The right size

Children's feet grow quickly, and size is the first thing that decides whether a shoe is comfortable. The measurement below takes a few minutes at home.

Measure in the evening

Feet spread a little over the course of the day. A measurement taken in the evening gives the foot at its widest. A size chosen from a morning measurement can feel tight by the end of the day.

How to measure the foot

1. Lay a sheet of paper on a flat floor. Have your child stand on it with the heel against the wall. It matters that the weight is on both feet.
2. Mark the tip of the longest toe on the paper. The longest toe is not always the big toe.
3. Measure the distance from the heel line to the mark in millimetres.
4. Measure both feet and work from the longer one. A few millimetres of difference between the two feet is normal.

Room in front of the toes

Add room to the length you measured: between 1 and 1.5 cm. That space stays in front of the toes and lets the shoe last a few months longer.

More than 1.5 cm and the foot slides inside the shoe. Less than 1 cm and the shoe is outgrown quickly.

The difference between one size and the next

In European sizing the step between two neighbouring sizes is fixed: the Paris point, two thirds of a centimetre, about 6.7 mm. Going up one size adds roughly 7 mm of length.

How often to measure

While a child is learning to walk, feet grow fast. Measuring every three months keeps you from being caught out.

Between measurements you can watch for: the big toe touching the front of the shoe, redness left on the heel, your child insisting on taking the shoes off.

The sizes we make

Our first-steps models run from 21 to 30. In the Barefoot series the range differs by model; the sizes produced are listed on each model's own page.

If you are unsure about the size, send us the length you measured and we will look at it together.