Can anyone find me REALLY wide fitting trainers for DS (13 y.o., size 4 feet)

[Clumsymum]

Hi folks, just wondered if anyone knows of a firm that sells these.

DS has malformed feet, and they are getting wider and more difficult to find shoes for. As the new term approaches, I'm desperate to find new trainers for him.
I thought I had solved it with these www.shoetailor.com/shop/body-star-ladies-lace-trainers-eee-fit/rx626/product/details/show.action?pdBoUid=5346#colour:,size:,
altho they are ladies I figured they looked OK if we chose the black and white colour . However, they arrived this morning, and we find that they have a lovely silver butterfly embroidered on the heel . Obviously, DS wouldn't even try them on, couldn't wear THOSE for school. So they are going back.

We have found proper school shoes, Startrite 4 H fitting works if I put in a shoe stretcher and apply leather-stretch spray VERY liberally around where his big toe curves outward. But trainers won't stretch like that, even leather ones seem to have nylon lining that won't give.

Can anyone help ??

[OlympickingMyNose]

Have you tried skater trainers? They are wide fitting. Etnies, dc's, airwalk, vans, etc

[Clumsymum]

um, do you mean Skate trainers ? Are they really wide fitting? and will they class as having 'non-marking soles'

Just googled them, eek, fearsome prices, but if we must ...

Sorry your 3rd sentence didn't make any sense to me.

[Ponders]

is there a big Sports World anywhere near you? they have masses of trainers, including skater ones, so you could try them on

one of my DSs has what we "affectionately" call hobbit feet - practically square, with a high instep (& hairy of course) (he's 24 ) & he wears skater type trainers. Even Nike & Adidas ones are ok, though he has to get a size larger

[Ponders]

\link{http://www.mandmdirect.com/products-Duffs-Junior-Crank-Mid-Trainers-Black-Grey-Red_DX309.htm\these Duffs} are only £20 from MandM (a very useful site when you have teenage boys)

they come in different colours as well.

& you can return them if no good (I think they do that thing where you can drop off at a local pick-up point)

\link{http://www.mandmdirect.com/products-adidas-Junior-Rabanator-3-Skate-Shoes-Dark-Onyx-Blue-Black_AD8641.htm\or these adidas ones?} (have non-marking sole)

does the colour matter?

[Clumsymum]

Thanks Ponders, we'll give it a go.

[OlympickingMyNose]

Sorry, 3rd sentence was just some names of manufactures of skate trainers. Sports world do reasonably priced airwalk ones, around £20. Or tkmaxx

[Clumsymum]

DS and I spent a truly horrendous hour in a big Sports Direct store this morning, after I had sweetened DS's countenance by feeding him at McDonalds.

The staff in there are great (not). Found the youths sizes, picked out 5 pairs that looked possible, asked a member of staff (apparently dept manager) to get them for us in size 4. He scowled at us and said we could only pick 3 to try. I explained that DS has difficult feet, and we may need to try to lots to find something suitable, and smiled at him. He scowled at us and said we could only pick 3 to try . However, because we have no alternative, this HAS to be done, we chose 3 styles. They only had 1 in a size 4, so we tried that (brought to us by a surly youth who would obviously rather be somewhere else), but no good.

I left DS sitting on the bench and went off to search the shelves again, came back with armfuls of possibilities (about 7 different shoes), plus two actual pairs in boxes that had been left piled up by the stockroom door, that were size 5s.

After lots of smiling sweetly at the surly youth while we asked him to fetch each style out in 4s and 5s, we have finally found 2 styles that are actually wearable in size 5 - I can't say they fit, but they will do the job.
First pair were airwalk, lovely, wide fitting, but rather garish for school trainers, without proper trainers-style support. I said we would have them. I did wonder if PE teacher would approve, but thought to myself "if he doesn't, I'll give him £30 and DS, and tell him to go and get something better in the circumstances".

Thru perseverance we also found a pair of proper Reebok trainers that work too. The laces open further down than other styles, so they can cope with the width better. So they will be the PE trainers, and the airwalk shoes will be DS's casual shoes.

Thanks very much indeed Ponders and Olympic for your help. Next time DS needs shoes, I'm sending DH with him !!

[Ponders]

oh good, I'm glad you did manage to find some, Clumsymum

I've found that staff quality varies wildly in those shops - there are some lovely helpful people as well as the grumpy tossers (& all sorts in between!). They tend to be under-staffed which is one reason why they can be cheaper than eg JJB

I don't like shopping there either, but when my DSs were younger there was always masses of other stuff they needed like football boots & trackie bottoms & shin pads & tennis balls & footballs & bootbags etc etc etc, so we'd have a major expedition 2 or 3 times a year & I refused to go near the place the rest of the time

Def send your DH next time!