babies first walking shoes

[mummysue]

hi just took my 14 month old daughter for her first walking shoes and been told she has a high instep.does anyone have any explanation as to what this is? as if i want to buy shoes what should i look for if she has this....also does anyone know where and if i can buy my own foot measure for her.they tell me to go every 8 weeks to have them measured,but i thought i could do it myself then if theres a change i could take her for new ones.at least thenid know myself if theres been a change...any tips would be greatful

[eleusis]

I would just take her in for measuring by a good shoe store. By "good" I mean the likes of Russell and Bromley or Clarks (though I'm not a fan of Clark shoes so never go there). SOmetimes I pop into R and B just for a measure and they say the shoes are still the right size and off we go.. and come back when do need shoes.

I think the medical advice at this age is that barefoot is best until you need to sole to protect their feet (like walking on hot rocks in summer).

I always find that Clarks wants to sell sell me the shoe that fits exactly as it should today but doesn't have a lot of room for growning. Generally, I'd like my kids to be able to wear a pair of shoes for 6 month. I am not spending some £30 on shoes every 8 weeks.

[eleusis]

Oh, and I like Start Rite. I think they are really good, especially if you need a special wide shoe. My DS has fat feet and my DD has skinny little feet. Start Rite suits them both.

[PrettyCandles]

I OTOH always get Clarks whenever possible (though I prefer John Lewis fitters).

If you have a high instep it means that the arch of your foot is quite well-developed and that the corresponding part of your foot above the arch is therefore held well up off the floor.

Ds1 and dd both have high insteps, wide feet and narrow heels, so are really awkward to fit. Buckle shoes, like old-fashioned Mary Janes, or Doodles, never fit my older two - they just step straight out of them. Closed shoes have to be either lace-ups or velcro, though sandals can be buckled as long as they don't have a closed heel.

In their first 18-24m of wearing shoes, I found that the children needed a new pair roughly every 3m. Clarks would always recommend a shoe with about 1cm room at the toe end. I don't think there's any point in getting shoes too big in order only to buy them every 6m, as that can make it difficult for the child to walk in the shoe, and the right width-fitting now might be too tight in 6m-time, even if the length is still OK.

[ScottishThistle]

I've been told that for children with high insteps t-bar style shoes are more comfortable...You should really have feet measured in store as different brands of shoes have slightly different fittings, also some stores will not exchange or refund shoes if your childs feet haven't been measured by their staff.

[PrettyCandles]

Good poin re measuring, ST. I'vr had to return shoes once or twice.