If you’re looking for expert advice on buying the perfect shoes for your children, then Kate Whittington-Jones, the owner of If The Shoe Fits in Corsham, is certainly the person to ask. Kate has recently not only become a member of the Society of Shoefitters, but is also a fully qualified shoe fitter and a member of the Children’s Foot Health Register.
“This qualification includes detailed study of foot anatomy, development of the child’s foot from birth to age 25 and foot health issues including pronation, supination and diabetes,” explained Kate. “In addition, we have to guarantee that any member of staff who is fitting shoes has been fully trained, as well as offering children’s shoes in whole and half sizes and in four width fittings, in addition to being qualified in knowing how to fit those shoes!
“As an independent shoe shop with a passion that feet fit their shoes, we understand what our customers of all ages – from first walkers to grown-ups – need. This means that we don’t only measure feet – anyone can do that – we FIT, which is the most important part. The gauge is only a starting point, a set of figures which we then need to translate to a three dimensional, well-fitting supportive shoe.
“There are at least six check points for a fit – not just a squeeze around the toe box. Having checked those six points, we also have to know how to make adjustments if necessary.
“We also have the level of experience and skill that allows us to observe any issues which may need further checking from a podiatrist or GP. You will have the assurance of a trained pair of eyes on your children’s feet, giving you an early warning signal for any problems.
“One of the best things, however, is that by coming to us you get all of this for FREE! We charge the same as the shoe manufacturers do for the shoes, and you get our services thrown in as we don’t charge for what we do.”
Some quick stats about feet
- Over £30 million is spent annually on chiropody services for the over 60s and most of these foot problems can be attributed to badly fitting shoes or unsuitable footwear in childhood.
- Around 70% of foot problems come from wearing the wrong footwear or ill-fitting shoes.
- Over 4,000,000 children in the UK are wearing the wrong size shoe.
- It will take approximately 18 years for a child’s foot to fully develop. At birth, the foot contains 22 partially developed bones. By school age, this number will increase to 45. Over the next 13 to 14 years, many of these will fuse together to form the 26 bones that make up the mature adult foot. This is why it is so vital for the child’s developing foot to be properly supported and fitted in their shoes.
- Each foot has 26 bones, 19 muscles, over 100 ligaments and thousands of nerve-endings. Leonardo da Vinci called it a masterpiece of engineering. That masterpiece has to last your entire life. With every step you walk, the impact is double your body weight – three times if you run. Think about a small child’s activity levels. You would let them out on a scooter or bike without proper protection for their heads, so what about their feet?