All about plus12
That’s how the plus12 works: (How the plus12 works).
We’ve gotten a lot of reactions and questions from parents about the results of the plus12 measurements. Please write to us and let us know your point of view about the plus12, we would be very pleased to hear your comments info@kidsfeet.info
Why can't I get the tip of the plus12 all the way into the toe of the shoe?
While developing the plus12, we analysed data on hundreds of children’s feet. We observed that children’s big toes are usually at least 12 mm high. For this reason, we made the red measuring tip of the plus12 the same height, which makes it possible to recognize immediately if the toe of a shoe is too low. If the tip of the plus12 won’t fit all the way into the shoe, then the toe cap is too low and no good for children’s feet.
My son's shoes are a size 28. When I measure the inner length of his shoes with the plus12, it shows only size 26. Am I doing something wrong?
We looked in to this question in the course of the Research Study. We measured 631 outdoor shoes and 677 slippers. We came to the conclusion that only 3% of the outdoor shoes and 1% of the slippers measured had an inner length which corresponded correctly to the labelled size. For example: a shoe labelled size 28 is often only a size 26 inside, sometimes only a 25 or 24. The problem is that shoe stores usually only measure the length of the foot and ignore the inner length of the shoe. That could be one of the reasons why so many children wear shoes that are too short (it is estimated that in Austria, about 220,000 children between the ages of 3 and 6 wear shoes which are too short). With the plus12 this should be a thing of the past. When fitting children’ shoes the foot and the shoe should be measured.
I have also checked the fit of my own shoes. First I discovered that my feet need shoe-size 39. Then I measured my shoes and the plus12 just showed size 37. That can't be right, because the shoes are comfortable!
This was the question which set the ball rolling: Let us start from the beginning. Three studies have shown that in movement, the foot changes considerably. Walking, running and jumping cause the body’s weight to be distributed in such a way, that the foot changes shape, getting longer and wider. With each step, the foot moves forward a few millimetres. These studies showed that feet need a buffer of up to 12 millimetres. This applies to small feet as well as big ones. Marathon runners even wear shoes which are as much as 20 mm longer than their feet! Although some questions still remain to be answered, it is indisputable that shoes have to be longer than feet. At our stand about children’s feet at the exhibitions we visit, we are often also asked to measure adult feet. We are usually very surprised to find adults wearing shoes which are too short. Often their shoes are just as long as their feet, therefore at least 12 mm too short. But how do you explain to an adult who thinks his shoes fit, that they are really much too short? Test subjects given longer shoes notice the big difference when they return to the old ones, and don’t find the old ones so comfortable anymore. We can apparently get used to anything, even shoes which are too short.