Tips for Fitting Kids for Back to School Shoes

Sending your child back to school for another year can be a very busy time for the moms and dads out there! There’s so much to organize and buy, from paper, pens, glue and calculators to a set of gym clothes or a new pair of indoor and outdoor shoes. At Becker Shoes, we help parents get the best bang for their buck when buying children’s footwear with our range of Back to School shoes.

Not only do kids spend time in the classroom (that is the point, isn’t it?), they also spend time outside at recess or in the gym. They wear their shoes for the majority of the day, so it’s important to their foot health and growth that they fit properly and feel comfortable. We’re sure you may have some questions about those all-important school shoes, so we sat down with a parent who was buying her child shoes for back to school to learn how to find the best pair!

Hunter and his mom visited a local Becker Shoes where Hunter picked out a couple of styles – one for indoor and one for outdoor. Some schools specify that separate pairs are required, so be sure to check with your child’s school before heading into a store.

One of the styles Hunter picked out was a blue and grey New Balance shoe, which was great for him because New Balance has a great kids selection with tons of colours to choose from. New Balance shoes also have enough room to support children with wider feet and almost all of them have removable footbeds. The associate mentioned, “it’s always worth bringing your orthotics in if you have some. Most customers bring them in when they come to try on shoes because we can pop them right in so they get an accurate feel for the shoe.” If you need some insoles, Becker Shoes does carry insoles from SuperFeet, Soft Strike and Blundstone, and women’s insoles from Naot.

First, the associate measured Hunter’s foot in order to find the correct size in his chosen shoe. Then she took the footbed out of the shoe and had Hunter stand on it, matching his heel to the back of the insole. She was looking to see how much extra space was left around his toes before he even tried them on. Once she could see there was ample room for growth, Hunter slid his feet in. As the associate laced up the shoes she told us what she looks for: “so you’re checking for how much room is around the toes. You don’t want the toes to be pushing on the end of the shoes. You want room to grow in there and a nice fit with no bulging or anything.”

At Becker Shoes, all sales associates are Pro-Care Fit Specialists. That means they’re trained and qualified in foot fitting, measuring and the general assessment of feet in order to recommend the ideal footwear for your feet. We do our best to make sure your footwear choice keeps your feet healthy and won’t limit what you’ll be able to wear in the future.

While Hunter was having his shoes laced up, the associate noticed that Hunter had a narrow heel. Sometimes narrow heels can slip in and out of a pair of shoes, so she tied the laces through the extra hole at the top of the shoe before she had Hunter try them on. “If you go with the extra holes at the top,” she explained,” it keeps the heels from slipping. Your child will get better support by having the shoes laced up higher.” What an easy way to stop heels from slipping!

Hunter was eager to get up and try the shoes, so he took a walk around the store. Taking a walk in a pair of shoes (with socks on like your child would at school) is a great way to see if heels are slipping and if the toes have enough wiggle room. Plus, it will give your child a good idea of how the shoes will feel at school. Hunter was jogging, running and jumping around the store in a matter of seconds. Thumbs up!

Mom suggested it may be a good idea for Hunter to wear his new digs around at home before he goes to school to break them in. But, the associate mentioned that breaking in shoes to prevent blisters or discomfort isn’t completely necessary. “New shoes are always going to be stiff and more structured at the beginning and they will break in eventually as they’re worn, but they should feel good right from the beginning if they fit correctly in all the right places”, she said. If anything, children are usually super excited to wear their new shoes – so wearing them around at home is a feel-good way for them to simply get used to them.

You may be wondering what the best month to shop for your children’s back to school shoes is. “With most people with kids needing a new pair of shoes at the same time,” said the associate, “visiting your local Becker Shoes in early August is best. That will ensure you get the colours and sizes you like. If your store doesn’t have the size or colour you like, we can order in a different style from another store for you (which takes about a week).” It’s also suggested that kids bring home their indoor shoes over Christmas or March Break. “It’s surprising how much the kids will grow! Sometimes, they can go up 2-3 sizes in a year. A great way to check and see if they need new shoes is to either feel the toe or take out the insole and see where they’re standing. Your kids shouldn’t have their toes pushing out the ends of the shoes. That’s when growing feet can start to grow in an unhealthy way and cause problems down the road”, mentioned the associate. Sharing shoes that have moulded to someone else’s feet can be detrimental to the health of growing feet, too. It’s imperative that shoes fit properly in every which way, especially for growing feet!

With all this talk about fit and laces, don’t worry if your child just learned how to tie his or her shoes over the summer. Becker Shoes has some affordable and nifty laces and bungee lacing systems to help you (and the teachers) out!

After watching Hunter find a great pair of back to school shoes, here’s what we learned:

1. Make sure you know if your child’s school has any requirements related to footwear (indoor shoes versus outdoor shoes, non-marking soles, etc.)
2. Have your child wear socks or bring a pair along (if you forget, most stores will have socks ready for trying-on purposes)
3. If your child has insoles, bring them along to gauge how they feel and fit into a new pair
4. For narrow heels that may slip out, lace your shoes using the very top holes for extra support and a snugger fit
5. Take a walk, jump, or lightly jog around in the new pair of shoes to make sure they feel supportive and comfy
6. If the shoes fit properly, they shouldn’t need to be broken in to prevent blisters or foot pain
7. Children can outgrow a pair of shoes a few times over in a year (depending on age and genetics)
8. Foot health is very important for growing feet – do your best to make sure your child doesn’t share shoes and that they get a new pair before their toes have poked out the front!
9. Visit your local store to try on back to school shoes in early August for the best selection
10. Ask your child to bring their shoes home at Christmas and March Break to make sure they still fit

Hopefully we’ve helped you learn more about what to expect when taking your children back to school shoe shopping. If you have any questions or comments, leave them below!