Choosing the right Shoe Size for You

When my children were younger, I remember how relatively easy it was to buy shoes for them. All you had to go by was how many months old they were and you could magically find shoes in that age range. Yes, occasionally you might have to move up or down depending on if your child's feet were petite or wide, but for the most part it was an easy feat to find shoes for their feet and choosing the right shoe size centered around their age.

Now as they are getting older, I find that finding shoes for them is a lot like finding shoes for me. There might by a whole size discrepancy between one shoe and another shoe. I recently had a phone conversation about what size shoes I wore with my sister-in-law who was out shoe shopping that went something like this "if your true size fits your feet, then get me an 8, but if the shoe is tight I'll take and 8.5, but if the shoe is loose, I'll take a 7.5". Choosing the right shoe size is not always an easy thing to do.

So, how can you go about deciding what size shoes are right for you? The first thing that you need to do is measure the length of your feet and the width of your feet. If one foot is larger than the other, go with the bigger foot. Some people prefer to measure their actual foot whereas others have found tracing your foot on paper to be easier. Either way, you might want to add 1/16-3/16 to your measurement to allow for discrepancy between measuring and actual length/width. You can then take these measurements and find US and International shoe size charts online that will convert your measurements to an actual size.

All this being said, you can use this shoe size as a guideline but it does not necessarily mean that you will buy that actual size. Choosing the right shoe size doesn't just have to do with the size of your foot but also the shape of the shoe you are wearing and how comfortable it is in you foot. So, when you are shoe shopping, we recommend that you try on 2 different sizes of the same shoe to make sure that you find the one that feels the best for you as well. If you are shopping online, ask their customer service support if a particular shoe run small or large. In the end you need to combine shoe size and comfort when buying shoes.