Improve Your Little One’s Mobility With the Best Kids Shoes

Buying Guide: Kids’ Shoes

When it comes to buying kids’ shoes, you cannot compromise on comfort. Make sure the pair you pick is soft, offers the perfect fit, and is comfortable enough for your child to run around in them. This helpful buying guide has more information on how to find the perfect shoes for your child.

What To Look For in Kids’ Shoes

Size

You may have heard that buying a shoe size up for growing kids is good, but that’s actually far from the truth. While this approach is good for items like shirts, bigger shoes can feel uncomfortable and make it harder for your child to walk properly.

Similarly, a shoe that’s too snug may pinch your child’s toes and can put them at risk for ingrown toenails. Smaller shoes can also chafe ankles, which cause painful blisters. So make sure to measure your child’s shoe size before buying to find a well-fitting pair.

Purpose 

Children between the ages of 3 and 5 begin to run, leap, safely ascend stairs, hop around, and move backward with confidence. They need shoes that enable them to effortlessly engage in all of these enjoyable activities all day long.

As a child attends school, they participate in many more sporting activities and games. They require athletic footwear that supports the development of stronger bones and muscles in their feet as well as more accurate and balanced performance. Kids’ feet experience three times as much stress as a normal adult foot, therefore a kid’s shoes must be able to withstand that kind of strain and stress.

Material

Keep in mind that children tend to get their shoes dirty easily, so you should avoid materials that are hard to clean. Canvas shoes, for example, can get dirty really easily and are hard to clean. It’s better to buy shoes made of breathable mesh because they keep your child’s feet from getting sweaty and are extremely easy to clean.

Insole and outsole

Pay special attention to the insole and outsole of the shoe because these can also cause discomfort at times. Make sure that the insole has a plush lining and is glued in to keep it from moving around when your child is playing.

The outsole should be made of durable and non-slip foam. The sole should offer traction to have a good grip on the floor, keeping your children from getting hurt. You can even get a slightly thicker sole to add a few inches to their height.

Support

Without good shoe support, it can be hard to keep your posture straight, which results in muscle cramps. If your child has flat feet, make sure you buy them shoes with a raised inner sole. This can provide good support and make the shoes more comfortable to wear. The shoe shouldn’t have a narrow toe box because that can hurt your child’s feet.

Flexibility

Generally speaking, kids’ shoes should be flexible enough to easily put on and take off. They should fit snugly and offer optimal support to the arch. Instead of bending in the middle of the shoes, this should flex with your kid’s toes, where the base of the foot will be.

Toe space

When your kid has both shoes on, you should slightly pinch between the longest toe and the shoe’s edge to check that there’s enough space to adjust at least one finger or half an inch. This extra toe space is needed to walk freely because the feet slightly bend forward when we walk.

Closure option

You can find kids’ shoes with lace, velcro, or hook and loop closure that let the shoe stretch a bit as the foot grows. Kids like lace-less footwear because it’s easier and comfier when they are rushing to get outside to play.

Color 

Kids’ shoes are available in a variety of colors with the primary purpose of being exciting for children. Give them the choice to choose the color once you have selected the ideal pair of shoes for you so that the kids will love wearing them. If your child is messy, you can try getting dark-colored shoes because they are easy to maintain and don’t get dirty easily.

Tips To Choose the Right Size for Kids Shoes

Consult an expert

Consider visiting an expert with experience in baby, toddler, and small kid shoe sizing if you aren’t sure about the right size of shoes for your kids. Other than that, the endorsement seal acknowledges shoes that improve foot health and have been reviewed by a panel of physical therapists.

Make an appointment for a checkup with your community expert who specializes in kid’s foot care if a child suffers from foot irritation or pain.

Regularly measure your kid’s feet

Since kids’ feet grow at a quick pace, you should measure your kid’s feet every two to three months up until the preschool period, and then every three to four months after that. If you’re confused between two sizes, always choose the bigger size. 

Avoid heavy shoes

Kids’ shoes should not be very heavy, so check before you purchase. Your kid may walk haphazardly in heavy shoes, which will delay the development of a steady walking habit.

Tips to Easily Clean Kids Shoes

If you’re a parent, we don’t even have to tell you why cleaning your kid’s shoes is essential. Children can get their shoes dirty very easily and these tips on cleaning them will come in handy:

Baking soda

You can easily remove stains like pen ink and mud using baking soda. Make a thick paste of baking soda and water, then use an old toothbrush to scrub the stains directly. Once most of the stains are out, you can wash the shoe with a mild detergent.

Make sure to dry out the shoes in a cool shady area because leaving them under direct sunlight quickly fades their color and the fabric might rip off.

Detergent pen

For smaller and less stubborn stains, using a detergent pen is the way to go. This can not only remove the stains in a jiffy but can save you from having to throw out a good pair of shoes for kids

Toothpaste

Toothpaste may be good for making your breath minty fresh, but it can help clean up your child’s shoes as well. By scrubbing the stains with toothpaste, you’ll give white shoes a brand new look and remove stains effectively.

Apply the toothpaste generously to the shoes, once the toothpaste has dried, you can use a damp towel to wipe it off. Make sure the toothpaste you use isn’t gel-based.

Waterproof spray

You can use a waterproof spray to make your kid’s shoes last longer. This can also make shoes easier to clean since the fabric won’t absorb any liquid. If your child’s shoes do get wet, don’t use a dryer because putting them in the dryer may warp or shrink them; instead, air dry them 

Use vinegar

Vinegar can work wonders when it comes to leather and suede shoes. Leather and suede can rip off easily if you throw them in the washer. By mixing vinegar and baking soda, you can use a rag to clean leather shoes easily.

With suede shoes, you can use a mixture of vinegar and rubbing alcohol to dab out any stains and your shoes will be as good as new.