Anonymous wrote:If you buy Stride Rite shoes for your kid, the inner sole comes out and and can be used as a sizer. It has a line near the toes to show if it is time to size up. If they get a hole in them they will also replace it with same size/cost shoe for free.

I had no idea, thank you so much for this tip!!!

My 20 month old gets shoes about every 2-3 months. Are feet having been growing like crazy 1/2 a size every 2-3 months. I take her to get measured at Stride Rite to make sure she isn't wearing shoes too small.

If you buy Stride Rite shoes for your kid, the inner sole comes out and and can be used as a sizer. It has a line near the toes to show if it is time to size up. If they get a hole in them they will also replace it with same size/cost shoe for free.

My kids sneakers last roughly a year. I get them sized more often than that because we are buying boots, sandals, etc. but they wear sneakers year round and the ones they are currently wearing were purchased last March. I keep waiting for their feet to grow.

They are 4 and 7 but this has been true for years.

Ugh...shoes were my nightmare. Because I doubted my ability to size my son's feet, I had him sized by a children's shoe store on Lee Hwy. in Arlington (forget the name, but y'all know it), and I walked out feeling like the employee was going to tell me anything in order to sell me something. E.g. she said he had no toe room left in his current shoes, but when I showed her there was still 1/2" of room, she sort of acquiesced. It was then I realized she didn't know any more than I was able to learn.

Now I go online, print out the manufacturer's sizing chart, stand him on it and mark his feet. There is no hard and fast rule about how long a child should stay in one size; it all depends on growth rate. So you just need to keep checking the toe box for room (while s/he's standing), seeing if the shoes are pinching anywhere, looking for red marks when you take their shoes off, etc.

Five or six months is pretty long to keep a 2-yo in one pair of shoes. We were told to have feet sized every 3 months until he turned 3 and now it's every 4 months. I have an active one, so typically the shoes are pretty destroyed by 4 months anyway.

Anonymous wrote:Timely, OP. We happened to be at stride rite (which is usually pretty inconvenient to get to) and my 2 YOs shoes fit perfectly fine. He's a 7.5 and they measured his feet at an 8 and so she shoe person put him in 8.5s and checked the toe, etc.

So now we have the next proper size for him to get used to and also a backup pair for now and don't have to stress about getting to the shoe store this spring.

I don't really like buying "up" in size because I want my kid's shoes to fit. But I think the salespeople go large because shoppers don't want their kids to grow out of their shoes right away.

Pp here about buying up. Just wanted to point out that stride rite takes back returns from the prior year. I buy them, throw the receipt in the bag a d store them with the seasons clothes for the following year and if they don't fit the next year, I return them

Timely, OP. We happened to be at stride rite (which is usually pretty inconvenient to get to) and my 2 YOs shoes fit perfectly fine. He's a 7.5 and they measured his feet at an 8 and so she shoe person put him in 8.5s and checked the toe, etc.

So now we have the next proper size for him to get used to and also a backup pair for now and don't have to stress about getting to the shoe store this spring.

I don't really like buying "up" in size because I want my kid's shoes to fit. But I think the salespeople go large because shoppers don't want their kids to grow out of their shoes right away.

Agree that you should get your child sized.

Early on, we were told to change shoes every three months. But around 2.5-2.75 years old, the shoes lasted longer (5 months) because he wasn't growing as fast. And those shoes stretched out so they were looser.

Now, at 2.75 yrs old, we were told to expect the shoes to last approximately six months.

You should get your toddler sized regularly -- have it done professionally. You don't want your toddler wearing shoes which are too small.

Does "beat up" mean holes that go all the way through? If not, don't buy new shoes until he either out grows them or they are out of season. Unless, of course, you don't mind spending the money.

We buy up a size at the beginning of the season. I make sure they rotate the shoes they wear so one pair doesn't take the brunt of the wear. I only buy shoes mid season when they are on a huge sale and they are for the following year.

My 2-year-old has had "winter" shoes since late November, and they are starting to get beat up. I'm wondering if I should get another warm pair before spring and if I should go up in size.
He now wears a 7, but wore a 6 last summer. I am somewhat guessing size but it seems like he has the right amount of room.
Can you share your child's size and shoe progression.