Selecting the right footwear for your child can be hard work since their feet grow rapidly. But by learning how to measure his or her feet, getting the appropriate shoes will be as easy as teaching him or her the alphabet.
Lucy McLennan, owner of Bumps to Babes, a baby superstore, says that measuring a child's feet accurately before buying shoes is of paramount importance since ill-fitting footwear can have serious implications in later years.
Raymond Ng, owner of Dr Kong Footcare, agrees: 'If a child wears the wrong shoes, he [or she] will be more susceptible to problems with his [or her] feet in adulthood. Parents should choose footwear carefully since it is common for children to have flat feet.'
McLennan says: 'Like jelly in a mould, your baby's feet can take on whatever shape they're forced into, so shoe shapes should always match the form of the foot. In toddlers this is wide at the toe and narrow at the heel, a shape that will change as the foot develops.'
Bumps to Babes stocks a range of Start-rite, Britain's leading designer of children's fitted footwear, in varying widths ensuring the best possible fit.
'Start-rite shoes have built-in growing room to give children's toes plenty of room to develop,' McLennan says. 'There is no such thing as an 'average' foot, so every child should be individually fitted with shoes.'
Using the Start-rite foot gauge, staff at Bumps to Babes will measure both feet for length and width to give a guide to the size that your child will need. They will then advise on the style most suited to your child's feet.