From their very first steps, finding the right fit is essential when it comes to your little one’s shoes. Everything is a child’s shoe is considered. From the rubber soles, made to limit tripping and other accidents, to the soft fabric such as leather or suede build for comfort and can mould appropriately to the foot as it grows Not only is this important to help your child as they begin to walk, but it is necessary to avoid any aches or pains from bad-fitting shoes.
Learn how to measure your baby or child’s feet in this guide and find the right pair for your little one. This guide comes with conversions to help when purchasing shoes from outside of the UK. For guidance on clothes sizing, please visit our page here.
How to Measure a Child's Foot
Feet Measuring Methods
Shoe Measuring Q&A
Children Shoe Size Chart & Conversion
More About Pepa London Shoes
Why is it Important to Get the Right Size for Your Child’s Feet?
1. Find a ruler, pen and a piece of paper.
2. Tape the paper to the ground to place your child’s foot.
3. Make sure your child is barefoot, standing straight with toes spread. This is so the weight is distributed evenly across the feet. If not, the feet won’t spread, and you may measure too small.
4. Draw a line behind their heel, making sure you keep the pen/pencil vertical, and another line in front of their longest toe.
5. Measure the distance between the lines in centimetres.
6. Measure both feet!
THE LENGTH
Measuring
THE WIDTH
Measuring
This is just as important as the length. Following the same rules as measuring length, with your child barefoot and standing straight, use a tape measure to measure the widest part of the foot – this is the ball of the foot around the base of the toes. use this measurement and our chart to help find the perfect fit.
FEET MEASURING METHODS
Use the classic old-fashioned paper and pen technique above for a quick and easy foot measure.
Turn shoe sizing into a game to avoid any potential tantrums – have your child line up against the wall and do their height chart at the same time. Or have them stand on a flat chair or even the table – they’ll love the idea of doing something new which is usually frowned upon.
Try foot painting as another fun alternative – this is especially good for toddlers prone to tantrums and fidgeting. Take a nice clean foot print copy with you when shoe shopping – sneaky but effective.
SHOE MEASURING Q&A
Children Shoe Size Chart
Follow our children shoe size chart for an easy guide to sizing.
|
EU Size |
UK Size |
US Size |
JP Size |
Length |
AGE Approx |
|
17 |
1 |
2 |
10 |
10.8 cm |
4-7 months |
|
18 |
2 |
3 |
11 |
11.7 cm |
7-9 months |
|
19 |
3 |
4 |
12 |
12.3 cm |
9-11 month |
|
20 |
4 |
5 |
13 |
12.5 cm |
11-12 months |
|
21 |
4.5 |
5.5 |
13.5 |
13 cm |
12-18 months |
|
22 |
5 |
6 |
14 |
13.5 cm |
18-24 months |
|
23 |
6 |
7 |
14.5 |
14.5 cm |
2 years |
|
24 |
7 |
8 |
15 |
15 cm |
2-3 years |
|
25 |
8 |
9 |
15.5 |
15.5 cm |
3 years |
|
26 |
8.5 |
9.5 |
16 |
16.5 cm |
3-4 years |
|
27 |
9 |
10 |
16.5 |
17 cm |
4 years |
|
28 |
10 |
11 |
17 |
17.5 cm |
5 years |
|
29 |
11 |
12 |
18 |
19 cm |
5-6 years |
|
30 |
12 |
13 |
18.5 |
19.5 cm |
6 years |
|
31 |
12.5 |
13.5 |
19 |
20 cm |
6-7 years |
|
32 |
13.5 |
1.5 |
19.5 |
20.5 cm |
7 years |
|
33 |
1 |
2 |
20 |
21 cm |
7-8 years |
|
34 |
2 |
2.5 |
21 |
22 cm |
8 years |
We have a number of staple styles and fabrics we use in our shoes. Not only are they high quality and therefore durable, they’re made with growing feet in mind.
Pram Shoes for Babies
Pram Shoes are made with the tiniest feet in mind. They have a soft sole for easy crawling and ultimate comfort. They can be used as your baby begins to start walking to help strength the muscles and bones in the feet. Our pram shoes are made from the softest suede or leather and are available in T-Bar and Mary-Jane styles. These are with a soft fabric sole, perfect for crawling and when your baby is first finding their feet. This is to help your baby strength the bones and muscles in the foot.
We start from size 17EU and stock pram shoes up to 20EU depending on the style and collection.
Shoes for Toddlers
Our Baby Shoe Collection is available from 20EU to 24EU and have a hard rubber sole, perfect for when your little one has just started walking. They are extremely similar to the pram shoes, just one level up.
Shoes for Children
We size up to 8 years in our shoes as well as our clothing. From 4 years to 8 years – 21EU to 34EU - these are hard-soled shoes for confident walkers. They are available in more designs as your child develops their own sense of style. They are still a rubber sole, just slightly more robust.
Mary-Janes
Mary-Janes are a classic style for baby girls, baby boys, and older girls. We have these in leather and suede in multiple seasonal colours for every collection. They are available in pram shoes, baby and toddler shoes, and our girl's shoe collection up to 8 years old.
The sole changes from soft fabric for babies, soft rubber for toddlers and a harder rubber sole for girls. For all sizes, there is an easy popper button. For babies and toddlers, there’s detailed stitching around the foot, whereas girls have a more classic plain design.
Charlottes and Ballerinas
Our Charlotte & Ballerina Shoes are designed for older girls, from 4 – 8 years. The Charlotte Shoe is similar to our T-Bar collection, but with larger gaps. It is fastened with a buckle to ensure a secure fit. This style is appropriate for older girls while babies and toddlers require a little more support surrounding their feet.
Our Ballerina Shoes are a more fashion-forward design for #littlepepas who like to develop their own sense of style. The slip-on style is secured comfortably onto the feet with a delicate bow detail.
Both our Charlotte and Ballerina shoes are available in multiple seasonal colours and are designed using high-quality leather and suede."
T-Bars
The T-Bar Shoe style is very similar to our girls Charlotte shoe, but specifically designed for smaller feet. The T-Bar shoe features additional fabric around the front to offer more support for growing and newly moving feet. While more popular for boys, the T-Bar range can be styled for a girls look too. These shoes are made from the highest quality leather and suede for choice and a range of colours for the seasons. The T-Bar shoe is also available in a soft sole Pram Shoe for newly moving babies and a soft rubber sole Baby Shoe for wriggly toddlers.
Lace-ups
Our lace-up shoes are reserved for the celebration collection. They are high quality leather and often in light colours suitable for special occasions such as weddings.
Boots
Our traditional boots are an Autumn and Winter favourite. We only use the finest leather and suede for longevity through the cooler months. These are available in baby sizing up to 8 years in both boy and girl styles. As these are seasonal, they are often a trendsetting style.
Loafers and Boat Shoes
Loafer and boat shoes are traditional boy shoes for children aged 4 years to 8 years, and the equivalent to the Charlotte and Ballerina summer styles for girls. They are made from leather or suede and have exquisite detailing including a bow and stitching around the front. They are a formal style suitable for formal/special occasions.
Plimsolls
The plimsolls are a summer staple made from fabric with a white rubber sole and cap. They are unisex and available in a range of colours starting in baby sizing up to girls and boys.
Some of our styles come in unisex and we say that all of our items are generally true to size. Of course, every child is different! Whilst we give guidelines of the sizing and ages, some Little Pepas grow faster than others and vice versa.
A common misconception is to get a bigger size in the hope for the shoes to last longer and to save you the hassle and money of frequent shoe shopping. However, for your child’s safety, it is important to find the perfect fit.
It’s worth saying that being in-between sizes isn’t the end of the world – in this case go for the size bigger. Just as long as it is comfortable for the child as well.
Getting the right sized shoes helps the healthy development of your child’s feet from newborn into their school years. This is particularly important when toddlers learn how to walk.
Children’s feet grow so fast due to soft cartilage that require well-fitting shoes which are sturdy and can be worn all day. Rubber soles give clumsy walkers necessary grip and soft fabric to mould to the child’s foot. Ill-fitting shoes, especially at a young age, can emphasise and worsen existing feet problems, such as flat feet, or cause ingrown toenails.
Most toddlers will be flat-footed when they begin walking so the correct shoes are needed for the bones and muscles to strengthen correctly. This is the same for walking with the feet turned inwards.
Some Science…
There are 26 bones and 35 joints in each foot. A baby’s foot has additional fat for necessary padding and this is why soft soles are important – it helps to improve growth!
By the time your child moves to rubber soles, they should be fairly stable. Rubber soles offer flexibility and more movement – the more movement, the more your child can continue strengthening the all-important bones and muscles.