Back to school - how to choose the right footwear for a child?

Read some expert advice from the Polish Podology and Podiatry Association and esize.me 

The beginning of a school year is a busy period of preparations and purchases to assemble a school kit, needed to enter a new stage of every child’s education. It is also often the time when parents decide to change last year’s shoes of their children and buy new ones, in which they will blaze new trails, inside as well as outside the school walls. How to choose the right footwear for a kid? Here is some expert advice from the Polish Podology and Podiatry Association and esize.me (a precise foot size measurement technology). 

My child’s old shoes are still the right size, but isn’t it a good idea to already replace them with a new pair? 

- Due to intensive use, school shoes can wear out sooner than they would normally do. If you notice that the sole of a shoe has worn thin on either the inside or the outside, don’t wait and get a replacement pair. A shoe should not be tilted in any direction, as this is not good for the health of a child’s feet. Moreover, if a parent observes that his or her child’s footwear wears out unevenly – for example, one side of the soles is more deformed that the other – it’s worth considering a visit to an orthopaedist, orthopodologist or physiotherapist to check the child’s walk.  

Ilona Vollmer, Public Health,
Polish Podology and Podiatry Association,  

What should we pay attention to when choosing footwear for children? 

- A child’s foot needs footwear as a means of protection against injury and external factors. However, shoes should be chosen to match the shape and size of feet, i.e. their length and width, so the child has full freedom of movement. When choosing footwear for your child, you should pay close attention to several important things: 

• Shoes should be light, so that muscles are not overexerted. 
• Their soles should accommodate the physiological movement of feet. It is recommended that they flex at a 90-degree angle in the forefoot area (i.e. at the level of the joint connecting toes to the metatarsal). 
• Toes should have enough room to wiggle freely. Shoes should not have any parts and seams that may cause compression or irritation. 
• A shoe should fit closely the foot’s shape. Laces or Velcro fastenings are a good choice, as they help adjust shoes for a better fit. 
• Children's feet grow quickly, and shoes must be the right fit in terms of both length and width.  
• Given that children's feet are more swollen in the afternoon (by about 4%), footwear should be bought at that time of day.  
• When measuring feet, the size of the longer foot should be taken into account. A foot moves forward during each step, so room of about 12mm should be left around the toe box – 6mm for the foot to move within the shoe and 6mm for the foot to grow. 

Katarzyna Kowalska Pac, Orthopodologist,
Polish Podology and Podiatry Association 

 
How often should I buy new shoes for my child?  

- It is recommended to check the fit of shoes every 2-4 months for children aged 1-4, and every 6 months for children aged 4-6. Thanks to the esize.me system, you can precisely measure your child’s feet, including their length and width, and choose the exactly right size of footwear. 

Katarzyna Kowalska Pac, Orthopodologist,
Polish Podology and Podiatry Association 

Esize.me scanners – what is the service and where can I get a foot scan?  

- Thanks to the free esize.me service, available at CCC’s brick-and-mortar outlets and on eObuwie, you can get a professional 3D scan of your own and your child’s feet.  

It will allow you to determine their length, width and circumference, but also the instep height, which are all important parameters to take into account when it comes to choosing the right size of shoes. Our database contains 3D scans of the majority of our footwear designs to support very simple but precise selection of the right footwear, including model and size. As an added feature, the system sends a reminder to parents when it's time to get a new scan for their child. Detailed instructions on how to use our scanners during online and in-store shopping, as well as a list of outlets with esize.me devices, are available at: www.esize.me.  

Regardless of where a scan was taken, it can be used both when shopping at CCC and eObuwie, in offline stores and via our mobile applications. 

Jolanta Zielińska, Experience Design Manager,
CCC Group