How do you know when to buy a child new shoes... I know if the shoe doesnt fit they need new ones.. My daughter wore size 5 sandals all summer.. then when I took her to the shoe store to measure her for new shoes. She was a size 7. So apparently at some point she was a size 6... but I missed it. Her foot still actually fits in a size 6 shoe.. But according to the shoe store she needs a 7.
Measure their feet every few months or so. My son's feet grew so fast (at 3 years old he was already in a size 12 1/2). I had to constantly measure his feet. If we were out somewhere (even at the mall) and we strolled past a shoe store, I would just go in and measure his feet for the heck of it.
Another point to remember is always buy shoes a half size too big!
Good luck :)
Little feet need lots of wiggle room to grow properly. Measuring their feet every 2-3 months is typical.
The shoe store is most likely selling you a size 7 so there is enough wiggle room AND growth room. Otherwise you will be buying a new pair of shoes every month!
Also, be sure to get shoes that flex. Barefoot is best for developing feet, but flexible shoes are good for when they need their feet protected.
Where we bought our daughters shoes, they told us about a thumb width is what you are looking for in 'extra room'. That is consistent with other information I've been able to look up. So, buy a pair with the thumb width and then when the toes are getting up near the top... buy a new pair. You don't want to be squeezing their little feet into shoes... that is where developmental issues come into play.
Hope this helps! Sounds like you have your hands full with a 22 month old... and you say '4 month old boyS' ... i'm guessing twins?? oiy!
Hi Lisa,
Don't worry you didn't do anything wrong. The shoe store people will tell you need at least a half size bigger so your child has some growing room without needing to buy shoes every month. If you are concerned about how it all works I have found that the people who work at any of the Stride-Rite stores are very knowledgable. They explained the whole process to me when I first went in with my son and they make sure everything fits well enough without your child tripping on the new shoes. However if money is tight you will probably want to buy shoes somewhere else since they are on the pricey side. Hope this has helped.
K.
Sandles give room for the toes to grow without hinderance so don't worry. All three of my boys did the same thing. My youngest went from a 10 to a 12, my middle went from a 3 to a 6 1/2, and my oldest went from a 7 to a 9 over the summer. You just don't realize how fast they grow when they're in open-toed shoes. My dad used to sell shoes and he always told me as I was still growing that we needed to get the shoes at least a half size big to have room to grow. If I hit a growing spurt I got them a whole size bigger, too. Since shoes can get expensive I would watch for buy 1 get on 1/2 off or free and get the next 2 sizes up so she has room to grow. Hope this helps - S.
My daughters both did the same thing. One was in 5 sandals now is in 6.5, the other was 6 sandals now 7.5-8. I apparently missed it too. It's hard to tell because they dont tell me there foot hurts in the shoes. I'm just gonna check her shoes every other month and see if they still fit I guess.
