Kids' Foot Facts

It takes around 24 months for a newborn's foot bones to fully develop. This makes selecting footwear that's designed specifically for a baby's growing feet all the more crucial in their first two years.

Feet continue to grow and strengthen into the teen years. So, your kid's tenth pair of shoes is just as important as their very first.

To catch you up to speed, here are the main stages of children's foot development.

Despite being close in age, babies and toddlers need different things from their shoes.

If you've ever watched a baby take their first deliberate steps, it won't surprise you that their feet actually hit the ground with more impact than adult feet. That's why it's so important that their shoes are built to provide maximum stability and sensory response while still offering protection.

At Stride Rite, our Soft Motion shoes are soft, lightweight and flexible to perfectly support a baby's first steps. We use anatomically correct lasts to shape our baby shoes so feet stay low to the ground and perfectly supported. Our Soft Motion collection uses rubber outsoles with multidirectional grooves to prevent slips and trips while staying flexible.

Toddlers need shoes to enhance their natural development. Whether your kid is a rookie walker or running rings around you, we recommend our SRtech shoes.

Made with special Sensory Response Technology^tm, these shoes have outsoles with sensory pods to help improve children's balance and coordination. Each shoe is comfy and lightweight to never slow them down, while being durable and supportive enough for the playground and beyond.

Kids care about style, but you care about safety. Stride Rite offers both. Find playground-ready sneakers in our Made2Play collection, which are 100% machine-washable and come with shockproof soles, memory foam, and antimicrobial linings. Slip-resistant rubber soles make our M2P shoes a favorite for gym class, recess and all their favorite play date activities.

Got a dress code to deal with? For kids with uniform requirements, we have school shoes for boys and girls' school shoes in classic yet stylish designs, all featuring our signature durability, comfort and Seal of Approval from the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA).

When it comes to picking the best kids' shoes, it's really all about fit. You want shoes designed with real kids in mind. Look for rubber soles that are lightweight and flexible, but still offer optimal shock absorption and slip resistance. The shoes should have rounded edges that match the natural shape of kids' feet.

Look through our SRtech and Made2Play collections for some great choices.

No. We strongly discourage parents from putting their children in used shoes. After a shoe has been worn by one kid for a while, it forms to the shape of their specific foot. Kids' feet need proper support to promote healthy development and avoid foot problems down the road – putting them in shoes that are already worn down in places puts them at risk for the wrong kind of support.

Kids often have flat feet until their fifth birthday. It takes that long for the foot muscles to develop and lift the arch naturally. That's why it's so important to buy shoes that enhance a child's ability to sense and respond to the ground beneath them.

Shoes that claim to be designed for flat-footed children are often misleading or an outright myth. The best footwear for children is sized and fitted to support natural muscle and arch development. That said, you know your child best. If you sense that something is wrong or worry that your kids' feet aren't developing properly, you should consult a child podiatrist for expert advice.

Kids' arches are strengthened naturally as they learn to walk. Wearing shoes that are too thick or inflexible can inhibit proper growth and actually weaken your child's arches, increasing their odds of developing flat feet later in life – remember, many little ones have flat feet until the age of five.

If you suspect that your child has wide feet, use our Size Guide to get an accurate measurement. Stride Rite provides three different width measurements (M, W, and XW) so every size foot is properly supported.

Baby shoe sizes are usually labeled by age in months. Little kids typically wear shoes ranging from size 3.5 to size 10, and big-kid sizes start at size 10.5. Once your child outgrows their size 13.5 kids' shoes, they graduate into adult sizes. So, their next pair will likely be a size 1.

For more information on kids' shoe sizes, use our Size Guide.

Generally, baby shoes are sized by age in months. But before you buy new shoes for those itty-bitty feet, use our Size Guide to measure their feet accurately and determine the proper size – some babies grow faster than others!

Our Soft Motion shoes for babies are sized by length and width to ensure a perfect fit.

All children grow at different rates. So, we always recommend measuring your kid's feet prior to ordering a new pair of Stride Rite shoes. If you're buying shoes as a gift, your best bet is asking the child's parents for their shoe size.

Stride Rite does have a returns and exchange policy. You can send shoes back within 45 days with the original receipt for a full refund, unless the purchase was marked final sale.

Your child's shoe size depends on the length and circumference of their foot. Consult our Size Guide for at-home measuring tools and how-to videos.

It's best to bring your child to a Stride Rite location for a professional in-store fitting. You can also measure your child's feet at home with our guided or tracing methods. Visit our Size Guide to learn how.

Just like adult shoes, kids' shoes in Europe and the UK are sized differently than shoes sold in the US. Generally, baby shoes in the UK are labeled a full size smaller than their US counterparts. The exception is US baby size 1, which are a size 0.5 in the UK.

European baby shoes range from whole sizes 16-30. European shoes for toddlers start at adult size 23 and continue to increase by half sizes until they are fully grown.

If you're buying Stride Rite shoes from the UK, you'll generally want to order one size up. If you're in Europe, use a European shoe size conversion chart to check the corresponding US size, or contact a Stride Rite team member for support.

Parents need to examine their children's new shoes for adequate length and width, toe shape, support, and ease of movement.

Children's feet can grow half a size or more every 2 to 4 months. Measure your kid's feet every two months to ensure their shoes are still fitting well.

Stride Rite footwear is designed for maximum durability and made from high-quality materials. Before we release any new shoes to the public, they undergo vigorous testing to ensure they'll stand up to whatever abuse your little one puts them through.

Of course, most kids outgrow their shoes before they're too worn to wear! If your child starts complaining of foot pain or discomfort, it could be a sign that their shoes no longer fit. And if the soles on your kid's shoes develop holes, it's definitely time to grab a new pair.

Find all the best kids' shoes online at Stride Rite! To try on shoes in person, visit a Stride Rite store near you, and get sizing help from our trained staff.