Ensuring that your kids have shoes that fit is a crucial aspect of being a parent. The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) estimates that 60–70% of kids may wear shoes that are too small. Parents may minimize the risk of damage and encourage healthy foot growth for their children by replacing shoes as soon as necessary, ensuring that the feet are adequately supported.

Visible wear on the tread or outsole, worn-down or flattened padding, and the child's complaints of pain or discomfort when wearing the shoes are common clues that the shoes need to be replaced.

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Risks of Poorly-Fitting Shoes for Kids

For various reasons, children's foot growth and health depend on well-fitting shoes, and improperly fitting shoes can cause several problems:

• Future malformations: Since a child's feet are still growing and developing, improperly fitting shoes can disrupt normal growth patterns and perhaps cause malformations or other issues with the feet in the future.
• Risk of accidents: Shoes that are too loose may not offer enough support and stability, increasing the risk of injuries and other accidents.
• Friction injuries: Shoes that are too tight can result in pain, blisters, and even impair normal circulation. As growing bones, muscles, and ligaments need support and protection, appropriately fitting shoes encourage healthy foot growth

» Not sure if they need new shoes? Here's how to measure your kids' feet properly

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What Experts Say About Replacing Your Child's Shoes

Podiatrists, footwear specialists, and paediatricians are frequently the ones who offer professional advice and guidance for updating children's shoes, and here's what they say:

Also, pediatricians suggest parents check their child's shoe size every few months, particularly during times of fast development, and replace shoes as soon as they start to show wear or become too small.

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Common Times to Replace Your Child's Shoes

The general rules on how often to replace your kids’ shoes might change depending on a few factors:

• Age: Kids go through growth spurts, which means that they grow at different rates throughout their childhoods, which means that they may require more or less frequent shoe replacements at different stages of their lives.
• Intensity of activity: Children who are highly active and participate in sports or outdoor activities may need to replace their shoes every 3-6 months
• Shoe quality: Quality shoes constructed from sturdy materials could endure longer and need to be replaced less frequently than less expensive, inferior models. While your kids' shoe replacement schedules will mostly likely be due to them outgrowing the shoes, poor quality shoes on active kids will degrade much faster and need to be replaced more frequently.

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3 Factors Influencing When You Should Replace Your Child's Shoes



1. Growth Rate

Several factors can affect how big a child's feet develop, such as an unhealthy or healthy diet, general health, and heredity. The foot's bones, muscles, ligaments, and other tissues are always growing and changing, which causes variations in the foot's size, shape, and arch height.

Shoes that fit properly one month may become too small the next due to this fast development, which can cause discomfort and possibly even foot issues. During these development spurts, it's crucial to replace children's shoes frequently to make sure there's enough space for their feet to expand and develop freely.

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What Influences Foot Growth Rate in Children?

Although age and gender-based general tendencies exist in foot growth, every kid is different and has a distinct growth trajectory. For instance, twin brothers may have remarkably varied foot sizes and rates of growth throughout development.

Conversations with parents often disclose fascinating insights regarding their child's development, including dietary patterns, exercise levels, and overall health, all of which can influence foot growth.

I have observed that boys often grow their feet a little quicker than girls, especially throughout puberty. Also, as foot size tends to run in families—genetics have a big influence on how big and how shaped a child's feet turn out.

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2. Physical Signs of Wear and Tear

Indicators of structural integrity can be found by looking at the way the shoes' tread and outsole have worn. A worn-down or uneven tread indicates that the shoes would not provide the necessary support and traction, which raises the possibility of slips and falls.

Parents should be actively involved in keeping an eye on their child's footwear and foot health by highlighting these physical markers during consultations. Sometimes all it takes to get a parent to understand the value of timely replacements is to point out to them the worn-out soles of their child's shoes.

3. Activity Level and Usage

Compared to kids who lead more sedentary lifestyles, children who are very active and engage in sports or outdoor activities typically wear out their shoes faster. Playing, running, leaping, and continual movement can hasten the deterioration of shoes, particularly the outsole and cushioning.

The kind of activities a youngster participates in might also impact the longevity of their shoes. For example, because of the repeated motions and friction on the playing surface, shoes used for sports like basketball or soccer may wear out sooner. Similar to this, shoes used for hiking or other outdoor activities may be subjected to more abrasion from the weather and uneven terrain.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Considering Replacing Your Child's Shoes

1. Prioritising Comfort Over Style

It makes sense that parents want their kids to wear fashionable shoes, but occasionally this might compromise the shoes' appropriate fit and support. Parents often buy shoes that they think look nice without taking into account important aspects like flexibility, arch support, and cushioning, which are important for keeping their kids' feet healthy.

Even though fashionable shoes might be quite attractive, they sometimes don't have the qualities needed to properly support developing feet. Blisters, pain, and more serious foot problems like bunions, ingrown toenails, or plantar fasciitis can result from wearing shoes that are either too tight, too loose, or don't have enough padding.

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2. Passing Down Worn-Out Shoes to Younger Siblings

Given that they might no longer offer sufficient support or safety, giving old shoes to younger siblings or other kids might have serious negative effects. Once shoes are worn out, their treads become worn down, and their structural integrity is severely weakened. When old shoes are handed down, they don't provide new wearers with the necessary support.

3. Not Checking Your Kids' Shoes Regularly

Since kids grow so quickly, parents often fail to notice their child's growing foot size or ignore wear and tear on their child's shoes. Children may wear shoes that are too small or worn out as a result, which can cause pain, blisters, and even foot issues.

Stay Up-To-Date With Your Kids' Footwear With First Walkers

Keeping up with your kids' changing shoe needs is crucial to ensure they have adequate room and support for growth and development. Parents may make sure that their children's feet are properly supported and protected by routinely inspecting their shoes for indications of wear and tear and replacing them as necessary.

Thankfully, you don't have to struggle to keep up with your kids' evolving shoe needs as there are plenty of reputable online brands providing various shoe types for kids of different ages. Take a look at our kids' shoe collections to learn more.

» Need help? See our online shoe shopping guide for kids