If your child complains that their canvas shoes are feeling tight and the pair isn’t very old - or worse, you’ve only just bought them - then it can be tempting to try to find any way possible to make them feel bigger without having to buy a new pair of shoes. This is especially true if money is a little tight, too.
As a result, many parents consider the idea of trying to stretch their child’s canvas shoes to make them last longer - but is this a worthwhile idea?
To put it simply, no, you shouldn’t ever try to stretch your child’s canvas shoes. There are a number of reasons for this, but the most important one to remember is that attempting to stretch a shoe - whether it’s a child’s or an adult’s - is highly likely to damage the shoe. Any impact on its structural integrity or any other aspect of the design could have big consequences - ranging from a loss of waterproofing to causing pain and discomfort to feet, depending on the type of damage.
Again, this is a factor whether you’re trying to stretch an adult’s shoe or a child’s. Neither is built for that kind of manipulation. However, the consequences may be longer lasting if you try to stretch your child’s shoes. This is because their feet are still developing, and well-fitting shoes play a big role in helping them to develop in a healthy way. It’s possible that injuries or changes in their walking habits caused by a damaged shoe could stay with them into adulthood and may even affect them for the rest of their life.
So, the potential consequences of trying to stretch a pair of shoes are clear - but what about the benefits? Well, it’s actually unlikely that you would see any benefits at all. While most materials have a small amount of give in them that helps to accommodate a child’s growing feet, they don’t tend to have the kind of elasticity required to cause any significant change in the size of the shoe. In other words, stretching the shoe is more likely to irreparably damage it than it is to result in the shoe becoming bigger.
Here at Start-Rite, we understand the desire to find a quick and affordable solution when your child complains that their shoes are hurting them. As we’ve just discussed, stretching canvas shoes isn’t the answer, so below we’ve compiled a list of tips for what you can do when your child’s canvas shoes are too tight.
You might not think that socks have that much of an impact on how well your shoes fit, but certain types of socks can make a big difference. To find out if this is causing the problem with your child’s canvas shoes, you’ll need to think about what they were wearing when you measured their feet and/or when they first tried on their new shoes, as well as what socks they’re now wearing.
Canvas shoes are naturally designed for the summertime when temperatures are warmer and there’s less of a need for waterproof styles, but they can also be good to wear in the winter if the weather is nice. In the summer, thin socks or tights don’t have too much of an impact on shoe size, but if your little one is wearing their canvas shoes in colder weather, they may be tempted to wear thicker, warmer socks to keep their toes warm.
While it’s obviously good to take precautions and bundle up for colder weather, it’s worth remembering that a thick sock can effectively make the feet bigger, taking up valuable space inside the shoe. This can lead to the shoe feeling tight even if it’s still the right size in terms of measurements.
To fix this, try to have your little one only wear canvas shoes when it’s warm enough to wear thinner socks. For colder weather, opt for shoes with more coverage that are designed for winter, such as a sturdy pair of boots.
Another factor that could affect how your child’s canvas shoes fit is damage. Whether it’s caused by the rough and tumble of your child’s adventures or simply through being squashed or impacted during storage, damage to the structural integrity of shoes can alter how they sit on your child’s foot. You can check this by simply inspecting the shoes to see if everything seems to be in good condition.
If the shoes have been damaged, it’s unfortunately the case that your child should stop wearing them and switch to a new pair as soon as possible. This will help to limit their discomfort and avoid long term problems caused by wearing ill-fitting shoes.
Of course, children’s feet grow at a tremendous rate, so if your child is complaining that their canvas shoes no longer fit them, it could mean it’s time to measure their feet for a new pair. If your child’s other shoes are also feeling tight, that’s another good sign that it’s a size issue rather than something specific to one pair of shoes.
Even if you don’t think their feet have grown enough since the last time you measured, it’s always worth taking the time to measure your little one’s feet if any of their shoes start to feel tight.
Last but not least, remember to consider the options afforded to you by half sizes. Half sizes, which are literally sizes that come halfway between the usual sizes, are a great way to achieve a comfortable fit for your little one if one size is too small and the next too big. Not all retailers offer half sizes, but you can find half sizes of many of our canvas shoe designs to suit all kinds of little feet.
Author: Click Consult, published 20-08-2024.
