How to Use a Kids' Foot Gauge, Step by Step
A simple walkthrough for measuring your child's length and width on a foot gauge at home, and turning the numbers into a shoe size.
A foot gauge gives you the fastest home measurement, as long as you read it the right way. Follow these 5 steps before you open the size calculator.
What you need
- A foot gauge with a length scale and a width scale
- A hard, flat floor (not carpet)
- The socks your child wears with their shoes
- Two minutes, and a second adult if you can find one
Step 1: Set up
Lay the gauge flat on the floor. Ask your child to stand up straight, look ahead and spread their weight over both feet. Nervous children curl their toes, so keep the mood relaxed.
Step 2: Read the length
Place the heel against the back of the gauge. Look straight down at the longest toe, which isn’t always the big toe, and read the number level with its tip. Write it down.
Step 3: Read the width
Read the width scale across the widest part of the foot, behind the toes where the foot bends. Note the number at the edge of the foot.
Step 4: Repeat on the other foot
Most children have one foot a little bigger than the other. Measure both and keep the larger length and the larger width, even if they come from different feet.
Step 5: Calculate
Enter both numbers into the calculator and press Calculate size. You’ll get a result such as 2 D: the number is the shoe size and the letter is the width fitting.
Remember: gauge numbers are not millimetres. Type them exactly as you read them.
Common mistakes
- Measuring on carpet, where the foot sinks and spreads
- Letting your child sit down: feet grow longer and wider when your child stands
- Reading the length at the big toe when the second toe is longer
- Swapping the length and width numbers
A No size found result points to one of these 4 mistakes. Measure again and you should get a size.
