In shoe size, C stands for child and represents size for kids’ shoes. But what does 5C mean in shoe size? Let’s find it out in this article.
Keeping up with children’s fast-growing feet is not only pricey but also sometimes confusing for parents. There are different factors that make them so confused, such as overlapping kids’ shoe size charts or variable language used by different shoe brands and retailers. As a result, parents don’t know exactly which size to buy for their baby’s feet.
Just like adult shoe size charts, there will be size charts for kids that might be classified by age. Sometimes, you will see a number (1.5, 2, etc.), a letter (like PS, Y, etc.), or even a combination of numbers and letters (like 5C) in kids’ shoes. You might know the meaning of the letter and number already. But what about letters and numbers? What does 5C mean in shoe size? This will be explained thoroughly in this article.
What Does 5C Mean In Shoe Size?
In order to find the answer to the question, “what does 5C mean in shoe size?”, we need to understand the meaning of 5 and C.
Firstly, let’s talk about the meaning of the letter C. In the world of kids’ shoes, the letter C simply denotes child. Let’s take C and Y as an example. Y signifies Youth, while C means Child in children’s shoe sizes. Generally speaking, a pair of C-sized shoes usually measures between 2T to 7 or 8. On the other hand, Y-sized (youth size) shoes tend to be bigger and usually in a small-medium-large range.
And the number 5 simply indicates the shoe size for kids. So, in the case of shoe size, 5C means size 5 for children. It can be converted to size 4.5 in the UK shoe sizing system and size 20 in the EU shoe sizing system. Usually, size 5C in a child’s shoes has a heel-to-toe length of around 11 cm (4.33 inches).
However, C has another meaning when it comes to shoe width. In this case, C typically indicates normal or regular width. Basically, it is often measured between the shoe’s heel and your foot. But C in shoe widths is not really common like other letters representing shoe width sizes. So, you might not see it on most shoe size charts.
How Does Baby’s Shoe Size Chart Work?
In most cases, children’s shoe sizes are not simply smaller versions of adults’ shoe sizes. But it is also a completely different classification of shoe sizes specially designed for foot measurement of newborns, toddlers, babies, etc., with their foot lengths measured in inches (some brands might also offer measurements in centimeters).
If adults’ shoe sizes have different size charts for different genders, kids’ shoe sizes are similar for both boys and girls. Generally speaking, baby shoe sizes are broken down into 3 smaller categories. These groups are newborns (from 0 to 2 months old), infants (from 2 to 12 months old), and toddlers (from 1 to 3 years old).
Basically, most babies start learning to walk between 10 and 18 months. They might not need shoes for indoor walking. You can allow them to walk barefoot or with anti-skid socks to improve their muscle development. But you will want to buy them shoes for outdoor walking.
Tips for Buying Kids’ Shoes
Here are some more tips when buying new shoes for your kids. Firstly, you should leave 0.5 or 0.7 inches room so that your kids’ feet can move freely and don’t limit their feet’ development. Otherwise, it can result in some more serious issues afterward.
Once you get your baby’s feet measurements, when it’s time to buy new footwear, remember to take the longer foot measurement as a benchmark for the shoe size. It is also better if you have an allowance than buying shoes that only fit one foot.
Since kids’ feet develop quite fast, ensure that you measure their feet’ size very often. Basically, you should re-measure your baby’s feet size every 2-3 months in their first year of age to ensure the right shoe size.
In case you want to buy them shoes that require them to wear socks, make sure you get them worn socks while measuring their feet. By doing this, you can estimate the extra width and length needed for a more comfortable fit.
Before deciding which size to buy online, you should determine the shoe sizing standard used if it is in the US, EU, or UK size to ensure the size conversion is proper. As you might all know, US shoe sizes for kids are not similar to the UK sizes. So, refer to the shoe size conversion chart for toddlers above for the accurate size.
Conclusion
By far, you can answer the question, “what does 5C mean in shoe size?” yourself. 5C is used to signify shoe sizes for children in the US. The letter C simply stands for the child, while 5 is a number to indicate the shoe size. 5C is equal to size 5 in the UK and size 20 in the EU shoe sizing system for babies. Just remember to measure your kids’ feet quite often, like 3 or 4 times a year, to ensure the most exact shoe size.
