To have still not put my DS in shoes?

[luckiestgirlintheworld]

DS is almost 18 months and has never worn a pair of shoes. He's been walking since about his first birthday.
When in the park or garden he either goes barefoot if it's wet out, or sometimes he wears just socks.

When I spoke to the guy in the shoe shop he said it's really important to spend the extra money and buy properly fitting and properly made shoes, or the next best thing is no shoes at all. So I just decided not to bother.

I get a lot of odd looks from other mums and wondered if I'm being disapproved of. Do you think I'm BU?

[EvilTwins]

Do you walk around with no shoes on, outside, if it's wet? If not, the why would you want your child to do that?

Wet, cold, dirty feet are not nice.

[MillionToOneChances]

YANBU, my podiatrist friend said leave it as long as you can. I had those little leather slipper things for mine.

[AllPizzasGreatAndSmall]

Does he only get to walk on grass when outside?

[Trufflethewuffle]

DS1 was running by 9 months old, the problem was getting shoes small enough for him so we waited until he was a size 3. This meant he had been running around over the summer barefoot.

When we bought him tiny slippers and shoes he was distraught. It obviously felt really alien to him after the freedom of bare feet. It might be worth introducing soft starter shoes to prevent any upset.

[spancake]

Yes, yes I think yabvu. Would you like to walk around with cold, dirty, wet feet?? Humans wear shoes for a reason.

[VikingLady]

It's infinitely better for their feet. I always got funny looks for DD not wearing shoes unless necessary (we do a lot of city walking) and I always make her take her shoes off ASAP indoors.

She was breech and the paediatrician who did her hip scans said they ought not wear shoes unless it was necessary - basically just for protection outdoors. And since I went largely shoe-free I haven't had any foot problems either. I used to have regular ingrown toenails, fallen arches, and bouts of plantar fasciitis.

[Annunziata]

You are not protecting his feet from glass, stones, dog shit or worse. Pavements are all rough... his poor little soft baby feet.

[Diggum]

Mine wears shoes for walking outside/playground etc. not for garden or indoors. I agree with PPs about barefoot being best.

Have a look at Robeez shoes if you want to start him with something. They have really soft soles- almost like extremely thin tyre material that you could roll up if you had it on its own. Protect feet from stones, glass, rain, but still resilient enough not to hurt or interfere with foot development. Plus very cute and even DD tolerates them.

[TheCunnyFunt]

AllPizzas grass only really tends to grow outside so I imagine the OPs son will only ever get to walk on grass outside.

[FishWithABicycle]

It's good to not wear shoes as much as possible and I delayed as much as possible for my own. But a few weeks ago I was with an 18mo in a park who was just refusing her shoes, and she trod on a bee which stung her foot so I think after seeing that I would now at least put a toddler in soft slippers in the park until they were ready for shoes.

[BackforGood]

I agree that not wearing snoes is great for little foot development when they are walking somewhere clean and safe, but i don't think I'd count the park in that category.

[luckiestgirlintheworld]

Just to clarify, he's in the pushchair on the way to the park, so it's not pavements. But by park I mean play park, so it's part concrete, part that rubbery Tarmac.
And we live in a pretty naice area and there's no glass or dog poo in the park (obviously I wouldn't let him near either of those, shoes or no shoes).

[WorraLiberty]

Too much glass, sharp stones, rusty cans in my local park.

Plus, I'd get sick to death of washing them every time he came in from the park or the garden, to get the fox and cat's piss off.

[Annunziata]

But you won't know if there's glass or anything there (a bee, or something stingy like someone said) until he does step on it and hurt himself.

I think you're being silly not to have shoes for outside, but you seem to have made up your mind anyway.

[whatarethose]

I think it's really irresponsible actually and very try hard.

[Gileswithachainsaw]

yab very weird. Ffs what are you afraid of?

so he can't ever get out the buggy unless in a special approved place you know is clean?

that can't be good for his development. buy the kid some shoes fgs

[WorraLiberty]

Don't you ever walk him over your local shops?

[AdeleDazeem]

It's best to leave shoes for as long as possible but you do need them for outdoors.

[luckiestgirlintheworld]

Giles- he wouldn't be getting out the buggy anyway. He's too young (I assumed?) to be walking on the streets, and the only places we go outside to run around are the park or a nearby field. Both are well maintained.

[Gileswithachainsaw]

18 m too young to get out buggy? ?? seriously? Wtf

[YouTheCat]

Mine were barefoot as much as possible and only wore 'padders' until they had been walking for a good few months. They are 20 now so it doesn't seem to have done them any harm.

The advice when they were small was not to have them in fitted shoes until they had been walking for 3 months.

Personally, I was barefoot mostly, until I was about 3.

[Annunziata]

Get him out of the buggy, put a set of shoes and reigns on him, grip his hand and get him walking!

[WanderWomble]

I think it's fine in your own garden, but letting him run barefoot in public areas where there could be sharps, dog poo, broken glass or whatever is a bit unreasonable.

(And I say that as an adult who rarely wore shoes as a child. I still don't, if I can help it.)

[WorraLiberty]

He's been walking for 6 months, of course he can walk down the street with you.

Why wouldn't he?