake.’
Yikes – that is us told. But why, exactly, should we avoid buying school shoes when the summer sales are on in July?
Well, according to advice from experts, kids often go through growth spurts over the summer, and combine that with their still-soft bones, and you are almost guaranteed that your shoes purchased in early July will absolutely not fit come the first week of September.
Speaking to Netmums, the shoe makers best advice to parents is to wait to buy school shoes until roughly two to four weeks before term starts, which means no earlier than the first couple of weeks of August here.
‘A child’s feet can change fast, so a careful July fitting often bears little relation to September feet,’ a spokesperson stated.
As for official podiatry guidelines, these suggest some children gain up to about 1.5cm in foot length in the weeks between July and September, meaning their feet can grow from half to a whole UK size in one summer.
In other words, a shoe that fit perfectly – even one that was a tad bit loose in early July – can be too small by the time school starts in early autumn.
And needless to say, this can be an expensive mistake for parents, especially when it comes to proper leather school shoes, which can really set you back these days.
Ill-fitting shoes can have long-term consequences
The problem with kids and shoes that don’t quite fit is bigger than you might think. For starters, kids spend roughly 30 hours a week in school shoes. This matters, especially when you realise kids’ feet are not miniature adult feet. They still have bones that are softer, with much of the structure is still cartilage. Meaning – a shoe that has silently lost space can start to deform soft joints.
Podiatrist say the problem is that kids’ sometimes don’t register the shoes as being too small themselves, as there is no sharp pain, rather just pressure or pinching. And so they soldier on. But wearing shoes that are too small can lead to bigger problem later, the experts warn, such as early bunions and clawed toes.
But before you are tempted to just buy shoes that are a size too big, know that podiatrists also warn that oversized shoes give poor midfoot support, which can make children claw with their toes and wobble at the ankle. And the result? More playground falls – and possible injuries.
So is there a rule-of-thumb we can follow when buying shoes, then? To ensure they are the perfect size, with enough room, but without being too big?
According to Netmums, UK podiatry clinics such as Epsom Footcare and Cutting Edge Podiatry agree that around 1 to 1.4cm of growing room is ideal.
This, they advice, in reality looks like about 14 mm – or roughly a thumb’s width – in front of the longest toe.
And always check out how your child walks when wearing them first. There should be no slipping, and make sure to look at the sole too – it should be firm, but bendable at the toes.
