Do Your Kids' Shoes Measure Up?

Did you know there are 26 bones in the adult human foot? But there’s only a single bone in a newborn’s foot. The rest is cartilage.

I didn’t know this either until I met Bobby Lozier, Store Manager Hawley Lane Shoes in Norwalk. I strolled in recently with my four-year-old daughter, looking for a pair of shoes we could both agree on. See, she’s stuck on sparkles and blinking lights, while I’d rather she wear something a little more practical, at least as far as fit is concerned.

And according to Bobby, I might just be onto something.

“Sure, cute is fine,” Bobby tells me. “But children’s feet need support. You find that from the forefoot to the heel of a shoe. And not every shoe has it.”

So, no sparkles?

“You can definitely find a shoe that is fashionable and still offers support,” Bobby says. “But the glitter-heavy shoe is a special shoe, a Wednesday shoe or a Friday shoe. But maybe not an everyday shoe.”

So what should a mom look for when it comes to outfitting her kids’ feet?

“First, you want to make sure you measure both feet,” Bobby says. “Because one foot is always bigger than the other. But you never know which. It’s a myth that if you’re right handed, your right foot is bigger. Not true. You need to measure both. You also want to look at the arch, the width and make sure there’s enough room -- about a half inch -- in the front.”

With summer just around the corner, I know my daughter will be begging for flip flops. So, I ask Bobby what he thinks about those.

“Flip flops are fine for the beach,” Bobby says. “But there are plenty of shoes that offer more support, that are closed around the heel and can go from park to beach easily. They can even go in the water. For the youngest kids, support is really key.”

Hawley Lane is located 499 Westport Avenue in Norwalk.

What are your biggest concerns when buying shoes for your kids? Are you focused on fit? Or are you more inclined to buy them whatever they’ll wear? Leave your comments here, or email me at mmorelli@mainstreetconnect.us.

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