Christmas is coming and along with everything else, it is time to worry about what your children will be wearing. You know that they won’t fit into the cute outfit from last year so off you go in search of this year’s cute outfit. If you are lucky, you are thinking about this now instead of on December 23.
No doubt you will need to buy them shoes. Buying outfits can be easier because you don’t have to have them with you but you can’t buy shoes without them. So to help you out, we are going to review our best tips for children’s shoe shopping.
Six Tips for shoe shopping for children
1. Shop later in the day. Like adults, children’s feet will swell during the day and you want to buy shoes that will be comfortable.
2. If you can shop in a specialty children’s shoe store, you should. First of all, the employees should really know how to fit children’s shoes. The second reason is that they are used to having children there that aren’t that happy to be there. They probably have distractions to keep them occupied.
Fitting children’s shoes is harder than you would think. Make sure children are standing and that both feet get measured. It is common for the feet to be slightly different in size. Children don’t always understand when trying on shoes that the shoes are too tight. You need to check the amount of space between the longest toe and the top of the shoe. Your mother was right – you need to press your thumb in at the top of the shoe and make sure you are not touching toe. You don’t want the shoes so small that either the child won’t wear them or they do wear them and get an ingrown toe nail nor do you want them so big that they slop around in them and possible walk out of the shoe. As with lots of things in life, you need that happy medium.
4. Children’s shoes should fasten in some way – ties or velcro are the usual fasteners. Backless and slip on shoes do not generally provide the support that children need from shoes.
5. Breathable material like leather or canvas are best for children’s shoes. I think this rule can be flexible when we are talking about special occasion shoes. Little girls do love those glittery shoes. If they are not going to wear them very much, then indulge. (as long as they fit!)
6. You might want to really make sure that the sole of the shoe is non skid – that it has a pattern or texture to it so that the child will not slip on various floor surfaces. You would hate for the prince or princess to take a tumble on the way into a family event!
So off you go children’s shoe shopping. I hope that it goes well.
And don’t forget – if you want to get your feet ready from Spring and use up your health care dollars during this year, it is time to get in to see the doctors!
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Evanston Podiatric Surgeons and Mag Mile Foot and Ankle Institute joined forces last year so that they can offer you services not only on the North Shore but downtown Chicago as well. If you are down in the City and need a podiatrist, stop in and see Dr. Chase. She would love to help you!
Mag Mile Foot and Ankle Institute
333 N. Michigan Avenue Suite 1825
Chicago, IL 60601
312-236-3507