Stages of Growth

How Your Child's Feet Grow

Children's feet mature slowly and only become fully developed at around 18 years old. Babies and toddlers little feet grow very quickly in their early years and then more slowly as they get older. How feet are treated in childhood and adolescence affects the child's health and comfort for a lifetime.

Set out below is how an average child's feet grow over time:

Baby:

A baby's foot contains only cartilage which gradually fuses together over time to form 26 bones. Their feet are covered by a protective layer of 'puppy fat' while they grow.

Infancy (ages 1 – 4):

Most children begin to walk between 12 -18 months of age. It is best to wait until your child is walking confidently on their own before they have their first proper shoes. Growth is rapid during this stage – the average growth rate is 2½ sizes per year. This is average, an individual child's foot may grow up to 4 sizes in a particular year at this age!

5 to 10 years:

By the age of 5 your child has all 26 bones in their foot, however, these bones are still developing so a good fit is still vital. Growth has slowed to an average of 1 size per year.

Teens:

Although the feet are the first part of the body to stop growing, the bones in the feet are still developing so wearing well fitting shoes is still important. It is not until your child is around 18 years old that the bone structure in their feet is complete.