If you have children, it can feel like you’re replacing their shoes every other week. Kids’ feet do grow notoriously fast, but at what age will it stop?
A person’s feet will stop growing between the ages of 20 and 21 years old. Between the development of childhood and the fast growth that puberty causes, feet can easily grow several shoe sizes per year.
This article will present plenty of useful information on foot growth, including the projected rate of growth across the ages and considerations when shopping for shoes in between these growth phases. Make sure you keep reading, as you won’t want to miss it!
What Age Are Your Feet Done Growing?
A baby is usually born with 10 perfect fingers and toes. As soon as a child turns one year old, their feet will begin growing. This will happen in fits and spurts, which is something we’ll talk more about later.
At around 16 years old for boys and 14 years old for girls, most foot growth that will occur is already done. This doesn’t mean that growth won’t continue, but it’s likely to happen on a much smaller scale that won’t require frequent shoe replacements.
It’s only when a child has reached the ages of 20, sometimes even 21 that their feet are considered fully grown. The shoe size that an individual at this age has now is the one they will continue to have for much of their adult lives.
Aging can cause the feet to shrink, by the way. Feet ligaments will relax, and further, the fat pads on the heel and the balls of the feet will wear down. These changes overall make the depth and width of the foot smaller.
Interestingly, it’s not only one’s age that can cause changes in their feet, although these changes would lead to growth in foot size, not reduction.
Hammertoes and bunions can increase one’s shoe size, as can other physical deformities such as those caused by an accident, an injury, or even a disease or medical condition.
Gaining weight increases the size of your feet as well. The extra weight on your frame changes how you stand, and the pressure on your foot pad is more. Your feet will spread as a consequence, making them seem bigger.
Finally, ligament and tendon loosening can cause widening and elongating of the feet. These effects are caused by using your feet, which is inevitable.
How Much Do Your Feet Grow Per Year? Does Your Shoe Size Change?
When foot growth occurs, exactly what’s the rate? As we indicated in the last section, how much feet will grow changes throughout the average person’s lifespan. Let’s take a closer look.
Ages One to Three
These are the ages in which foot growth will occur very quickly, which means that mom and dad will replace shoes for their children all the time. Every year, your child will gain about ¾ inches of growth or 18 millimeters overall.
If you break that down month by month, the amount of length is 1.5 millimeters every 30 days.
The first year of growth of the three is when you’ll see massive changes in shoe size. A child will go from a size zero shoe to a size five.
Between their first and second birthdays, they’ll grow an additional two more shoe sizes, and from their second to their third birthday, another size or two.
Ages Three to Six
Once your child celebrates their third birthday, you’ll notice a slight decline in the rate of foot growth.
Now your kids will add half an inch of growth between the ages of three and six. Their feet will grow 12 millimeters per year for these three years.
The amount of growth from month to month is 1 millimeter in length. That’s a loss of .5 millimeters from when your child was one to three.
You’ll still have to replace your child’s shoes regularly, but maybe not quite as frequently as you were when they were younger. From the age of four onward, a child’s shoe size will stay the same for eight to 12 months.
Ages Six to 10
Now that your child is maturing more, foot growth slows down further. From the ages of six to 10 years old, expect less than a half-inch of growth per year. The rate of monthly foot elongation is under 1 millimeter.
If you’ve been waiting for a much-needed financial break from buying kids’ shoes, these three years might be when you get it. That said, the slowed rate of foot growth is not a ton less than the amount of growth between the ages of three and six.
Ages 12 to 17
Many kids enter puberty between the ages of 12 and 17 years old.
As a child is developing and becoming an adolescent, their feet will continue to grow with the rest of them. This is where the last gasp of foot growth is going to occur.
At these ages, a girl will add on average two percent of growth to her preexisting foot size and a boy up to 10 percent. Thus, if you have a daughter, you can scale way back on buying new shoes often, but that probably won’t be the case if you have a son.
Ages 17 to 21
As we talked about in the last section, during puberty, most of your child’s foot growth will have already happened. Foot elongation can still occur between the ages of 17 and 21, but not at a very noticeable rate.
Once a child, now an adolescent, turns 21, only the abovementioned factors from the prior section will cause their feet to change.
A Note on the Projected Foot Growth Timetable
Most children will follow this growth timetable, if not exactly, then thereabouts. However, every child is different. In some cases, this can mean their foot growth is different as well.
For example, if your child experiences a sudden growth spurt at six years old, then even though their feet aren’t supposed to grow a lot at this time, it can still happen.
Oppositely, foot growth can be slower than average as well.
In the latter case, it doesn’t hurt to bring your child to a pediatrician to ensure they’re healthy. Slowed foot growth usually means slowed growth overall. Perhaps your child needs more vitamins and minerals, or an undiagnosed medical condition is prohibiting their growth.
Considerations for Buying Shoes for Developing Feet
Throughout this article, we’ve talked about the need for parents to consistently replace their kids’ shoes. This isn’t ideal, of course, and can become sort of monotonous due to how often you do it.
That said, the following considerations are important to keep in mind each time you buy new shoes for your child. It’s for their wellbeing!
Shoes Must Support a Child’s Feet
The feet are structured bones by the time a person matures into adulthood, but the 26 bones of the feet are mostly cartilage when a child is under two years old. The cartilage will later fuse together to become foot bones.
Although new parents might care more about the cuteness of their baby’s shoes, they should support their child’s feet from day one with their footwear choices. This is the only way to prevent deformities that can cause painful foot conditions later down the line.
Barefoot shoes are an excellent solution for babies to toddlers and kids. Minimalist and barefoot footwear feature zero-drop soles that allow your child to use their feet for sensory experiences as much as they would their hands.
The spacious toe box ensures your child’s feet have the room to move, wiggle, and splay. Their toes will never be cramped.
From Vivobarefoot to Merrell, Xero Shoes, Softstar, and more, all your favorite barefoot shoe brands produce mini versions of shoes for babies, toddlers, and/or kids. If you already wear barefoot shoes, you can introduce your children from a young age.
Slightly Bigger Is Better Than Slightly Smaller
Finding a pair of kids’ shoes that fit can be a gargantuan challenge sometimes. If your child is at a half-size, you might be tempted to buy smaller shoes so they fit. After all, swimming in too-big shoes isn’t comfortable.
In this case, slightly bigger shoes are always better. Your child will soon grow into a larger size, so you won’t have to worry about the shoes being too roomy for long.
Too-small shoes are detrimental to the developing tendons and bones in your child’s feet in a multitude of ways. The shoes are likelier to cause ingrown toenails and blisters. Foot circulation decreases, and your child’s feet might not develop properly.
Kids Don’t Need the Same Level of Arch Support
Trying to buy kids’ shoes with arch support as seen in adult shoes is a recipe for disaster. Children’s feet have an arch that slowly develops over the years and then really shows up around puberty.
The younger a child is, the more fat that surrounds their feet. This fat acts as an arch would regardless of how flat the child’s feet may appear.
Choose Flexible Shoe Materials
The best materials for children’s shoes are flexible, breathable, comfortable, and durable.
Canvas and leather are two materials you’ll see often used for kids’ shoes whether those are barefoot shoes or more traditional footwear.
Even more beneficial is that many barefoot and minimalist shoe brands use vegan materials when making footwear for both kids and adults.
Canvas and leather can admittedly be a little unyielding at first. Once your child breaks in the shoes though, these materials will meld to the shape of their feet for a perfect fit every time.
Conclusion
Kids go through a tremendous amount of foot growth from the ages of one to 20 or 21. To prevent painful conditions later in life, start your child with supportive, spacious footwear such as barefoot shoes!