Toddle Shoe Size Confusion!

Okay. When we order dance shoes we always order about 5 sizes and put them on the girls then order that shoes sizes to fit.

My daughter's ballet shoes are a ladies 6, her tap shoes are Revolution and size 4, her hip hop dance boots are size 5. I can walk into any Walmart or Payless Shoe Store and she's in a big girls size 2.

You truly cannot order shoes and stuff online unless you are very familiar with that particular brand and are willing and have the time to mail them back and forth and back and forth as many times as it takes to get a good fit.

Even when you are familiar with the brand they are not always going to be perfect. They do make mistakes and they do get a bad order every now and then.

If her foot is truly that long she should be in larger shoes. You really ought to get a sitter and take her shoe shopping to get her newer size.

Shoe stores are the only place I shop, with the kids in tow. It's really hard to know what size they are until you have them sized and they try a few shoes on. Even with my 10 and 8 year old, they have to try them on and see how they feel. It's not easy, but necessary. Even knowing my son's size, he tried on about 7 pairs last time we looked for shoes and only 2 felt good.

Okay, my almost 4 year old has a foot that is EXACTLY 6 inches long and she wears a 9 or a 10, depending on the shoe style. There is no way that your child's foot is bigger than mine and that she wears a size six, unless you are buying shoes from another country.

Either you're reading her size nines upside down or you are cramming her foot into VERY small shoes, or you are measuring wrong. The companies don't have the charts wrong. Poor kid.

"I DON'T SHOP IN STORES, end of story." You are not the only mother on earth with 3 children, and shoes need to be tried on. Did you know that you can alter the structure of a child's foot and permanently damage it by putting shoes on them that are too small? Research it, and after you see the crazy things that can happen from wearing too small shoes, perhaps you'll consent to taking the poor kid to a store.

I must be getting old but isn't it so much easier to just take your child to the store and have her fitted into a pair of shoes that actually fit?
If you can't manage your own three kids in public (really?) then go on the weekend when your husband can come with.
Online/catalog shopping is great but some things are better and more quickly/easily accomplished in person.

A lot of it depends on the brand.

Also, it's very possible you measured wrong. My Dd will be turning 4 this month, and is very tall for her age. She wears size 8-9, and her feet are just barely 6 inches long.

I would suck it up and take her to the store. My dad was a single father and used to take 4 of us (ages between 6 months and 5 years...) shopping by himself all the time. Parents do it all the time without issues. Though, if you really don't think it is possible, can't you leave the other two with their dad (or a babysitter or something) and take just the one kid to the store to be fitted? So much easier than trying to figure it out yourself, and dealing with the hassle of ordering/hoping it fits/ returning. Besides, if you NEVER take them shopping, how are they supposed to learn how to behave in hose situations?

I don't mean to sound bitchy about it, and I know it's really not the point of your question, but it dumbfound me that you can't take your kids shopping at all.

Get her measured at a shoe store. You can ruin her feet by putting the wrong size on her. If you are getting good shoes and paying a lot, go to a shoe store. That's the one thing I believe in investing in: good shoes thT fit appropriately.

I buy almost everything online too, but the sizing and fit of the varying brands of kid's shoes requires a trip to the store. It's not like clothes.
If you live in the wilderness, make a special day trip into the nearest town.
If your kids can't be managed in public (?) then I guess take them one at a time.
Otherwise be prepared wasting a lot of time and money ordering and returning a bunch of merchandise until you get exactly what you COULD get from one simple trip to a decent children's shoe store. I always went to Stride Rite, Nordstrom, or a local favorite, Howard's.

Shoes are the one thing we have to have her try on before we buy them. It varies so much between brands and sizes and whatnot. Not worth the time for returns to me.

Just wait until she moves from children's to woman's shoe sizes. A 4 may fit when a 5 is too small, but a 7 is perfect.

I agree, she has to be taken in for a measurement and fitting. Make this your exception.

To back up what Mrslavallie has said, my dad is living proof of what the wrong sized shoes can do to a child's foot. The baby toe on one of his feet is stuck permanently on top of his foot because he was forced to wear ill fitting shoes as a child. There is nothing that can be done about it now.

It would behoove you to take your child to a shoe store and have her feet measured in the store. Even then, buying online sight unseen is a bad idea. Different brands of shoes size differently. Saucony athletic shoes run small. My 7 year old wears a 2 1/2 in Saucony, but a 1 1/2 in everything else.

I'm a big believer that shoes are O. thing people HAVE to try on.
Especially a child with a growing foot.
Sorry. Unless I had my kid measured in a store, I wouldn't attempt an online shoe buy.

That's quite a variance. It could be you're reading the sizing chart wrong or it could be that her current shoes are too small. It's probably both. Shoes should be purchased with a thumb's width of room between the big toe and the end of the shoe.
Why don't you order the 7 AND the 9 and see which fits best or if she needs something in between those even. If you order from Zappos or Shoes.com, there's free shipping/returns.

I order things online too. I spend way less money this way...plus I live in a tiny town with no shopping. I print out the shoe measurement chart for kids and make them stand on it. I measure both feet to see the difference. There usually is a slight difference too! My 4 year old daughter measures 10.5. I got her a pair of size 11 shoes at a thrift store and she is swimming in them. So, I just had to order her shoes and went with the 10.5. I noticed that different brands run totally different in size...they are NOT all the same. I try to read the reviews before I decide. My only advice is you just have to return your daughter's shoes for a smaller size if they come in the mail and are way too big. It's a pain to return things but if you are ordering online there is not much else you can do!

Sometimes you just have to go to a shoe store and have their foot measured with one of those things that does length and width.
If you've got 3, then the other two stay home with a sitter or Hubby when you go get measured.
Trying on shoes is fine but once you know they will fit (with a little room to grow), you can go buy them online if the price is better or just get them there without having to worry about shipping costs.

Shoes are built on a last and each brand /size uses a different last so it is very difficult to buy shoes sight unseen unless you are buying the same shoe/size. With some companies using oversees manufacturers, there may even be more variations on that. And a company may use a different last for each shoe line they have. There is not a standard foot measurement guide for the industry. With wear, shoes may stretch to accommodate your foot size. That may be why she can still wear some of her old shoes. I would order what you think is her size and then the next size up. It the first shoe is her correct size, she can wear that now and you can save the other pair for later. If she wears the next size up shoe, then return the first pair.

There is only one way to test the fit of a shoe and that is on the foot. If you must order online you can order several sizes and send back the ones that don't fit.

I am assuming you know how to check the fit of a shoe: the length, the heel and the ball of the foot.

Buying online can be confusing. Boutique style shoes commonly use a different sizing chart. My daughter (who wears a 7) is usually listed as an 8 or 9 online when it comes to squeaky shoes. I always play it safe and try to ask the online seller for extra assistance to ensure a good fit. Otherwise, I end up having to exchange.

Yes, the charts can be wrong. My daughter was once measured at a store, the chart came out at an 11 but she was wearing a 9. The 11 was huge. My son recently measured at a 10/10 1/2. I put a 9 on and it was just too big. I got him an 8 1/2. When I come across something like this, I try to go to a store just to try on the brand and then buy online. I did this for a pair of track shoes for my daughter. Those things are expensive but I saved over $30 online vs at the store. If this is a brand that you know, then just trust what you have been doing.

I don't see how she can be that small (size 6). I have tiny, tiny kids (less than 3%) and their feet are much bigger. My 3 year old (35") is a size 8. My 4 year old (38") is a size 9. Take her to stride rite. Get her measured. Then you can go buy the correctly sized shoes online.

Width is an issue, too. Especially if they have narrow feet. My daughter has narrow feet, so finding shoes that fit are difficult. The correct length seems too big because they will fall off because they don't fit in the heel and width.

At least go to a shoe store and get her foot measured. Possibly even try on the brand you are looking at buying online. Last summer my 3 year old was complaining about his shoes hurting his feet. I wasn't going to take him with me to buy new ones but I'm glad I did. I ended up buying a pair two sizes bigger than I was going to buy!

The style of shoe also makes a big difference in how it fits the foot. My daughter has 2 or 3 different sizes that she fits into based on the style, the material, and the type of shoe it is. I think right now her snow boots, tennis shoes, dress shoes, and sandals are different sizes.

Nothing is worse then ill fitting shoes!

I too have a third, and I still don't get the shoe charts!

I too am an online shopper, but I have taken to going to a local store to have them fitted. I'm a smart girl, but it seems like every store has a different method for determining size, and it always seems like they call for bigger shoes then they need, so they end up with really big shoes. I gave up last year. I just put them all in the car and go support a local business.

When it's time to buy shoes my husband and I and all 3 kids get in the car and go together. We measure their feet right then and there and have everyone try on the shoes before we buy them. There are very few shoes I can or will buy without my kids trying them on. I have even taken all 3 kids with me to go buy shoes if my husband can't go. Get a baby sitter for the other 2 and bring the one out that needs shoes. If only one of mine needs shoes my husband will sometimes sit in the car with the other 2 while I run in and get them shoes. You can do it with 3 kids. I do it all the time.
Printing out the shoe charts from their websites aren't accurate. I wish they wouldn't offer them. It sounds like you aren't measuring right. I have seen at home shoe measuring things that are made of plastic. I have one. It is pretty accurate. Maybe try looking on Amazon to see if you can find one of those. The one I have, the company doesn't make anymore so I can't recommend it to you.
This is one like I'm talking about though. It's just a different brand.
http://www.amazon.com/Squatchi-Kids-Shoe-Sizer-Green/dp/B...