Kids. Constantly growing, it can be difficult to keep them in good shoes. It’s even harder when they are complaining that the shoes are ‘too scratchy’ or that they ‘feel like cactus needles.’ The good news is that many of your child’s shoe problems can be fixed by making sure they are wearing the correct shoe size.

When Is It Time to Get the Kids New Shoes?

Children’s feet can grow quickly and figuring out when it’s time to replace your little one’s shoes is easy!

When checking to see if their current shoes still fit, press down with your thumb on the front of their shoes to make sure there is a comfortable gap, approximately a thumb’s width, between the toes and the end of the shoe. If there’s not even a pinky’s width of room left, they’ve grown out of that size and they are ready for new shoes!

If you’re still unsure if their shoes fit, watch how they walk. Do they walk like they normally do, or are they more tender with their steps? Have your child walk around, jump, and anything else they like to do, and ask them how their shoes feel during and after. It’s normal for some kinds of shoes to feel stiff, but it’s never normal for them to pinch or hurt.