Natasha from Kent said: “We have big footed children! My 5 year old is a size 12.5 and my 2.5 year old is a 9. I have always assumed that there is an abundance of children with the same shoe size as my girls but it is a rarity to find many school shoes or trainers in their sizes (especially 12.5).
Though their friends all have much smaller feet and don't seem to have the same stock issues as I do. I shop at all the main retailers in kids shoes so am not limiting myself in that regard but I always end up in the same shop for kids shoes as they seem to stock a wider variety of sizes (one small step)!
Are you going to campaign for more shoes in larger sizes please?”
Yvonne from Glasgow said: “This is an issue dear to my heart! I've got 5 children – and, though the oldest are now adults, I can honestly say it was as big a problem when they were little as it is now with my youngest who is 3.
My 10 year old has size 7 feet. This means that he's in adult male shoes. Clark's do offer a few styles in the right size - but he's not too keen on them. My 7 year old has size 4 feet but is a D fitting, which means that there are seldom shoes narrow enough for her. My 13 year old has adult size 11 feet. He's a child - although he's 6' 3"...
“In short, the sizing varies from brand to brand; there is seldom sufficient stock of a suitable style, and their shoes are extortionately priced.”
“They have tried to improve things a bit and as a result they do offer a wider range of sizes - usually up to about a size 8 - but often in limited styles. Ironically, it is quite often cheaper to chose adult shoes.”
Kate Robinson from Bury said: “My main issue with my children’s feet (especially my eldest son who is now a size 5 at age 9) is that the shoe shops seem to think that the bigger the child’s feet the wider they will be. This is not true as Matthew has really narrow feet but quite large feet for his age and buying school shoes especially is a nightmare.
If he buys shoes with Velcro fasteners (which most school shoes seem to be nowadays) he has to pull them so tight the Velcro is dangling on the floor).
I also find that the larger the child’s feet the more difficult it is to purchase school shoes (especially Clarks). You want the correct fitting shoe but there doesn't ever seem to be as much in stock for children with larger shoe sizes.
Cost is also a major factor. I am paying so much more for shoes now they have bigger feet. My younger son is 6 and his feet are coming up to a size 2, which again is large for his age. Once again though he has very narrow feet and we struggle with the width.
I must say though that trainers are quite easy to purchase as I find they have a much narrower fitting. I expect children with wider feet would struggle with these.”
Joanna Shelley from London said: “My son has an H size width fitting and when it comes to school shoes we only get the choice of about two pairs and they are normally geeky looking!
With things like trainers and football boots I have to buy him them a whole size bigger in order for his wide feet to get in them. They do sell some trainers with an H fitting but they are about £36 a pair and he gets through trainers very quickly so my budget can't stretch that far. I do worry about having to buy him trainers a size too big as obviously they don't fit in the length. It would be helpful if manufacturers of trainers could make them in wider fitting in the cheap brands.”
What the experts say:
Laura West, Secretary of The Society of Shoe fitters says “These are exactly the sort of phone calls I take on a weekly basis and have done for at least the past 15 years - which is when the need for larger children’s shoes seemed to become more prevalent. The nation's physiology never stops changing - a trip to Northampton Shoe Museum will prove that when you see the various centuries of footwear laid out.
“As a nation we are getting taller, larger and sadly heavier. Our feet do not merely stop our legs fraying, they take our complete bodyweight and propel us forward. The wear and tear on our feet is enormous - and in turn they react by altering the way we walk and in turn this can affect other parts of our body. This is why we say that ill-fitting footwear affects our entire physiology.
“Children's shoe manufacturers have not taken this onboard and still generally keep their size ranges to a size 8 girls and size 9 boys with maybe the odd 9 or 10 in one or two styles.
“It is particularly girl’s shoes that present a problem as boys shoes mostly conform to certain styles, whereas girl’s shoes are more fashion driven and use varying heel heights and toe shapes. This means that a younger child may be tall and therefore have larger feet (if they didn't they would fall over!!!), but the shoes that would fit them are not aimed at their age group and may be completely unsuitable. The largest foot should always be fitted and the smaller foot padded out. Any retailer compromising by putting children in a smaller shoe just so that the smaller shoe does not slip around has no idea of the damage they are
causing. To 'fit short' is the biggest mistake a retailer or sadly a parent, can do.
“It is therefore ironic that the Inland Revenue has at least recognised the problem as over the years they have increased the size break for which VAT is payable - not that most of us feel that VAT should be added to shoes bought for children! Unfortunately a national newspaper recently extolled the virtue of adults buying children's shoes to avoid VAT. This was quite irresponsible in two respects, 1. Children's shoe shapes are as unsuitable for adults as adult footwear is unsuitable for
children (the foot shape is completely different) and 2. Reputable footwear retailers (particularly the independents) are struggling to survive as it is, if the government ever foolishly decided to add VAT to all children's footwear it would do the nations foot health more harm than good - add more pressure to the NHS in years to come.”
www.shoefitters-uk.org
MARCH 2011 • FOOTWEAR TODAY
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