The right fit for back to school shoes
As parents, we want nothing but health and happiness for our children.We worry about getting their teeth and eyes checked, but rarely do we pay attention to their developing feet. Children’s feet are not fully formed until they’re in their late teens. Shoes that don’t fit properly can prevent natural growth, cause discomfort, adversely affect your child’s walking development and lead to health problems.
When you buy new shoes for your kids, they should feel good from the moment they put them on. For athletic shoe company New Balance, being a kid doesn’t mean you have to compromise fit, comfort and support because you are not ready for adult sized footwear. Multiple width fittings, sizes, removable insoles and supportive heel counters are basic New Balance standards that help ensure proper fit and support for your kids.
Whether your child’s feet are average, wide or narrow, New Balance offers the fit selection to ensure your kids have shoes to get them comfortably through a busy day.When it comes to shoes for school, there are two features to consider. First, kid’s indoor footwear for pre-school and grade school usually needs to be non-marking. The second feature most often requested by schools is velcro closures.
Be sure to clarify what specific requests your child’s school may have regarding indoor footwear before you make your purchase.
Fitting Tips for Children’s Shoes
• Young children’s feet can grow as much as two full sizes in one year. Make sure you have a thumb’s width of empty space at the end of the shoe beyond their longest toe to allow for growth.Your child should be able to comfortably wiggle their toes inside their shoes. • With shoes laced up, check the space between the two rows of eyelets.They should be one to two finger widths apart, and fairly parallel to each other.A distance greater than two finger widths may indicate a shoe that is too narrow.A distance less than one finger width may indicate the shoe is too wide. • Always get your kids to untie and open up the laces when putting on or taking off their shoes to prevent damage to the supportive heel counter. Get your kids in the habit of using their hands and not their feet to take off their shoes. • Avoid hand-me-down shoes. Once a shoe has formed to a child’s foot, it might not fit another child’s foot properly and could adversely affect walking development. • Have your child’s feet measured every time they get new shoes to get the correct size.Too big and it can cause blisters, too small and it can impede growth. If your child is experiencing a diagnosed foot problem, it is beneficial to get a more precise fit to their current size, not allowing a lot of extra room for growth.A shoe that is a bit big does not always provide the support needed to aid properly in recovery.