Every parent knows how difficult it can be to choose shoes for a child. Not only is it simply impossible to measure the feet of a dodgy baby, but he most likely will not be able to explain whether his shoes are pressing somewhere. Read on to learn how to avoid getting into trouble when choosing a size.
Is it possible to determine a child's shoe size by age?
As you know, people of the same age can differ greatly both in height and stature, as well as in leg size. With children the situation is somewhat different. At first, children grow almost the same, and the younger they are, the faster both their height and foot length change. At the age of up to 3 years, the child’s foot increases by 2-3 sizes per year, from 3 to 6 years - by 2, after 6 years - by 1-2 annually. In order to find out the size of your baby’s feet, knowing only his age, you can use a special table.
Children's shoe size chart in cm
Important! You need to understand that the sizes of some children, due to individual characteristics, do not fit into any standards according to the tables, so the most accurate size will be the one obtained from independent measurements.
How to correctly determine the size of children's shoes?
It is not enough to simply apply a ruler to the baby’s leg, since the resulting figure will not reflect the real picture. In fact, you just need to take a couple of simple measurements and you will get the child's actual shoe size.
Measuring the foot
In order to measure a child’s foot, you need to place a sheet of paper on a flat surface of the floor, fix it and place the child’s foot on the sheet so that all its weight rests on the foot. Outline the leg, holding the pencil strictly perpendicular to the floor. Then measure the distance between the most prominent points of your big toe and heel.
Instead of the described manipulations, you can use a special ruler to measure your foot.The main thing is to make sure that the baby rests on the leg being measured, because when walking, the foot expands and lengthens under the pressure of the child’s weight.
Important! Be sure to measure both feet, since one of them is a little larger, and when buying boots, be guided by a larger foot.
All about the fullness of shoes
Just like adults, children's feet vary in fullness, and this factor is no less important when buying shoes than the length of the foot in cm. Different manufacturers may use different completeness designations, for example, in domestic ones it is indicated in numbers from 1 to 12, with the step between adjacent fullnesses being 4 mm. Foreign ones use a letter designation, and the difference between adjacent measurements is 5 mm.
To calculate the fullness of shoes there is a formula: W = 0.25V – 0.15C – A, where B is the circumference of the foot, C is the length of the foot, A is a constant value equal to 16.5 for children from 0 to 7 years old and 13.5 for teenagers. The circumference of the foot is measured with a measuring tape at its widest point (along the toes). For those who find calculations using formulas a difficult task, just check the foot circumference with the table:
How to navigate Aliexpress?
When buying shoes in any online store, a logical question arises: how not to make a mistake with the size? Thousands of sellers from China list their products on Aliexpress. Many of them add instructions on how to choose the right size in the product description. The translation of this instruction into Russian can sometimes be a little confusing, but most often the general meaning is clear. What they write:
If you are still not sure about your choice, when placing an order, you can write a comment to the seller indicating the length of your foot in cm and asking them to send you the appropriate size. Read the product description carefully. For example, the name of the shoes may include “genuine leather,” but the description indicates that the material of the upper and insole is leatherette.
Important! Always read product reviews; they may contain real photographs and indicate that the seller’s sizing chart does not correspond to reality.
Systems for designating children's sizes and their differences
There are several size designation systems that differ from each other in the units of measurement of foot length and the reference point. The simplest of them is metric. The shoe size in this system is equal to the length of the foot, measured in centimeters. The most common metric system is in Japan, China, and South Korea. Sometimes used by Russian manufacturers.
In Europe and in most shoe stores in Russia they use mass size system, by the name of the unit of measurement shtikh, which is equal to 2/3 cm. Knowing the metric size in mm, it is easy to convert it to shtihmas, dividing by 6.67.
A little more difficult to determine on your own is inch size system. The unit of measurement is a barleycorn equal to 1/3 inch or 8.47 mm. The peculiarity is that the countdown is not from 0, as we are used to, but from the minimum possible block. So, in England, where this system is used, the minimum last corresponding to the length of a newborn child’s foot is 4 inches, and in the USA it is even smaller.
In order to avoid complex measurements and calculations, it is enough to use special tables for matching shoe sizes from different countries.
An example of determining the size of children's shoes
Let's look at an example of how to navigate a store. Let's assume that with the correct measurement of both legs of the child you got 13.4 and 13.7 cm. Based on the larger measurement, we look for 13.7 cm in the correspondence table presented above, and see that we got a borderline size between 13.5 and 14 cm.
Remembering that shoes should not be tight, we rely on 14 cm and look at compliance with other sizing systems: These are UK size 5.5, US 6.5 and EU 22.5. Half European sizes are rare in stores, so we need to know in advance whether to take 22 or 23? To do this, we find out their exact measurement in cm: 22*2/3=14.67, 23*2/3=15.33, thus we got the length of the insole. As you know, the length of the insole should have a margin of approximately 1-1.5 cm. It turns out that if we are buying summer shoes, then it is enough to take 22, and if we are buying autumn or winter shoes, then 23.
The nuances of fitting
Ideally, your child should try on shoes before purchasing. But it is almost impossible to get an intelligible explanation from a child about how he feels in the shoes he is wearing. That's why Before trying on shoes, it is best to remove the insole and place the child’s foot on it, assessing the correctness of the chosen size.
Then put on your shoes and give your child walk around the store in them for 15 minutes. During this time, if the baby pinches somewhere, red marks will remain on the leg, and you will be able to see them. If the child feels uncomfortable during this time, he will either ask you to take off his shoes, or try to do it himself, or become capricious, which means you will need to choose a different model.
Important! It is better to go to a shoe store in the evening, when your feet swell a little and increase in size.
Tips for choosing children's shoes
Oddly enough, but The ideal shoe for a small child's feet is its absence. Therefore, whenever possible, let your child run barefoot on the grass or sand. In the city there is practically no such opportunity, and besides summer, walking without boots in our latitude is not possible. The main function of shoes is to protect the feet from cold, injury and infection. This is why it is so important to choose the right children's shoes that will not harm the child's rapidly growing feet. Recommendations:
For the first steps, it is important to choose lightweight slippers with a very flexible sole (especially in the toe area) and a soft, breathable upper that does not restrict movement. During the process of formation, the baby's legs need freedom.;- avoid pointed and narrow noses, they can lead to foot deformation;
- a small heel from 5 to 15 mm is acceptable;
- the heel of the shoe should be firm, fixing, but not very hard;
- do not buy shoes with high backs that secure the ankle; as the child grows, the ankle joint develops and strengthens naturally;
- Buy shoes strictly according to size. Please note that this does not mean end-to-end. For fingers, there should be a free space of 1-1.5 cm in length. Also, do not buy boots “for growth”; your feet in them will experience additional stress when walking;
- choose boots with Velcro fastener, they can easily be adjusted to the desired fullness of the leg, lacing is also suitable, but it is inconvenient because the child himself will not learn to use it for a long time;
- if the child is healthy and there are no relevant indications, there is no need to wear orthopedic shoes and insoles with arch support;
- if it is not possible to take your child with you, take a cardboard pattern of the foot, which must first be placed on the outside of the shoe on the sole, and then put inside and make sure there are no jams.
Size charts of popular brands of children's shoes
Some of the most popular brands of children's shoes in Russia are Kotofey and Skorokhod. The company's assortment includes shoes of all types and seasons. For convenience, the size range of manufacturers is divided into several groups: booties, nursery, small children, preschool, school and teenager.
Another popular brand of domestic shoes is Antelope. The manufacturer uses a standard sizing system, but there is no sizing chart on the company’s official website.
Lassie and Kuoma – brands from Finland also use the size system. Both brands in their sizing charts warn that the insole length should have a margin of 1-1.5 cm. Lassie has a minimum last of 19, Kuoma has a minimum last of 20.
Shoes Reima renowned for protecting your feet from the elements and using the right materials for outdoor activities. The brand's size range starts from size 19 according to the size system.
Crocs, Columbia – popular brands of American shoes. The Columbia sizing chart shows the correspondence between American sizes and foot length in mm, and the Crocs size chart corresponds to European sizes.
Having all the above information, you can easily not only choose the right shoes for your child in the store, but also order shoes online, without fear of making a mistake with the size!
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