Size 3 & 4 Winter Boots for Early Walkers (Canada)

So your little one wears a size 3 shoe. 

They're a strong walker, and despite every attempt to convince you to stick with soft soles, you really, really want something with a hard sole for winter. But booties are so much easier for small feet because they offer height, flexibility, and so much more - yes they will wear them out - but no, there’s no need for hard soles. That’s a weird western culture thing. 

I get it. 

But I'll be honest up front: at size 3 and 4, you're not going to get everything you want. 

Here's what I've learned from fitting tiny feet in our shop, plus every small winter boot I could track down for Canadian families.

Why are size 3 and 4 winter boots so hard to find?

Most boot brands start their winter collections at a size 5, and even more start at a 6. We carry Cougar from a 5, but Reima leans toward a 6 (but you can get a 4/5/5 in the Nefar). A few things are going on here.

Most of what exists is an ankle boot.

So if you are hoping to find a tall winter boot - ankle boots are tall on small children. They just are. 

Tiny feet come in so many shapes and sizes. Add too much height and you start limiting how the body moves in the shoe. At least, that's my hypothesis. Foot and boot research for this age group just isn't something we see much of. And if it does exist it's being done by private companies and fed to us. 

It's a tricky specialty product. A size 3 or 4 early walker can have two very different feet: a chunky, traditional toddler foot, or a lean, thin, still-developing baby foot. Each needs a different boot for fit and comfort. I wonder if brands aim for the middle and end up with something that works for neither.

I also think this product is hard to find because of the the price. Winter boots aren't cheap. Between waterproofing, warmth and design, they run $80 to $150. Meanwhile, the average 1 to 2 year old moves through a shoe size every 3 to 5 months. A boot bag is around $50, and a slipper is much less. An $80 boot that wont last the entire winter is a hard trade-off for most families to justify.

So speciality brands drop off; and the big brands never made it because demand isn't as high as we think it is. 

Childcare requirements and the case for boot bags

One big reason parents get set on a size 3 or 4 winter boot is childcare and its requirements. This one can be really tricky.

Boots really do struggle at this age. For kids who are still picked up a lot, sitting down and getting back up, or moving with help from others, boots slip, loosen and fall off.

That's why I generally recommend what I call boot bags, like the Reima Anturion. It cinches to the foot and stays put. It's soft and flexible, with plenty of room and some height. It's also fully waterproof with sealed seams, which many others on the market aren't. For deep snow play, it will honestly work better than a lot of hard-soled boots.

I know a lot of childcare centres don't like boot bags. They complain about them falling off and not working or fitting. I wonder if this is an education or use error because in best use scenario they should be staying on better than a pair of Baby Bogs. 

Before you shop: measure, then try the size 5

Have you measured your child's foot and checked the size chart? The last three kids I helped try on winter boots all sized up 1.5 sizes from their runners. Their runners still fit, but they weren't the right size for winter.

Even tiny feet need room to roll through a step, plus space for thicker socks. A tight boot is a cold boot.

1. Trace your child's foot and measure it.

2. Check it against the boot's size chart, not their runner size.

3. Don't be scared to try on a size 5.

I think a lot of us would be surprised how often a 5 fits. Size 5 winter boots are always what's left over at the end of the season. Maybe that's because size 3 and 4 families never try them on.

How will you actually spend your winter?

It's tough. For developing feet, a flexible sole really helps, but most winter brands ditch flexibility to keep feet warm. So sometimes we need a realistic story about what we're actually doing.

• Running between the car and places? A slipper or bootie is just fine, and a great choice. The Jan & Jul Cozy Bootie has been a popular choice for this. 

• Walking around the mall? Toss an indoor shoe in your backpack.

• Deep snow play or daycare outdoor time? That's where a boot bag or a true winter boot earns its spot.

Are you really spending that much time below -10°C with your 17-month-old that you need a full-on winter boot? Or will a bootie do the job? Sometimes we get wrapped up in what we think we need, when how we'll actually live the winter looks different.

Sometimes I have to say - is your toddler actually helping with farm chores at -30C for hours on end, or are you just trying to do errands. Sometimes I also wonder why we are planning for worse case scenario. Sometimes they best way to keep your kid warm is to atually focus on the torso, and keeping the heart warm so that it doesn't have to steal heat from the extremities. 

Size 3 and 4 winter boots: what's actually out there

Here's every small winter boot I could find, starting with the ones that go down to a size 3.

Starting at size 3

Wheat Winter Boot Delaney. An early-walker style made for small feet. Wheat can fit a touch small, so it may work for kids who fully fit a size 3 runner. A size 20 measures 13.4 cm, so a foot of about 11.5 to 12 cm would be a good fit. It's soft, waterproof, flexible and easy to get on. We have this one, plus a few other small Wheat winter ankle boots, in stock.

See Kai Run Casey Mini. A small fleece-lined shoe that isn't marketed as waterproof, but is nice and warm. It has a soft, flexible sole for young feet and looks like a wonderful choice.

UGG Baby Bailey Boot. Again, soft-soled and warm. Don't be afraid to wear out a soft-soled shoe; we wear out hard soles too. These can hit the pavement, keep feet cozy, and handle the next trip down the street. I know this one's a stretch, but shopping for footwear this tiny means stretching.

Yellow Shoes insulated boots. One of my customers recently ordered a size 3 insulated rain boot from Yellow Shoes. At the time of writing, none of their winter boots were in stock in a size 3, but they're one to watch.

Starting at size 4

Bogs Baby Bogs and Baby Snow Shell. Probably the best-known waterproof option, and the Snow Shell is a cutie. They're fairly lightweight with a bit of flexibility, and lower profile than a galosh. They won't suit every foot; some kids struggle to get in around the curve.

The North Face Alpenglow. A pretty functional little bootie. It's a bit stiffer than I like, but we've had a few come through in bigger sizes, and I can see it getting the job done for many little walkers.

KEEN KNX Mid (toddler). A barefoot-inspired winter boot that looks like a fantastic choice for kids who need warmth. The catch is the $90 price tag, and that's a big part of why small winter boots are hard to find.

Sorel. Sorel's collection starts at a 4C, usually in a galosh style. I wouldn't recommend it for an early walker: it's heavy, not very flexible, and awkward to wear. For occasional use, maybe. For daily wear through a Canadian winter, it's not a great choice. Sorel also carries a bootie that may fit better, so check how light and flexible it is.

Joe Fresh galosh. Starts at a 4. We've had a few come through consignment. It's a small-fitting boot and doesn't work for a wider, chunkier baby foot. They so often arrive in like-new condition that I wonder how much they actually get worn.

What about Amazon?

I did find an assortment of unbranded small winter boots on Amazon. My hesitation is fit; mostly getting an accurately small shoe. I have this one George boot labeled a size 4 but it fits like a 6. It's the reality for all footwear regardless of where you get it. .

 Some research suggests up to 80% of footwear is incorrectly sized. As an in-store shoe shop, we see a lot of Amazon shoes come in that are wildly sized, and we often end up fitting kids into something totally different from what the label says.

You can go that route, but you're making a lot of compromises: quality, performance, and whether it will even fit. Which is a lot of what this whole conversation is about even for the big brand names. You might not get what you really want. 

The bottom line

There are a few options out there. Note few, and you're going to have to dig. I spent a few hours doing my best research digging around Canadian websites. But I'm sure there are more hidden. 

The biggest thing about finding size 3 or 4 winter boots is adjusting your expectations of how the footwear will perform, and thinking about how and where your child will actually wear it.

In the coming years, we'll keep looking and bringing in more options. But with 16-plus sizes in a footwear range, stocking for the rare size 3 kid is scary for retailers. That's exactly why I love our consignment collection: it gathers up these hard-to-find small boots and connects them with families who need them, right when they need them.

Check out our preloved footwear, but fair warning: the good small boots go fast. And the ones that linger? Sometimes they're sitting there for a reason