Why is Footwear so Important?
A foot is not fully developed until the age of 18, this means that from the time they take their first steps until they graduate high school, a child's foot goes through a great amount of stress and change. Along the way, it's important that they wear good supportive footwear that has been fit correctly.

Why is Size Important?
A shoe that is fit with too much growing room can cause a child's foot to slip in the heal and may result in tripping and possible injury. However, a shoe that is fit with no growing room can cause just as much injury to a child's developing foot. Because every shoe that you purchase will have a tapered toe box (meaning that the front of the shoe comes to a point) you should always allow a thumb width between the end of the largest toe and the end of the shoe. Your child's foot is not shaped like a shoe, in fact the average child's foot is more square along the toe area. By not allowing any room to grow, your child's toes will crunch together and throw off their equilibrium.

What about First Shoes?
We recommend that infants who can not stand alone without support, wear only soft bottomed shoes. A soft leather upper and suede leather sole will allow your child's feet to function properly and grow without restrictions. When your child is ready for their first pair of rubber soled shoes, we recommend the most light-weight flexible design that comes in your child's size. When a child learns to walk, they learn to spread their toes apart to grip the ground and balance their weight. This is the most crucial time in a child's walking experience. It is important, especially at this age, that their toes not be forced into a pair of shoes that are too small.

How about the Second Pair?
There is nothing wrong with staying with a flexible sole, even if it is not their first pair, it is worse to go into a sole that is too stiff - too soon. Thinner soled shoes are known to also be less durable and may fall apart before the child outgrows the size. As a child gets older they will move around much more and get into a lot more. With that said, a first walking shoe is built for that first stage and will not last as long as the next advanced stage would. Until the child has been walking alone for at least 12 months they are NOT ready for thick sole running shoes. Infants and many toddlers do not pick their feet up high enough to wear these types of shoes yet.