Buying kids’ shoes should be simple.

Measure the foot, choose the size, done.

Except anyone who has actually bought shoes for a toddler knows it rarely feels that straightforward.

One brand’s EU 27 can fit differently from another. A shoe can have plenty of room at the front but still feel tight through the sides. And sometimes the size that looked perfect three weeks ago suddenly refuses to go on without a wrestling match.

So, how should kids’ shoes actually fit?

The short answer is:

There should be enough room for growth, without the foot sliding around inside the shoe.

And length is only one part of that.

You also need to check the toe area, width, depth, heel and fastening.

Healthdirect Australia recommends children’s shoes that fit the natural shape of the foot, allow the toes to move freely and have roughly 1 cm between the longest toe and the end of the shoe.

Here is how to check all of it.

How much growing room should kids’ shoes have?

Around 1 cm, or 10 mm, in front of the longest toe is a useful practical starting point.

The Australian Podiatry Association recommends allowing around 1 cm of growing room between your child’s longest toe and the end of the shoe.

Healthdirect Australia gives similar advice and also makes an important point: a good fit depends on length, width and depth, not just the number printed on the box.

That does not mean more growing room is automatically better.

Buying a shoe several sizes too large because “they’ll grow into it” can leave too much movement inside the shoe.

The goal is:

room to grow + a secure overall fit.

A 2025 rapid scoping review of children’s footwear guidance also found that recommendations around things such as toe allowance and flexibility are not completely standardised. Much of the available guidance still relies on professional consensus rather than high-quality experimental evidence.

So think of 1 cm as a useful fitting guide, not a magic number that replaces checking the rest of the shoe.

Is the “thumb test” enough?

Photo by MART PRODUCTION from Pexels

You have probably seen the classic trick of pressing your thumb over the front of a child’s shoe.

It can give you a rough idea of how much space is there, but I would not rely on it alone.

Children can curl their toes when you press down, and the test tells you nothing about whether the shoe is too narrow, too shallow or slipping at the heel.

A better approach is:

1. Measure the foot.
2. Compare it with the brand’s size guide.
3. Put the shoe on.
4. Check the whole fit.

For Rafferty’s, start with our Kids’ Shoe Size Guide.

What should a properly fitting kids’ shoe feel like?

Think about the whole foot rather than just the longest toe.

A good fit should generally have:

• sensible growing room at the front
• enough space for the toes
• no obvious squeezing through the sides
• comfortable room over the instep
• a heel that stays reasonably secure
• fastening that holds the shoe without needing to be pulled extremely tight

Healthdirect specifically recommends checking length, width and depth, while Australian footwear guidance also emphasises allowing the toes to move freely.

Let’s break those down.

1. Check the toe room

Your child’s toes should have enough room to sit naturally.

They should not look:

• pushed together
• overlapping because of the shoe
• visibly squeezed along the sides
• forced toward a sharply pointed front

This is why the shape of the toe box matters.

A shoe can technically have enough length while still narrowing too much around the forefoot.

If this is the issue you keep running into, our Wide Toe Box Shoes for Kids guide explains what to look for in more detail.

2. Check the width

Width is one of the easiest things to miss.

You can have the perfect amount of space in front of the toes while the sides of the shoe are still pressing into the foot.

Look at your child’s foot while they are standing.

Check whether:

• the forefoot appears squeezed
• the sides of the foot are pressing heavily against the upper
• the little toe looks pushed inward
• repeated pressure marks appear after the shoes come off

Children’s feet can also vary considerably in shape and dimensions, which is another reason the size number alone cannot tell you whether a shoe will fit.

If you repeatedly need to buy a much longer shoe just to get enough width, the shape of the shoe may be the issue rather than the size.

Our Foot-Shaped Shoes for Kids guide goes deeper into that difference.

3. Check the heel

The heel should feel secure without being squeezed.

Let your child walk around normally.

A small amount of movement is one thing, but the heel should not repeatedly lift significantly out of the shoe.

If you notice a lot of slipping, first check the fastening.

If tightening the fastening enough to stop the heel movement makes another part of the foot uncomfortable, the size or shoe shape may not be right.

4. Check the instep

The instep is the top of the foot.

This becomes especially important for children with higher-volume feet.

You might have the right length and plenty of toe room, but the shoe can still feel tight across the top.

Look for:

• pressure from the upper
• a fastening that barely reaches
• difficulty sliding the foot into the shoe
• repeated marks across the top of the foot

Two children with the same foot length can still need different amounts of volume inside the shoe.

That is why depth matters alongside length and width.

5. Check the fastening

Whether the shoe uses Velcro, laces or another adjustable closure, the fastening should keep the foot comfortably in place.

You should not need to pull it as tight as possible just to stop the shoe moving.

Likewise, a fastening that suddenly does not reach as comfortably as it used to can be one clue that your child’s foot has changed.

For younger kids, an adjustable Velcro fastening can also make everyday shoe changes much easier.

How to measure your child’s feet for shoes at home

You do not need complicated equipment.

A sheet of paper, pencil and ruler can get you a useful measurement.

Step 1: Put on their usual socks

Measure your child wearing the type of socks they will normally wear with the shoes.

Thicker socks can change the fit.

Step 2: Have them stand up

Whenever practical, take the measurement while your child is standing naturally.

This matters because feet can become slightly longer and wider under body weight.

A study involving 2,829 children found measurable changes in both foot length and width when weight-bearing. You can read the study on PubMed.

Step 3: Measure both feet

Feet are not always exactly the same size.

Measure both and use the longer measurement when choosing a starting size.

Step 4: Measure heel to longest toe

Measure from the back of the heel to the tip of the longest toe.

And yes, the longest toe is not always the big toe.

Record the measurement in millimetres.

Step 5: Compare with the brand’s size guide

Do not automatically add a full shoe size yourself.

Different brands can build their sizing and growing allowance differently.

Use your child’s actual foot measurement and follow the individual brand’s instructions.

For Rafferty’s, use our Kids’ Shoe Size Guide.

Step 6: Check the shoe once it is on

Measurements help you choose a starting size.

They do not replace the final fit check.

Once the shoes arrive, check:

• toe room
• width
• heel security
• room over the instep
• fastening
• how your child actually walks in them

Why measure both feet?

It is normal for feet not to be perfectly identical.

One can be slightly longer or wider than the other.

If you measure only the smaller foot, the other shoe may end up too snug.

Using the larger measurement is the better starting point, then you can check the final fit on both feet.

How can you tell if kids’ shoes are too small?

Young kids are not always going to walk up to you and announce:

“Mum, I believe my current footwear has insufficient internal length.”

Unfortunately.

Sometimes they will happily keep wearing shoes they have outgrown.

Possible signs that a pair may be getting too small include:

• very little room in front of the toes
• toes looking crowded
• repeated red marks or pressure areas
• rubbing or recurring blisters
• difficulty getting the shoes on
• fastening that suddenly sits differently
• complaints of sore toes or feet
• consistently wanting one particular pair off

A peer-reviewed study comparing fitted, smaller and larger school shoes in children aged 8 to 12 found that the smaller shoes were perceived as tighter around the heel and toes and also changed some measures of foot motion.

That does not mean every red mark or complaint proves a shoe is too small.

But it is a good reason to check.

Our 7 Signs Kids’ Shoes Are Too Small guide goes through these clues in more detail.

How can you tell if kids’ shoes are too big?

Growing room is useful.

Swimming room is not.

Things worth checking include:

• significant heel slipping
• lots of empty space in front
• the foot sliding around inside
• large gaps through the sides
• fastening that needs to be pulled extremely tight
• the shoe visibly moving separately from the foot

A shoe that is too large is still the wrong size, even if your child will eventually grow into it.

The aim is to fit the child who is wearing the shoes now, with sensible allowance for growth.

What if the length looks right but the shoe still feels tight?

This is where width and depth come in.

A child may have plenty of room in front of their toes but still feel squeezed through the forefoot.

Or the width might look fine while the shoe presses across a higher instep.

Going up another size gives you extra length, but it may not solve a shape mismatch.

If you keep having to size up purely to get enough space through the sides, look at the actual outline and volume of the shoe.

Our guides to Wide Toe Box Shoes for Kids and Foot-Shaped Shoes for Kids explain this in more detail.

How often should you measure your child’s feet?

Kids’ feet can grow surprisingly quickly, especially when they are little.

The Australian Podiatry Association recommends checking sizing approximately:

• Up to age 3: every 1 to 3 months
• Ages 3 to 5: around every 4 months
• From age 5: around every 6 months

That does not mean your child automatically needs new shoes every few months.

It means it is worth checking.

Research following children between one and five years of age has also shown that shoe-size changes can happen within a matter of months, particularly in younger children.

And because kids have a habit of growing five centimetres overnight just after you bought them an entire new wardrobe, I would always recheck sooner after an obvious growth spurt.

Why do kids’ shoe sizes vary between brands?

Because the number printed on the shoe does not tell you everything about the space inside it.

Different manufacturers use different:

• shoe shapes
• lasts
• internal lengths
• widths
• depth
• allowances for growth

So an EU 26 from one brand does not guarantee exactly the same internal fit as an EU 26 from another.

This is why knowing:

“My child’s longer foot measures 160 mm.”

is usually much more useful than knowing:

“They normally wear a size 26.”

Measure first, then use the individual brand’s current chart.

What if my child has wide or chunky feet?

This came up again and again when we asked parents what made buying kids’ shoes difficult.

A lot of parents said some version of:

“My child’s feet are wide, so shoes that are long enough are often too narrow.”

Or:

“I have to size up just to get them done up.”

If this sounds familiar, focus on the shape of the shoe, not just the size.

Your child might need:

• a wider toe box
• more forefoot width
• more volume through the whole shoe
• more depth across the instep
• a more adjustable fastening

Those are not necessarily the same fit problem.

Simply going up one or two sizes to get extra width can leave you with too much empty space in front of the toes.

Length and width need to work together.

Does the type of shoe change how you check the fit?

The principles stay largely the same.

Whether you are buying a conventional sneaker, school shoe or barefoot-style shoe, you still need to check:

• length
• width
• depth
• toe room
• heel fit
• fastening

The label does not override fit.

A shoe marketed as “wide” can still be the wrong shape.

A barefoot shoe can still be too small.

A more structured shoe can still fit well.

The actual child and actual shoe matter more.

If barefoot footwear is new to you, our Beginner’s Guide to Kids’ Barefoot Shoes explains the terminology without assuming one shoe type is universally best.

When should you get your child’s feet checked professionally?

Most fitting questions can be handled by measuring the feet and checking the shoes carefully.

But footwear is not the answer to every foot or walking concern.

Speak with a qualified health professional if your child has:

• persistent foot pain
• an ongoing limp
• noticeable asymmetry
• frequent falling or tripping that concerns you
• an ongoing change in the way they walk
• a diagnosed condition that may affect footwear needs

Healthdirect Australia has further guidance about children’s feet and when medical assessment may be useful.

Shoes are not a treatment for every foot or walking concern, and different children can have very different needs.

Quick kids’ shoe fit checklist

The bottom line

A good kids’ shoe fit is not simply:

“There is a thumb’s width at the front, so we’re done.”

Look at the whole foot.

You want enough room for growth, enough width for the forefoot and toes, comfortable depth over the instep, a reasonably secure heel and fastening that keeps the shoe comfortably in place.

And keep checking.

Kids’ feet change quickly, particularly in the early years.

If you are shopping Rafferty’s, start by measuring both feet in millimetres with our Kids’ Shoe Size Guide.

If you are ready to choose a pair after measuring, you can also explore our current kids’ barefoot shoes.