How To Buy The Right Baby Shoes Size Online (Most times)

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Getting the perfect baby shoes size during online shopping sounds almost as challenging as keeping a sleep routine that works. But it’s easier than it seems! We buy online a lot and we have some brutally honest tips that will help you save a lot of time (and money with those returns you don’t have the time to deal with!)!

Lately, online shopping has been a lifesaver, but  how to get the baby shoes size right ? Should babies even wear shoes?

And not only that. Whomever faced a store with a toddler and tried to get them to put on different sizes of shoes, knows it is not worth it. It’s easier and more efficient to take some time and learn how to master the right baby shoes size for online shopping!

My first time getting the right baby shoes size was like studying to get a late GPA. I am the official researcher for everything boring and technical in the family, so after some reading (and a lot of successful shopping carts? ), here’s what I learned.

01. The Best Shoes for Babies

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, infant babies’ feet develop better when not frequently constrained in shoes. In order to keep the little one warm, soft socks or booties would be enough. Once they start walking outdoors, and are exposed to the weather and nasty sidewalks, then it’s time to wear appropriate shoes.

Specialists agree that the best baby shoes for walking must:

1. Fit well
   • Not too loose and not too tight
2. Be lightweight and flexible
   • To not restrain the feet’s natural movement and development
3. Be non-slippery
   • Non-squid soles will mimic the feet’s natural grip and not get in the way of natural balance

In conclusion, barefoot is best for a baby’s development and when shoes are necessary, choose models that don’t restrict the natural foot movement.

02. Do you love to see your baby in shoes?

If you love to see your baby in shoes but you are afraid it may hurt them, just make sure you use the right type of shoes, as mentioned above, and keep them on as little time as possible.

And I have a personal tale about this.

When my sister was expecting she was on the team “baby’s shoes are a waste of money because babies don’t walk”. Our mom, with all the wisdom of a grandma, warned her. This baby girl will need shoes, she claimed. My sister proceeded to buy one pair of really warm black Carter’s booties. Then baby Maya arrived and my sister dressed her for the first doctor’s appointment. It was a very hot day. No shoes.

What my sister didn’t know as a first time mom is that she would want her daughter to look amazing in every occasion.

And for her, going out with her adorable baby girl without shoes on, felt weird. From that moment on, baby shoes became a necessary item for her. That was the first of many and we became experts in buying baby shoes online!

Turns out my almost 2yo niece loves shoes since she was 6 months. I’m dead serious. If it was for her, she would wear her cute baby girl shoes all day long. ?

For that reason, her mom, me, and her grandma buy way more shoes than we ever expected. And we do 99% of the shopping online.

And for the record, baby Maya is developing amazingly. She is such a happy girl! She is very active, super strong and she loves to run!

03. Why is the right shoe size so important?

The wrong size may disturb the baby’s development. And we don’t want that! For that reason, specialists recommend babies to be barefoot as much as possible and never wear tight shoes, especially when they are learning to walk.

For babies that don’t walk yet, no problem if the shoes are too big. You may prefer a better fit because it looks cuter and it stays on but that’s it.

However, after they start cruising and walking, the shoes can’t be too big. Baby’s shoes that are too big may affect the baby’s ability to walk and disturb their balance leading to more falls than normal.

04. Tips to find the right baby shoe size

So here’s what worked for us the first times we bought baby shoes online or every time we try a new brand:

1. Draw the baby’s foot on any piece of paper and measure the longest distance.
   • If your baby doesn’t let you do it or you already have shoes that fit, measure the insole of a shoe that has the right size!
     
2. Take into consideration the brand’s instructions.
   • Some brands will inform about width, how many inches to size up, etc.
     
3. Cross-check it with the brand size chart.
   • Each brand has it’s own rules and tools, so don’t go on Google or Pinterest for that. Use the one from the brand’s website.
     
4. Read some mom’s reviews, but with a grain of salt.
   • Statements like too wide, etc are very personal and vary according to the person’s references.
     
5. When in doubt, size up.

So far, these tips only didn’t work once, with some Nike sneakers. Despite all the steps above, the shoes were way bigger when they arrived. In any case, sis kept them because they will fit at some point. Had they been too small, maybe she wouldn’t have had time or patience to return then and would have lost some money. And we really dislike money and time waste!

Of course, it’s not rocket science! But maybe these tips will help you overcome some insecurity when shopping for baby shoes online! ?

♥︎