How to Measure Your Child's Feet at Home for the Right Shoe Size

Children's feet grow quickly, and the size that fitted at Christmas may be too small by the next term. If you are ordering shoes online, measuring at home takes five minutes and helps you get the right pair the first time.

What you need

• A sheet of plain paper, larger than your child's foot
• A pencil or pen
• A ruler or tape measure in centimetres
• A hard, flat floor (not a rug or mattress)
• The socks your child will wear with the shoes

Step-by-step measuring

1. Pick the right time. Measure in the late afternoon or evening. Feet are slightly larger after a day of walking and playing.
2. Put on socks. Use the type of socks your child will wear with the new shoes, such as school socks for school shoes.
3. Stand, don't sit. Place the paper on the floor against a wall. Ask your child to stand on it with their heel touching the wall and their weight on both feet.
4. Mark the longest toe. Hold the pencil upright and make a small mark just in front of the longest toe. This is not always the big toe.
5. Measure the line. Measure from the edge of the paper (where the heel was) to your mark, in centimetres.
6. Repeat for the other foot. Most people have one foot slightly longer than the other. Always use the longer measurement.

If your child wriggles, ask another adult to help, or turn it into a game. Young children find it hard to stand still for long.

How much room to leave

Shoes should not be the exact length of the foot. Add a little growing room, usually around 1 to 1.5 centimetres. This gives the toes space to move and leaves room to grow without the shoe being so loose that it slips.

Once you have your measurement plus growing room, compare it with the size details on the product page. If your measurement falls between two sizes, the larger size is usually the safer choice for growing children.

Checking the fit when the shoes arrive

When the new shoes come home, ask your child to put them on and walk around the house for a few minutes. Check that:

• you can fit about a thumb's width between the longest toe and the front of the shoe;
• the heel stays in place when they walk;
• there are no red marks on the feet after taking the shoes off;
• your child can wiggle their toes comfortably.

Try shoes indoors on a clean floor first, so they stay in good condition if you need to exchange the size.

How often to measure

As a rough guide:

• Toddlers: check every two to three months.
• Primary school children: check at the start of each term.
• Older children: check every four to six months, or whenever shoes start to feel tight.

Signs your child needs a bigger size include shoes that leave marks, toes curled inside the shoe, or your child taking shoes off as soon as they get home.

If your child often has sore feet, walks on tiptoe or limps without an obvious reason, speak to a doctor for advice.

Ready to order

With your measurement written down, shopping is quick. Keep a note on your phone of each child's size and the date you measured, so it is always to hand.

Browse our children's shoes and check sizes on each product page. If you are unsure which size to pick, get in touch with us before ordering and we will be happy to help. You can also read about delivery around Kikuyu.