A rough age guide plus the charts that actually matter, because children's feet grow at their own pace.
Shopping for children's shoes online is tricky because kids grow fast and unevenly, and the sizing systems reset and overlap in confusing ways. An age can give you a starting point, but the only reliable approach is to measure. This guide gives you both: a general age guide to get you in the right area, and full conversion charts to pin down the size.
Two children of the same age can easily be two or three sizes apart. Growth spurts, genetics, and simple variation mean that age tells you a ballpark and nothing more. Use the age ranges below to know which chart to look at, then measure the foot to choose the actual size. Never buy several sizes too big hoping a child will grow into them, because shoes that are too large affect how a child walks and can cause trips and blisters.
Notice that the numbers restart. Kids' sizing runs up to 13, then begins again at 1 for bigger children, which is why a chart matters more than the number alone.
| US | UK | EU | CM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 4 | 20 | 11.7 |
| 6 | 5 | 22 | 12.7 |
| 7 | 6 | 23 | 13.5 |
| 8 | 7 | 24 | 14.5 |
| 9 | 8 | 25 | 15.5 |
| 10 | 9 | 27 | 16.5 |
| 11 | 10 | 28 | 17.4 |
| 12 | 11 | 30 | 18.3 |
| 13 | 12 | 31 | 19.1 |
| US | UK | EU | CM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 | 32 | 20.0 |
| 2 | 1 | 33 | 20.8 |
| 3 | 2 | 34 | 21.6 |
| 4 | 3 | 36 | 22.5 |
| 5 | 4 | 37 | 23.3 |
| 6 | 5 | 38 | 24.1 |
Stand the child on a sheet of paper, heel against a wall, and mark the longest toe. It helps to do this while they are standing and bearing weight, since a relaxed foot measures shorter than a planted one. Measure both feet and use the larger. For wriggly toddlers, tracing the foot quickly with a pen held upright works well enough.
Children's feet need a little space at the front, about the width of your thumb between the longest toe and the end of the shoe. That allowance covers normal growth and keeps the shoe comfortable. Much more than that and the shoe becomes hard to walk in. Because young feet can grow several sizes a year, check the fit every couple of months rather than waiting for complaints.
Even a perfectly sized shoe does not stay that way for long on a growing child. As a rough rule, toddlers can need a new size every two to four months, while older children slow to perhaps every four to six months. Rather than tracking the calendar, check the fit regularly by pressing your thumb at the front of the shoe while the child stands. If there is no longer a thumb's width of space ahead of the longest toe, it is time to size up.
Watch for signs that shoes have become too small even between checks, such as red marks on the foot, the child removing shoes often, or curling toes. Children rarely complain about tight shoes because they assume that is normal, so it falls to the adult to keep an eye on fit. Buying secondhand can stretch a budget, but always check that the sole has not already moulded to another child's foot, which can affect how your child walks.
To convert a measured length quickly, type it into the homepage converter, choose the kids option and CM, and read the matching sizes across every system.