Learning how to measure your little one’s feet properly is an important task because you will be doing it more often than you think. Up until 5 years of age, a child’s foot can grow every 2 to 4 months! As a general rule, you should be measuring your child’s feet every 2 months.
Visiting a shoe store is the best way to get an accurate measurement, but that is not always possible or the most convenient option.
In this article, we will share the easiest way to get proper foot measurements for your baby, toddler, and big kid using items you likely have readily available around your home.
Measuring a Baby or Young Toddler’s Foot
Measuring for the correct shoe size is best when your little ones are standing with their full weight on their feet. This becomes a bit more challenging when your baby or young toddler is too young to stand up on his or her own or too squirmy to stand still long enough for you to get a proper measurement.
Your best bet will be to enlist the help of another adult or older child to help distract and prop your little one up. Have your baby stand on a piece of paper while you trace his or her foot with a pencil. Then, use a ruler to measure length by recording the outside of your little one’s heel to the tip of the big toe. Be sure to do this for both feet.
To measure for width, take a ribbon or string and wrap it around the widest part of the foot. If possible, the child should still be standing with some support from a helper. Then, measure the ribbon or string and record the width measurement.
Always use the longer and wider measurement when shopping for shoes.
Items Needed
- Pencil
- Paper
- Ruler
- String or ribbon
Measuring an Older Child’s Foot
It is significantly easier to measure an older child’s foot because they can help!
Not only can big kids follow your directions, but they can also tell you what is comfortable and what is not. To measure an older child’s foot at home, have him or her stand straight against a wall with their full weight evenly distributed between both feet.
Place a piece of paper under the foot and use a pencil to mark the spot where their big toe hits. Or you can place an object, such as a book, touching their longest toe. Then, measure the distance between the wall and the book.
Items Needed
- Pencil
- Paper
- Ruler
- Book or other object
- Wall
Check out the best running shoes for kids once you’ve found the right size!
Using a Print-Out Guide to Measure a Child’s Foot
Some children’s shoe brands are making it easier than ever to get that accurate in-store measurement right from the comfort of your own home.
Stride Rite, for example, has a neat downloadable print-out guide that allows you to find your little one’s perfect size.
The method for capturing the measurement is similar to those outlined above but comes with its own size guide.
First, print the size guide by setting the scale to 100 percent. In your printer preferences, be sure to uncheck “page scaling.” Once the size guide is printed, you can double-check it is the right size by placing a credit card into the sizing area. If it aligns, the printed guide is accurate.
Next, use scissors to cut out the length ruler and width ruler by following the dotted line. Tape the length guide to a hard floor (wood or tile is best for this). We do not want the paper to move when your child is standing on it, so carpet won’t work for this. The curved line of the length guide should be flush against the wall.
To measure for length, align your child’s bare heel to the curved line and make sure the heel is touching the wall. On the size guide, mark the line past their big toe and record the length measurement. Do this for both feet.
The next step is the measure for width. With your child standing up straight, place the width ruler under one foot and wrap it all the way around the ball of the foot. The ruler should be wrapped closely around the foot but not too tightly. Using a pencil, mark the area of the ruler that meets the “align here” arrow.
Find the number of the width ruler that matches the length measurement and aligns with the mark you made on the ruler. Repeat this step with both feet.
You can then enter the measurements in Stride Rite’s size finder to pick your child’s shoe size.
Remember, shoe sizing often differs from brand to brand. Before buying, check to see if the company also offers a print guide or fit suggestions to find the correct shoe size.
Items Needed
- Printer
- Downloaded size guide
- Tape
- Pencil
- Scissors
- Credit card (to double check print scale)
FAQs About Measuring Your Child’s Foot
What is the best time of day to measure my child’s foot?
It is best to measure feet later in the afternoon.
Feet tend to swell throughout the day, so it is best to measure when they are at their largest. This ensures toes and feet won’t be cramped inside shoes.
What if my child’s feet are different sizes?
You are not measuring incorrectly if you consistently get different measurements from the left and right foot.
It is completely normal for children (and adults!) to have different size feet as they grow. When are you shopping for shoes, be sure to choose the size based on the bigger foot.
What if my child is in-between shoe sizes?
Always size up with some room to grow. It is very uncomfortable for little ones, especially new walkers, to have cramped toes inside shoes!
How much room should my child have between the big toe and top of the shoe?
Shoes should be snug for the most comfortable and secure fit.
However, it is also important for children to have space to move their toes in their footwear. It is a good idea to leave anywhere between 1 to 2 centimeters of room to grow. This equates to about a thumb’s width of wiggle room between the front of the shoe and the biggest toe.
Keep in mind that sizing in children’s shoes is not created equal and often differs from brand to brand. That is why having both the length and width measurements will help you choose the right size.
How often should I measure my kids’ feet?
As a general rule of thumb, you should plan on measuring your child’s feet every 2 months. That does not necessarily mean they will need a brand new pair of shoes that often, but it certainly could.
Children’s feet grow in spurts. Here is a guideline for how quickly children’s feet grow.
- Babies under 16 months grow more than one-half a foot size in 2 months.
- Toddlers ranging from 16 to 24 months grow an average of one-half a foot size every 3 months.
- Children who are 2 to 3 years of age grow one-half a foot size every 3 to 4 months.
- Big kids who are 3 to 5 years of age grow one-half a foot size every 4 months.
Once kids hit school age, the rate at which their feet grow slows down a bit, and they will need a new pair of shoes every year or so.
Why should kids not wear hand-me-down shoes?
With how quickly children’s feet grow, it may be tempting to use hand-me-down shoes from an older sibling or family member. I am guilty of this myself! However, the experts do not recommend hand-me-down shoes because of safety concerns.
The insoles of shoes are meant to form to the unique foot of the wearer, so if you put your child in a pair of well-worn shoes, you could inadvertently be forcing their feet into ones that do not fit them correctly. The experts also say sharing shoes could spread fungi like athlete’s foot and nail fungus. Yikes!
In my household, when we accept a pair of hand-me-down shoes, I make sure they are gently used or are special occasion shoes that are not worn often. (Think shoes you might need for a nice family photoshoot, a wedding, etc).
Final Word About Measuring Your Child’s Foot
Finding the perfect sized shoe for your little one can be tricky. This is especially true if you have a baby or young toddler who is pre-verbal and unable to let you know if something does not feel right.
We hope the tips above will help you feel confident about getting the most accurate measurement for those little feet. Remember, when it comes to finding the right footwear for kids, both length and width are important in determining shoe size.
