What you need to know about buying school shoes

The annual back to school period is a hectic time for parents and children. The long list of supplies and uniforms can go on forever, balancing this with your kid wanting the latest and greatest in everything, can add up to a fairly stressful few days. Adding in the need to buy school shoes can make the whole exercise one big headache.

Below is a list of things to know and tricks you should arm yourself with before entering the yearly battle to find the best school shoe for your kids:

• Pick your stores wisely: There are hundreds of different stores you can choose from when purchasing your child’s next pair of school shoes. Don’t be fooled by the huge lines and sale prices though, you need to ensure the staff these stores employ are correctly trained to fit your children’s feet, don’t be afraid to ask the store manager if their staff get specific training to fit kids and if not, go somewhere else.

• Check the fit yourself: The best trick to see if your kid’s feet are too big or too small for the shoe size the fitting technician is suggesting is to take the inner sole out of the shoe and place the child’s foot on top of it. Make sure they’re standing when you measure and ensure there is around a thumbs-width before the longest toe hits the end and that no part of your child’s foot fall over the edge to avoid rubbing.

• Ask questions: There are some fundamental questions parents should ask the fitting technician when their kids are trying on school shoes. These include: does this shoe best fit my child’s everyday needs? What materials is this shoe made from? Selecting a shoe that is inappropriate to your child’s needs is a fundamental cause for excessive wear and tear. Similarly, as compared to most artificial leathers, full grain leathers are much more breathable, and wear nicely over time.

• Listen: If your child is complaining about tightness, rubbing or pain, it’s best to investigate what the cause is. The shoes may be too narrow or the wrong shape for their foot. Use the innersole method I mentioned above and ask the technician if there are more options your child can try on.

• Compromise: Does your child like the shoe you are going to buy them? If not, you may need to prepare yourself for the daily battle that will commence every time it comes to putting their school shoes on. A shoe that they love aesthetically and functionally, will always be happily worn.

Buying school shoes can be a trying process, as a podiatrist we see kids and parents come in to the clinic for a range of issues, however we have always found making the process fun and relatable the easiest way to get through it. As a parent you need to ensure you are placing your kid’s feet into a shoe that is the best option for them, especially since kids spend 80% of their day in them!

To ensure your kids feet are being correctly fitted and to have your questions answer by a podiatrist, head over to our live chat on www.skobishoes.com.au.