Seek advice to select shoes
About the article
This is a digitised version of an article from The Cayman Compass's print archive. Occasionally, the digitisation process introduces transcription errors, or other problems.
See the article in its original context from August 1988.
Brought to you by
"Proper fit is extremely important for young children," says buyer Jeff Glackin of Kinney Shoes. "Children's feet grow in spurts. One size might fit them for several months, then all of a sudden they need three sizes larger."
Mr. Glackin suggests having children's feet measured by a shoe salesman every four to five weeks. At Kinney, this service is provided at no charge.
Width, as well as length, should be checked. "Measuring how long feet are is, if course, important, but measuring width is a major concern, especially at a very young age," Mr. Glackin says.
When selecting styles, parents should look for quality in construction and materials. Shoes made of leather are a good choice since leather doesn't restrict a child's movements. Leather also provides a natural cooling process for feet because of its breathability.
Mr. Glackin advises that shoes fit the child's purpose. In other words, dress shoes should not be worn in a playground.
A good rule of thumb to follow is that soles on play shoes should be about a quarter of an inch thick for good support. Dress shoes can have thinner soles. All soles should be firm yet flexible and the arch area of a shoe should give ample support.
Parents with very active children might be interested in knowing that Kinney has an exclusive line of shoes called Tuff Kritters, which are scruff-resistant. The leather of the shoe is coated with polyurethane, which increases durability significantly.
