When I was a kid, I always got my back-to-school shoes at Clarks. My parents wouldn't take me anywhere else because they offered the best quality and above all best-fitted shoes for kids. I can remember my dad saying to me, when I was in my twenties, "To think of all those times we took you to Clarks to get your shoes properly fitted and now look at those pointy-toed shoes you're squashing your feet into !"
Clarks still take shoe-fitting extremely seriously and have just released a really informative video to show how to choose the best shoes for your child. It shows the six things Clarks trained fitters check each time to get a perfect fit. The aim is to inform and advise mums about the problems caused to children’s feet and development by ill-fitting shoes at early ages such as preschool, primary and secondary school - ill-fitting shoes can cause pain and discomfort but, more seriously, if left undetected for a period of time can impact on the development of your child’s feet and lead to problems with their posture and gait. According to a recent study by Glasgow Caledonian University, 83% of school starters are wearing shoes that are too small, which is a scary figure.
What I didn't know is that you can also regularly pop into Clarks without buying anything just to check your child's shoes still fit properly. They say : "You can visit one of our expert fitters free of charge every six to eight weeks for children aged two to five years and every four to five months for children over the age of five to give you peace of mind that your child’s feet are developing correctly." If you like to avoid the rush on the high street and do your shopping online, you can still take advantage of their fitting service : "You can view and order the Clarks Back to School range online at www.clarks.co.uk/kids, then simply collect at your local stockist where a Clarks’ trained fitter will also carry out the 6 step fitting service before you take them home."
You can watch the video here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPYSx0guUxM . For those of you who are at work and can't go on youtube or if you're discreetly surfing online while the kids are asleep and don't want to wake them up, the six steps from the video are described below :
Overview of six steps
1. Length – with the Childs feet together and flat on the floor, check the growing room between the longest toe and the end of the shoe is at least 14mm.
2. Width – check that there is no pressure on the foot at the sides of the shoe and that the little toe is free to move.
3. Depth – check that there is sufficient depth to the shoe; there should be no pleating or creasing just a gentle ripple.
4. Top Lines – there should be no gaps around the rim and it should not cut into the ankle bone. Padded tops are better for prominent ankle bones.
5. Heel Grip – check that the shoe grips if you pull down gently on the back of the shoe.
6. Walking – check that the heel grips when walking and that there are no gaps at the sides. Children should walk easily, naturally and comfortably.
2. Width – check that there is no pressure on the foot at the sides of the shoe and that the little toe is free to move.
3. Depth – check that there is sufficient depth to the shoe; there should be no pleating or creasing just a gentle ripple.
4. Top Lines – there should be no gaps around the rim and it should not cut into the ankle bone. Padded tops are better for prominent ankle bones.
5. Heel Grip – check that the shoe grips if you pull down gently on the back of the shoe.
6. Walking – check that the heel grips when walking and that there are no gaps at the sides. Children should walk easily, naturally and comfortably.
for more information : http://www.clarks.co.uk/YourFeet/KidsFoothealth
Clarks Shoes still take shoe-fitting extremely seriously and have just released a really informative video to show how to choose the best shoes for your child. It shows the six things Clarks trained fitters check each time to get a perfect fit.
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