Up to 80 % of preschool children wear indoor shoes that do not fit

How do you choose children's indoor shoes in the right size? Here is how to measure a child's foot at home and what to watch out for when picking barefoot indoor shoes.

Choosing children's indoor shoes often comes down to colour, a tempting pattern or a low price. The actual size, shape and toe room get left aside, even though children spend several hours a day in them. Together with movement instructor Klára Rampáčková, who visits nurseries across the Czech Republic as part of her Healthy Steps Forward prevention programme, we looked at why the choice matters more than it seems, and what to pay attention to.

What nurseries actually look like

During her visits to nurseries, Rampáčková observes children's movement patterns, posture and foot function - and that usually includes checking the shoes they wear in the classroom. From her own practice she estimates that she sees poorly fitting indoor shoes on up to 80 % of children. As she adds herself: „This is not the result of an academic study, but my repeated observation“ in the nurseries she visits.

The most common thing she sees is a child whose indoor shoes are right at the limit, with no room to grow. The opposite extreme is a problem too, when the shoes are far too big.

Why size matters

A child's foot is still developing, so poorly fitting indoor shoes are not just a matter of comfort. Shoes that are too small or too narrow press the toes together and restrict their natural movement; worn day after day they create poor conditions for how the foot works and can contribute to problems with toe alignment.

The opposite can be a problem as well. Parents sometimes choose a bigger size hoping it will last longer - but then the shoes do not stay on the foot, they slip off at the heel and the foot slides inside. The child unconsciously grips with the toes or changes the way it walks so the shoes stay on. Walking becomes less sure and the child trips more often.

What to look for in indoor shoes

So how do you choose indoor shoes that protect a child's foot without restricting it? The ideal pair should:

• match the length, width and shape of the foot,
• leave the toes enough room,
• hold the heel well so it does not slip out,
• have a fastening that holds the foot reliably without cutting into the instep or leaving pressure marks,
• have a thin and flexible sole with no heel.

Room to grow matters too - the gap between the longest toe and the tip of the shoe, usually around 7 to 12 mm for nursery-age children, depending on age, stability and the design of the shoe.

Light, breathable indoor shoes with a reasonably flexible sole work well. Rampáčková does not recommend soft „plush“ slippers, in which the foot sits badly and sweats more, nor models with a heel or a narrow toe box. Trainers are common in nurseries as well - but as all-day footwear she does not consider them ideal, especially if they are heavy, stiff and do not breathe.

Barefoot yes, but it has to fit

Parents are taking more and more interest in children's footwear, and nurseries are seeing more barefoot indoor shoes and models with a roomy, anatomically shaped toe box. Many parents choose them convinced they are automatically the best option for a child's foot.

But barefoot indoor shoes must meet the same requirements as above - they must match the length, width, shape of the foot and the height of the instep. The label “barefoot” guarantees nothing on its own; what decides is whether they fit the child well and allow natural, confident movement.

You can find the right size at home in a few minutes

Accurate measuring is the foundation - a shoe is not bought by age or by last year's number, but by the current length and width of the foot. Do it like this:

• Measure the child barefoot, standing on a hard floor, with the weight evenly on both feet. Always measure both feet, they can differ by several millimetres.
• Use a good measuring device, ideally PLUS12 - it measures the foot precisely and gives you the recommended shoe size straight away, because it already includes 12 mm of growing room.
• No measuring device? A cardboard box will do. Press the heel and the ball of the big toe gently against the side of the box, mark the longest toe and the width at right angles with a pencil, and measure the distances with a ruler. Then add the growing room to the measured length.
• Choose shoes according to the size charts of each manufacturer.

With preschool children, re-measure the feet roughly every two to three months, because at this age they grow unevenly.

Still not sure? The most reliable option is a visit to a shop that specialises in children's footwear, where they will measure the foot and help you choose the right shape and size.

Our tip: barefoot indoor shoes

If you want to try barefoot indoor shoes, here is a tip straight from us: children's indoor shoes from the Czech brand RAYVE.

RAYVE indoor shoes have a firm heel counter, a wide toe box and an anatomical shape, they close with hook-and-loop so children can put them on themselves, and they fit children with a narrower foot, a higher instep or a narrow heel. They also come in playful patterns with unicorns, kittens or cars.

For children with an average instep there are the classic RAYVE SLIPPERS with a textile hook-and-loop strap. The RAYVE SLIPPERS ELASTIC model adds a wide sewn-in elastic band across the instep combined with the strap, so it adapts better to both lower and higher insteps.

The newest addition from RAYVE is the JOY model, made for children with a wider foot. It also has a durable toe bumper and a cupped sole, so it stands up better to abrasion and daily wear. The shoes come in several colourways with different printed patterns, so every child will find something.

Here too, the same applies as Klára Rampáčková advises: what always decides is how a particular pair fits your child's particular foot - ideally verified by measuring or trying them on.

Before you buy the next pair..

Children wear indoor shoes for hours every day, which is why they deserve the same attention as outdoor footwear. The safest route is to measure the feet and try the shoes on with the child, rather than guessing from age or the size printed on the box. The right size and shape are not an added detail, they are the basis on which the foot can develop as it should.

This article was written in cooperation with Klára Rampáčková, a movement instructor focusing on preschool and younger school-age children. She is the author of the Healthy Steps Forward prevention programme, which takes her to schools across the Czech Republic, and under the Instruktorka pohybu brand she works on educating parents about children's movement, posture and foot function.