How much bigger should new children's shoes be?

When you buy new children's shoes, the question always arises as to how much bigger they should be? The child's shoes must be comfortable, otherwise the child does not want to use them. As a parent, you also want the children's shoes to last for a while, so that the child does not grow out of them immediately. So how much bigger should new children's shoes be?

The length of the foot and the approximate size

The length of the child's foot and the approximate size is a good rule as a starting point, but the shoe sizes differ in inner length a lot. So let's say one brands size 23 can be up to two cm bigger than other brands size 23. They can even differ within the same brand, so always pay attention to the size guide and inner measurements.

An important thing to keep in mind here is that children usually start walking when their feet have become 8 to 12 cm long, and the more insecure the child's steps are, the more important the fit is. The foot should not have to grow to fit the shoe, the shoe must be adapted to the foot!

Inner dimensions and size of children's shoes

In the beginning, 1 cm of extra space in front of the toes can be enough, then you can increase as the child gets stronger muscles and becomes more stable on the feet. Always make sure that the size of the shoe is not too large, a small child can not bend his toes to keep too large shoes in place. Therefore, chose the shoes that are  max. 1.5 cm longer than the feet. Optimal adaptation of the shoe to the foot is an investment in the child's healthy development. 

Shoe size and foot length

Let us assume that the child's foot is ten cm long. A common recommendation is to have 1.5 cm extra space in front of the toes, which corresponds to 15% of the size of the foot. In an adult with 30 cm long feet, this corresponds to a full 4.5 cm credit. No adult would put such oversized shoes on their feet.

When choosing shoes for children who are already able to walk stably, you should think about what type of children's shoes it is about. But no matter how old the child is, the shoes become too tight if the space at the toes is less than 0.5 cm.

This much bigger new children's shoes should be:

A child's feet grow fast. Between 1-2 years they grow about 2 cm / year, from 2-3 years the feet grow about 1.5 cm / year, while between 3-11 years they grow about 1 cm / year. However, different types of children's shoes tend to need different extra space.

• Sneakers and walk shoes – ca 1.5 cm
• Ballerina shoes - about 1 cm
• Sandals with open toe - about 1 cm
• Sandals with closed toe - about 1 cm (sometimes works with 1.5 depending on the fit)
• Thin-lined autumn & spring shoes - approx. 1.5 cm
• Warm-lined autumn & spring shoes - approx. 1.5 cm
• Winter shoes & boots - approx. 1.5 cm (sometimes works with 2cm if the feet are wide or you use an extra wool sole) 

Size guide for children's shoes - this size corresponds to the child's foot length

• 110 - 115 mm – Stl 20
• 115 - 120 mm – Stl 21
• 120 - 130 mm – Stl 22
• 130 - 140 mm – Stl 23
• 140 - 145 mm – Stl 24
• 145 - 150 mm – Stl 25
• 150 - 155 mm – Stl 26
• 155 - 160 mm – Stl 27
• 160 - 170 mm – Stl 28
• 170 - 180 mm – Stl 29
• 180 - 185 mm – Stl 30
• 185 - 190 mm – Stl 31
• 190 - 200 mm – Stl 32
• 200 - 205 mm – Stl 33
• 205 - 210 mm – Stl 34
• 210 - 215 mm – Stl 35
• 215 - 225 mm – Stl 36
• 225 - 230 mm – Stl 37
• 230 - 235 mm – Stl 38
• 235 - 240 mm – Stl 39
• 240 - 245 mm – Stl 40

Parts of this blog article are included in Aftonbladet's article on how to choose the right shoe size for your child, in which Promenix is interviewed and tells about good children's shoes and barefoot shoes.