1. Check Regularly

Of all the tips for choosing kids shoes, the most important is to check your child´s feet regularly, so that you know when they need a new pair. Kids may not be able to explain that their shoes don´t fit any more, so watch for signs of wearing or sore patches.

2. Have a Fitting in Each Store

As an adult, you´ve probably noticed that your clothing size can vary depending on the store. It´s the same with children´s shoes. So when choosing shoes for children, always have their feet measured in each store where they try shoes on, and don´t assume that they´ll take the same size as in another store.

3. Time of Day

You´ve probably read that when you go shoe shopping, it´s best to go later in the day. This is because your feet swell during the day, so if you go earlier you may buy shoes that are too tight. The same thing is true for kids, so leave the shoe shopping trip until later in the day.

4. Comfort

When we were younger, we didn´t thank our parents for choosing comfortable and sensible shoes for us. Neither will your kids. They probably won´t even realise when they´re older that you did them a favour. But always opt for comfort over fashion – feet need to be looked after, especially when they´re growing.

5. Specialists

Shopping isn´t generally much fun for kids, and shoes are probably one of the most boring things ever for them. If your child is particularly averse to shoe shopping, take them to a specialist store or department. The staff there will be well used to dealing with stroppy kids, and will know how to make the experience as fun as possible.

6. Fastenings

One practical point to consider when choosing shoes for children is the type of fastening. If your kids like to be independent, then they can have shoes with laces that they can tie themselves. But when they´re very small, Velcro fastenings are easier for parents to deal with and fasten quickly.

7. Buy in Shops

It´s tempting to look for bargains online, given that keeping your kids in shoes can cost a small fortune. The problem is that even if you can return shoes that don´t fit, it´s still better to have the shoes fitted by a trained member of staff. So stick to buying in shops, wherever possible.

8. Quality

There are lots of older adults who have foot problems today because they were given hand-me-down or cheap shoes to wear as children. Even though it´s frustrating that kids grow out of shoes so quickly, it´s not worth buying them cheap shoes if it could cause them long-term problems.

Choosing shoes for children is an expensive business, and since growing feet need to be looked after, it´s not something that can or should be economised on. So you´ll want to spend your money wisely. If you´re an experienced shoe-shopping parent, do you have any tips for choosing kids shoes that you´ve discovered over the years?

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