School shoes are literally with our kids every step of the way on their learning journey, whether they’re in the classroom or out in the schoolyard. So it only makes sense to take your time getting the perfect set of kicks to help them conquer their school days!

As mums, we try to be experts in everything to do with our kids, but when it comes to our kids’ feet, it’s a great time to lean on a professional to help guide our school shoe selection.

So we’ve enlisted the help of the Australian Podiatry Association and their experts to arm you with knowledge needed to choose the best school shoes for your kids.

How To Choose The Right School Shoes

Kids spend more than 1000 hours in their school shoes every year, and all while their little feet are growing and changing. Which means it’s incredibly important to get the correct school shoes – as much for comfort as for support.

“School shoes are the most important aspect of a child’s wardrobe as they will wear them for 35-40 hours per week,” explains credentialed paediatric podiatrist Nikki Marshall.

“Comfort and durability are vital to support learning and play. If possible, have shoes fitted by an appropriately trained professional to ensure length, width and depth measurements are appropriate for your child’s foot shape.”

“We recommend shoes that are lightweight, not too flexible, have plenty of toe room, are breathable (leather or synthetic uppers), and have appropriate fastening (lace or velcro) to hold the shoe onto the foot.”

To help make sure their feet stay fit all year long, we’re taking a look at the best ways to get the right school shoes, with the Australian Podiatry Association.

Get The Right Fit

There are four easy ways to ensure kids’ shoes fit correctly, so keep these in mind as you’re doing your back-to-school shoe shopping:

While these are the basics of choosing school shoes, there are some other things to remember.

• Make sure the shoes match with your child’s activities. For example, school shoes should be made of breathable material like leather, as they’ll be wearing these most often – even in the hot Aussie summers. Their sports shoes should be made from cotton or nylon to allow for movement and breathability.
• Don’t go for elastic shoes or slip on shoes. These may be easy to put on, but they won’t support your child’s growing feet.
• Look for school shoes that are flexible around the toe area. Even if they have different shoes for sport, they will still be playing in their school shoes during recess and lunch, so this will ensure they’re still supportive.
• They should have a firm arch section to support your child during weight bearing activities.
• Try bending the heel of the shoe backwards to see if it moves. The heel counter should stay firm, and then you’ll know they’ll be supporting your child’s heels. If the heels move, the shoes are more likely for sporting activities rather than general school.
• School shoes don’t need to be ‘broken in’. Which means they shouldn’t be painful for kids to wear, even when they’re brand new (oh how our mums lied to us!). They should be comfortable, fit securely and let your kids run and jump and move as normal.

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It’s really worth remembering that every child’s feet are unique, so one of the best things you can do is to book in to see a podiatrist. They can let you know if your child has wide or narrow feet, how their feet are developing and even identify things like flat feet.

A podiatrist will also help with some of the trickier issues – smelly feet, rashes, if your child is consistently falling, leg or foot pain.

By using the Australian Podiatry Association’s Find a Podiatrist Tool you can find the nearest professional to you, and book an appointment before you head off school shoe shopping.

Also, make sure you look out for school shoes that have been endorsed by the Australian Podiatry Association (APodA). APodA Endorsed Products have undergone strenuous assessment by a panel of independent podiatrists, so you can be assured your kids are wearing the best school shoes for their feet.

So now you’re armed with everything you need to know about choosing your child’s new school shoes – to give them the most supportive and comfortable start to the new school year. Happy shoe shopping!

Mouths of Mums is proudly working with the Australian Podiatry Association to bring you this article. APodA is the largest and oldest peak body representing podiatry, promoting foot health and providing continuing education for Podiatrists in Australia.