Back to School- Top tips for choosing the right school shoes
With school holidays well underway, now is the perfect time to take your child shopping for the right school shoes.
Your child can spend over 35 hours per week in their school shoes. A good supportive school shoe should be a priority to aid their growth and development. A few factors to think about before buying new school shoes for children.
Take your child school shoe shopping
Every shoe fits differently so it’s important your child is there to make sure the shoes are comfortable in the store, if it’s not comfortable in the store it can cause a lot of pain when the child is in them for the full school day.
Children’s feet grow
Children’s feet are constantly changing size so it’s so important to have the child's feet measured properly. Incorrect fitting shoes can cause a wide range of problems including corns and callus and even change the way the child’s foot moves and function to name a few.
Examine the soles of the old shoes
Is there unusual wear on one sole of the shoe? If there is it can be beneficial to see your podiatrist before purchasing new shoes.
The following tips will ensure that your child’s feet will be appropriately supported so they can fully enjoy their time at school.
Tips for proper fitting school shoes:
Shop in the afternoon
It is best to shop for any style of shoe in the afternoon, the foot naturally swells throughout the day the more we are on our feet.
Measure and get the correct foot size
There should be a thumb’s width from your longest toe to the end of the shoe and shoe should not feel like it's squeezing the forefoot.
A firm heel counter
Press the back of the shoe and it should not move. This is important to support the ankle.
A supportive midsole
The shoe should not twist and bend in the middle.
Flexibility at the toe area
The forefoot of the shoe should only bend where the toes bend.
Please contact our friendly podiatrist, Will Delahunty at Tuggerah Medical Centre if you have and concerns about your children's feet. To book an appointment, call 4356 2588.
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