WIN The Perfect Fit

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Congratulations to TajKai

Brought to you by Nuffnang and Clarks Australia

My poor children… during the last week of school their shoes were literally hanging onto their feet with the help of mismatched laces, hot glue and a little bit of electrical tape.

I’m not a complete miser. It’s just that I couldn’t quite bring myself to fork the dosh out for new shoes at the end of the school year when I know their feet are going to grow like weeds over the summer holidays.

Alright, I confess - I have been guilty of putting them in the wrong size shoes before though. I will never ever forget the mortifying experience of finding out my poor Marcia Marcia Marcia middle child’s feet were crammed into shoes that were a size and a half too small for him.

Nor will I forget the humiliation of coming THIS CLOSE to annihilating an entire shop full of sales people and customers when I my boys to get their shoes fitted at the end of a hot day of running around in sneakers.

I still have nightmares about the suffering we inflicted on those poor innocent people when my boys removed their shoes and the stench rose like a fog suffocating anyone in a 10 metre radius.

I have since learned to let them air their feet in thongs for a good few hours before we go into a shoe shop.

I have also learned that there a few things to consider when shopping for school shoes to ensure the shoes you send your kid’s feet to school in, are the perfect fit.

Our precious little rugrat’s feet are not fully formed until they are in their late teens, and until then they need to wear properly fitted shoes so that their feet have room to grow as healthily and happily as the rest of them.

Based on my history of buying shoes for my kids, a professional shoe fitter I am NOT.

Shoes that don’t fit properly will not only cause discomfort, but they can also they can prevent your child’s natural growth and lead to health problems. They can even adversely affect your child’s walking development and you could end up spending a fortune on orthotics like ummm someone I *ahem* know had to.

Here’s some information from Clarks Australia about how to maintain healthy kid’s feet;

Barefoot is best

There’s nothing better for young feet than walking barefoot, whenever it’s safe. It helps

muscles develop, allows the skin to breathe and feeling the ground beneath their feet will

help them learn to walk.

Socks

If your child is wearing socks, they need to be the right size and made of natural materials

(at least 50% wool or cotton as a guide). Because young feet are soft and pliable, socks

that are too tight can squeeze the foot into an unnatural shape and cause permanent

damage.

Socks that are too loose can bunch up and cause blisters and corns. Make sure that the

sock seams are well finished to avoid creating pressure points inside the shoe.

Regular hygiene

Young feet should be washed and dried thoroughly every day. This is because the spaces

between toes are prone to infections such as athlete’s foot.

A toddler’s toenails should be trimmed often using small, sharp scissors. You should always

trim straight across the nail.

It’s important to check little feet regularly, as nails that are too long can cause pressure points

inside the shoe. Some children’s nails will curl in, cutting the skin. Regular checks and

trimming will prevent this from happening.

Did you know that badly fitting shoes can not only cause discomfort, but they may also lead to unhealthy feet and even long-term damage to joints and posture.

Here are some common foot related problems to look out for – things that properly fitting shoes can help to avoid:

Feet have their own unique personality and it’s super important to have the shape and the size of your kid’s feet assessed by someone who knows what they are doing - a trained shoe fitter.

Clarks shoes have over 170 years of caring for kids’ feet, during which time they have learned a lot about little feet. They know all about kid’s feet and how they develop over time.

To make sure your child’s feet are fitted perfectly, they use their training and experience, as well as a specifically designed Clarks Foot Gauge which measures the length, width and depth of both feet.

You can visit any Clarks store to have your children’s feet fitted by Clarks specialist trained fitters, or alternatively you can do it yourself at home with Clarks Foot Gauge online here making it easier to check year round whether you should be updating your kid’s shoes or not.

Now the reason you should go and see those clever Clarks specialist trained fitters in store is because they carry out a 10 Step Check, to make sure that the shoes you send your child to school in are the Perfect Fit for them:

My boy’s feet grow so fast, and I have been tempted in the past to buy the cheaper shoes you can get from department stores. The problem is that often these cheaper shoes aren’t made of leather and so I asked - Why is leather so important when it comes to school shoes?

The answer my friends, (so I’m told) is that leather qualities have been proven to support and protect feet better than any other material. It is flexible but strong and it ‘breathes’ allowing perspiration to pass through, avoiding not only the nasty smells that could be responsible for wiping out the entire population of a shoe store, but also avoiding fungal and other gross foot infections.

OK so I get it – kid’s feet need to be properly fitted and leather is best. But why should we choose Clarks shoes for our kids?

Because Clarks make SCHOOL PROOF SHOES. Yep tough, durable, everyday school shoes that include the PerfectFit Daytona, TheMachine Washable Cross Hype and the MightyTuff Sawyer.