Buying shoes for a growing kid is mostly a sizing problem. Feet change fast, the numbers jump between “little kid,” “big kid,” and youth, and once your child is near the top of the kids’ range, the best-fitting pair is often a women’s or men’s size. This guide shows you how to measure at home and convert a kids’ size to women’s and men’s — so you can shop every pair we carry, not just the kids’ rack.
How to measure your kid’s foot at home
You need a sheet of paper, a pen, a ruler, and two minutes.
- Measure in the evening. Feet swell over the day, so an end-of-day measurement keeps you from buying too small.
- Put the paper flat against a wall. Have your child stand on it, heel to the wall, with weight on the foot.
- Mark the tip of the longest toe, then measure from the wall edge to that mark in centimeters.
- Measure both feet and use the larger number. Add about 0.5 cm of growing room — enough to last, not so much they trip.
Foot length in centimeters is the one measurement that works across every brand, which is why we lead with it. US size numbers shift from brand to brand; the centimeter length doesn’t.
Kids to women’s and men’s size conversion
Here’s the approximate conversion for US big-kid (youth) sizes. Treat it as a starting point, then confirm against the size chart on the specific shoe’s product page.
| US Big Kid (Youth) | Foot length | US Women’s | US Men’s |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5Y | ~22.0 cm | 5 | — |
| 4Y | ~22.4 cm | 5.5 | — |
| 4.5Y | ~22.9 cm | 6 | — |
| 5Y | ~23.3 cm | 6.5 | — |
| 5.5Y | ~23.7 cm | 7 | 5.5 |
| 6Y | ~24.1 cm | 7.5 | 6 |
| 6.5Y | ~24.5 cm | 8 | 6.5 |
| 7Y | ~25.0 cm | 8.5 | 7 |
Two rules of thumb: a women’s size runs about 1.5 sizes up from the same-length youth size (a 7Y is roughly a women’s 8.5), and a youth size is about the same number as the men’s size where the two ranges overlap (a 7Y is roughly a men’s 7). Men’s shoes generally start around a 6–7, so only the largest kids’ sizes cross into men’s. These are approximations — brands can vary by up to half a size, so measure and check the chart before you buy.
Why this matters for back to school
Our kids’ selection is focused and moves fast, but bigger kids and teens often fit best in a women’s or men’s pair — which opens up hundreds more options. The same Samba, Campus, Superstar, and running silhouettes come in adult sizing. If your child wears a 6Y–7Y, check the women’s and men’s listings too; you’ll usually find more colorways and more sizes in stock.
Start with the Back to School collection and the full Kids collection. For bigger kids sizing up, browse women’s and men’s shoes and use the chart above to land on the right size.
A quick fit checklist
Once the shoes arrive, check the fit the same day: there should be about a thumb’s width of space between the longest toe and the end of the shoe, the heel shouldn’t slip when they walk, and the shoe should feel secure without pinching across the top. Growing room is good; a shoe they slide around in is not.
Verified, and shipped from Portland
Every pair we sell is authenticated and shipped from our Portland warehouse, usually the next business day. If a size runs off, returns are simple — so it’s low-risk to measure, order your best guess, and adjust.
More sizing help: our school shoes buying guide and the back to school shoes guide for 2026.
— Anthony from West Coast Deals