Children as young as three are developing bunions, crossed-over toes and long-term foot damage because they are wearing ill-fitting shoes, a Jersey footwear specialist has warned.

Audrey Laurens-Chalmers, owner of Fit Footwear in St Helier, said she and other fitters across the UK were seeing a growing number of under-fives arriving in shoes that were too small, the wrong shape, or bought online without proper fitting.

The problem has become so severe that Fit Footwear Central has joined a new national campaign aimed at educating parents before permanent damage is done.

“We’re getting them coming in with bunions,” explained Mrs Laurens-Chalmers.

“That’s the thing that has really got to all of us. That is just terrible in this day and age.”

They teach you about potty-training and breastfeeding but nobody explains to you about shoes

Audrey Laurens-Chalmers

She said children were arriving with blisters, rubbing, ingrown toenails and toes crossing over each other because their feet had been squashed into unsuitable footwear during the years when bones are still soft and developing.

“Some of these kids – some of the boys – they’re never going to play football. They won’t be able to, because their feet are ruined already and they’re six or seven years old,” she warned.

Mrs Laurens-Chalmers, who has been fitting children’s shoes for 22 years, said the problem had worsened significantly since the Covid-19 pandemic, when many families became used to buying shoes online instead of attending fittings in person.

She said there had been another “massive rise” over the past 18 months.

The campaign focuses on babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers because this is when feet are most vulnerable, and children are least able to explain discomfort.

“It’s heartbreaking when a parent says they think their child’s shoes might be too small because the child always cries when they try to put them on,” she said.

“Many have been wearing the same shoes for six months or more.”

Mrs Laurens-Chalmers described one recent case involving a toddler in fashion shoes.

“I had a three-year-old come in wearing glittery, sparkling kitten heels,” she said.

“I said to the mum, I don’t want to be rude, but why has she got those shoes on? [She said] they’re her favourite, she likes them.”

The Fit Footwear owner warned that poor footwear choices in early childhood could affect balance, mobility and physical activity later in life.

Crossed-over toes can sometimes be corrected if spotted early enough, she said.

“But if you leave it a long time doing the wrong thing, that’s it,” she added. “You’ve got to open your toes to help your balance.”

Mrs Laurens-Chalmers said specialist fitting was about more than simply measuring foot length, with width and shape also playing a crucial role – something many parents miss when shopping independently or online.

“If you’re buying online, it is just sticking a pin in a page,” she said.

“You have no idea what you’re getting.”

She also said changing parenting habits and increased phone use were contributing to the issue.

Mrs Laurens-Chalmers said she increasingly saw parents distracted on their phones while children played or tried on shoes, and many later bought online the styles their children had fitted in-store.

“It is heartbreaking to see,” she said, adding that children “don’t get the same attention and interest that they used to”.

“The main thing for us is education – it’s trying to make them understand why,” the shop owner said.

“They teach you about potty-training and breastfeeding but nobody explains to you about shoes.

“We’ve all got to be able to walk around.”