How to Measure a Baby's Foot for His Shoe Size

Infants do not truly need shoes until they are walking. The shape of and padding on an infant's bare feet help them learn to take steps and grip with their toes. Bare feet are more sensitive and help babies train themselves to balance. However, there are times when you want your infant to wear shoes, such as when attending events or during the wintertime, so measuring their feet for the correct shoe size is a must-know for parents.

Things You'll Need

• Sheet of paper
• Partner or friend
• Pencil
• Ruler

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Instructions

• 1

  Lay the sheet of paper on a flat surface.

• 2

  Pick up the baby beneath his arms, carefully, and hold him over the paper as if he were standing. Allow one of the soles of the baby's feet to make full contact with the paper.

• 3

  Have a partner or friend mark a line on the paper at the tip of the baby's toes and at the back of the baby's heel as well as on either side of the foot.

• 4

  Connect the marked lines on the paper, using the ruler, to make a rectangular shape.

• 5

  Repeat steps one through four for the baby's other foot.

• 6

  Measure the length and width of the rectangles. If the dimensions are different, use the larger set of measurements to determine the shoe size.