When to Buy First Pair of Shoes for My Baby?
From newborns to teens, kids of various ages have different needs for foot care. Since newborns don’t have bones in their feet, even tight socks may damage the cartilage which is surrounded by flesh. Pediatricians suggest that infants learn to crawl or walk barefoot before wearing first pair of shoes. The only exception would be a pair of soft shoes that are loose around toes, highly simulate barefoot conditions and bends easily while keeping kids’ feet warm and protected. Stay away from sneakers with thick soles because they’re not soft enough.

Why Kids’ Shoes and Foot Care are Important?
Baby shoes’ fitting is very important in protecting and supporting their feet. New parents may not know that kids’ feet are extremely delicate because they have very soft cartilages instead of bones or visible arch. They fully harden into adult shape at age 18. Therefore, ill-fitting shoes may damage infant’s feet by squeezing or deforming the cartilages and even affect their posture and walking style permanently.
However, according to a British survey, 91% of the children are wearing ill-fitted shoes and 89% of parents don’t know if their children’s shoes fit properly.
At Kio Trend, we understand that kids’ shoes are not just smaller versions of adult shoes. Our highly professional designers make every possible effort to guarantee that our kids’ shoes support healthy foot development for children of different ages. Besides elegant looks, every pair of Kio Trend shoes features breathable upper and flexible soles.

How Often Does My Kid Need New Shoes?
Before three years of age, children grow very fast and their feet also grow around half a size every two or three months. So check monthly if your kids’ shoes still fit well. If your kid’s feet have calluses or blisters or the toe and heel areas of bottom of the shoes are worn, it’s time to buy new ones.
From three to six years of age, children’s feet grow up half a size every four to six months

Should My Baby Wear Shoes when Learning to Crawl?
Infants grow very fast before they learn to crawl. Holding up head and sitting or rolling over by themselves are signs that they’re ready to learn to crawl! When they are able to crawl, barefoot is still the best choice for natural foot development. However, keeping barefoot is not always practical and some parents may find it difficult to keep babies’ feet from bruises or scrapes from furniture or hard objects. That’s where a pair of shoes with ample room for toe movements and flexible sole comes in.

How to Fit Children’s Shoes?
Kids’ shoes should simulate the foot shape. Infant shoes must always be wide in the front and narrow in the back. Parents had better take kids to a store to try shoes on and make sure they fit well. Before purchasing, measure both of your child's feet for proper fit.
Some parents tend to buy kids’ shoes a couple of sizes too large in order to save money. This is wrong because children are likely to trip when the heel slips out the shoe. It may also cause foot problems.
Follow these brief steps when choosing children’s shoes:

• Keep your child seated. Extend the shoes as much as possible, twist them into your child’s feet and check if the heel fits well in the back..
• After fastening the shoes, hold gently your kid’s ankle and pull the shoes in the back to check if they slip easily.
• Ask your child to fully extend both feet in standing position and make sure the toes are not curled up inside shoes and there’s no gap at the heel. Your child should always be able to wiggle toes comfortably inside shoes.
• A big ripple across the front of leather upper indicates that the shoes are too wide while absence of ripple in leather upper indicates the shoes may be too narrow.
• Have your child do a couple of laps and ask if they feel comfortable.
• Have your child’s feet measured every time you buy new shoes for him/her.

Kids’ Shoes Care Tips

• Kids should not wear the same pair of shoes for over two consecutive days otherwise the shoes might get wet and cause foot problems.
• Clean regularly to increase the life span of kids’ shoes and keep the leather material supple.
• Use a slightly damp cloth to clean the dust before polishing leather shoes. However, don’t polish leather shoes when they’re still wet.
• Use a soft brush to clean canvas shoes and brush gently.
• Don’t use a blow dryer to dry kids’ shoes, let them dry out slowly in a warm place. Filling them with paper may also help absorbing the moisture
• Try to avoid contact with chemicals, grease or rain.
• Orange peel helps get rid of odour inside shoes.

Finding a Shoe Size
When it comes to kids' shoes and baby shoes, a good fit, durability, comfort, and the approval of the child are all essential components.

For proper foot development experts recommend letting your infant go barefoot but there are times when a baby's feet will need protection, and you'll want baby shoes.

Measuring Length
Measure the length from the outside of the bottom line to the outside of the top line.  The longest is not always associated with the big toe.  For rounding up or down use the closest 16th mark.  Be careful not to round down or up to dramatically.

Measuring Width
Measure the width from the outside of the right line to the outside of the left line. For rounding up or down use the closest 16th mark.  Be careful not to round down or up to dramatically.

This outline is a convenient way to shoe shop, especially if the person is not with you.  Simply enter the cut-outs into a shoe and make sure that there is one finger space from the heel of the foot to the heel of the shoe.  Allow a 3/16th inch for socks usage.