No, 13C is not the same as 1Y. 1Y is bigger. US kids' sizes go 13C, 13.5C, then 1Y, so 1Y is one full size up from 13C and fits a foot about 0.8 cm longer.
What do C and Y mean in shoe sizes?
C stands for child and Y stands for youth. C sizes are toddler and little kid sizes. Y sizes are big kid sizes. Store sites often label them "little kid" and "big kid" instead.
The letter tells you which scale the number belongs to. That is why a 2C and a 2Y are very different shoes. On Parsnip's standard size ladder, 2Y fits a foot about 20.8 cm long. A 2C is a baby size, far below the 4C where Parsnip's range starts.
Is 1Y bigger than 13C?
Yes. 1Y comes after 13C, with 13.5C in between. Each step on the ladder is half a size, about 0.42 cm of foot length.
- 13C: foot about 19.2 cm
- 13.5C: foot about 19.6 cm
- 1Y: foot about 20.0 cm
So 1Y is two half sizes up from 13C, and half a size up from 13.5C.
Why do kids' shoe sizes restart at 1?
The count starts over because big kid sizes are a new scale. Little kid sizes climb to 13.5C. Then the big kid scale begins at 1Y and climbs again: 1Y, 1.5Y, 2Y and on up to 7Y, where Parsnip's range ends.
The numbers drop, but the shoes keep getting bigger. A 1Y is longer than every C size.
UK sizes restart too, just at a different spot. UK kids' sizes keep going to 13.5, which lines up with US 1Y. UK 1 lines up with US 1.5Y. So a US 1Y and a UK 1 are not the same size. EU sizes never restart. They just keep counting up, which makes them easier to follow across the jump.
13C to 1Y size chart in cm, US, UK and EU
This chart shows the sizes around the jump, from 11.5C to 2.5Y. Foot length comes first, because it is the one number that means the same thing in every brand.
| Foot length (cm) | US kids | UK | EU |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17.9 | 11.5C | 11 | 28.5 |
| 18.3 | 12C | 11.5 | 29.5 |
| 18.7 | 12.5C | 12 | 30 |
| 19.2 | 13C | 12.5 | 31 |
| 19.6 | 13.5C | 13 | 31.5 |
| 20.0 | 1Y | 13.5 | 32 |
| 20.4 | 1.5Y | 1 | 33 |
| 20.8 | 2Y | 1.5 | 33.5 |
| 21.3 | 2.5Y | 2 | 34 |
Foot length means the bare foot, heel to the tip of the longest toe. Each length is where Parsnip's standard ladder picks that size, before any brand difference and before any extra room you choose. For every size from 4C to 7Y, see the kids' shoe size chart.
What does 11C mean in shoe size?
11C means US kids' size 11 on the little kid scale. On Parsnip's ladder it fits a foot about 17.5 cm long, which is UK 10.5 and EU 28. Every C size reads the same way: the number is the size, and the C says it is a little kid size.
What size comes after 13C?
The next size after 13C is 13.5C, then 1Y. This is the easy trap. If your child has outgrown a 13C, look for 13.5C or 1Y, not 14. The standard US kids' ladder has no 14C. After 13.5C it moves to the big kid scale.
Two more things to watch:
- Separate sections. Stores often list little kid and big kid shoes apart. 13.5C and 1Y can sit on different pages, even for the same shoe.
- Whole sizes only. Some brands skip half sizes. Parsnip's fit notes say Keen and Native come in full sizes only, and Crocs in whole sizes only. With those brands there is no 13.5C to fall back on, so a child between sizes moves up a whole size.
Brands cross the jump at different points
The same foot can be a C in one brand and a Y in another. Brands don't all match the standard ladder, so Parsnip gives each brand a half-size offset taken from that brand's own published chart. Here is how that plays out for a foot that sizes 13.5C on the standard ladder, about 19.6 cm:
- Nike (size up if you're between sizes): 13.5C
- Adidas (runs small, size up a half): 1Y
- Vans (runs small, about a full size for little kids): 1.5Y
- Converse (Chuck Taylors run a half large): 13C
One foot, four different size estimates. Fit can still vary by style within a brand. As one parent on r/toddlers put it, "sizes vary from brand to brand."
Measure the foot, then pick the size
The surest way past the 13C to 1Y jump is to start from foot length in cm. A centimeter reads the same on every brand's chart. Measure your child's feet at home, check both feet, and size from the longer one. The American Podiatric Medical Association also advises buying for the larger foot and checking size every 4–6 months, because of growth and brand differences.
Brand charts already include normal toe room. If you want extra room for growth on top of that, see how much growing room kids' shoes need.
Parsnip is a free app for iPhone and Android that helps you measure. With Picture Tap you freeze one camera frame, then tap heel and toe on the still. You see the foot length in cm first, then US kids, UK and EU sizes, plus a size estimate for each of 15 brands with a short fit note.