The summer is quickly fading away and back to school shopping for notebooks and new shoes has begun! Over the next year, we will begin to notice a dramatic evolution in our children. They will enter school at one height and leave a foot taller and a year older! Many parents are faced with the issue of what shoes to buy their children, how big they should be, and how quickly they will outgrow them.
Most important to realize is that no child is the same. Every child’s foot will grow at a different rate. These numbers are only averages. Between the ages of 1-3 children grow the most with approximately a 1.5mm increase in length each month. This slows slightly between the ages of 3-6 with an increase of 1mm per month. Between the ages of 6 and 10 this slows even more to less than 1mm per month or 1/2 inch per year. Lastly, between the ages of 12 and 17, boys feet will continue to increase by approximately 10% and female feet by 2%. At this point, the majority of growth is complete as the growth plates in our bones begin to close.
How to size your feet
Next to consider is how much room to leave in the toe box, or front of your shoe. Squeezing your feet into shoes that are too small can lead not only to pain but conditions such as ingrown nails, bunions, and hammertoes. You should leave 1/2 inch between your longest toe and the end of the shoe, or a thumbs width. When estimating the distance using your thumb, be sure not to press on the big toe. When all is said and done, make sure your child is comfortable and has wiggle room for theirs toes Also, don’t be surprised if during that growth spurt they go up 1-2 sizes throughout the year!
Have a great start to your school year. Hollowbrook Foot Specialist, serving the Hudson Valley from Wappingers Falls. Call us at (845) 298-9074 for your preferred appointment.
By: Samantha DelRegno D.P.M.
