Children's Shoes for Every Stage: From Crawlers to Active Kids!

It's no secret that we love shoes here at Little Lily's! More importantly, we love providing you and your little ones with properly fitted and supportive footwear; it's incredibly important for children to wear shoes that fit properly, and which have enough support whilst still being flexible. Children's feet are developing and growing continuously up until their late teens, and ill-fitting shoes have been found to be the cause of several foot problems later on in life. Here at Little Lily's we're always here to measure, fit and advise on shoes for your children; children's feet go through several stages of development and there are different shoe styles suited to each one.

 

The pre-walker stage occurs just before your little one takes their first steps; it involves them pulling themselves up to a standing position, cruising around the furniture, crawling and shuffling. It usually means that walking isn't far off, and it's a very exciting time! Barefoot is best at this point but if you want to protect little feet from bumps and scrapes while outside the home, you can opt for a Pre-Walker Shoe. These shoes are designed for the stage before your child starts walking properly, and they're incredibly soft and flexible. We stock pre-walker options from Geox and Start-Rite which have been developed especially for delicate feet.

 

Your child is ready for their first pair of shoes when they're walking unaided for the majority of the day. Buying your child's first pair of shoes is a emotional time for any parent, but it can also be quite confusing with the different sizes and width measurements! Don't panic, we're here to help; one style of shoe isn't suitable for every single child, so it's best to try a few pairs and see how they fit. We're always happy to do this in store! At this stage feet grow super quickly, so it's best to get their feet measured and checked every 6-8 weeks.

 

At the pre-school stage your child will be a lot more confident on their feet, and will be running, jumping and playing all day long! It's still important to have a correctly fitted pair of shoes at this stage as their feet are still developing, but you might also want something a bit more robust too as your child starts exploring the world more. Aim to check your child's shoe size every 2-3 months as growth spurts are common! 

 

Feet don't grow as fast at this stage but it's still worth checking your children's shoes every 3-4 months, especially their school shoes as this is what they'll be wearing for the vast majority of the time! We have some fab options for older kids, including light up trainers from Geox and sparkly shoes from Lelli Kelly. It's important to note that sizing isn't always universal and a particular size in one brand might fit completely differently to another brand; however, we're always on hand to advise on sizing and fit!

 

Pop down to our Llandudno store where our team is always happy to measure, fit and advise! We stock shoes from a size UK 2 (infant) all the way up to a size UK 6 (junior), and occasionally higher; you can also shop our full range of shoes on our website.