A new campaign is urging parents to take children’s shoe fitting more seriously.
To Boot, a children’s shoe specialist based on Church Street in Great Malvern, has joined the national Fit Well, Grow Well campaign launched by The Footwear Hub, a not-for-profit organisation founded by experienced shoe fitters.
The campaign aims to raise awareness of the health risks associated with poorly fitted shoes, especially for babies, toddlers, and pre-schoolers.
Kerrie Shaw and Ruth Kiely, owners of To Boot, said: “It costs less than the price of a cup of coffee a week for a good pair of properly fitted shoes that will keep your precious child’s feet in the best of health.
“Getting it right at the vital early stages means that your child will develop their walking and movement naturally and grow to be happy, healthy, active children – as our campaign says: Fit well, grow well.”
Proper shoe fitting is essential to ensure your child will develop their walking and movement naturally (Image: The Footwear Hub)
They explained that children’s feet are made up of 26 bones, around 100 ligaments and tendons, and 33 joints, but begin life as soft, malleable cartilage.
This makes proper shoe fitting essential, as children can’t always sense when shoes are too tight or uncomfortable.
Ms Shaw and Ms Kiely said: “Feet are 3D and every foot is different; narrow ankles, shallow feet, wide feet, a high instep, all need to be put into the equation.
“It’s why buying shoes online or off the shelf without being fitted is fraught with problems.
“Like shoe fitters across the country, we are seeing children in shoes that are up to 2 sizes too small or have outgrown their shoes after only a few weeks because they were put into shoes without any growing room or are the wrong shape.”
The Footwear Hub’s new website offers practical, expert-backed advice for parents on how to check shoe fit at home and when to seek professional help.
The Malvern shop is part of a growing network of independent retailers offering professional fitting services through the Footwear Hub directory at www.footwearhub.org.
The campaign highlights that incorrectly fitted shoes can affect not just feet but overall physical development and long-term health.
