When the time comes to buy your young child their first pair of shoes you may be at a loss to know what the important features are that you should be looking out for and whether it is necessary for them to wear shoes when they have just started walking.
Research has shown that children’s feet develop better if they walk barefoot as toddlers so it is usually only when they need to walk outside that you will need to contemplate buying shoes.
The first shoes should be made of a soft, pliable material and be flexible enough to allow room for the feet to grow. Often these first shoes have rubberised toecaps as children of this age may still resort to crawling at times meaning that ordinary shoes could easily become scuffed.
It is sensible to have your child’s feet professionally measured to ensure they are the correct length and width and allow plenty of room for growth. Although buying from a reputable shoe stockist will be more costly, you will be guaranteed a good fit and a superior product.
Should your child have particularly wide feet, a specialist shoe shop should be able to source the appropriate footwear needed in this case.