To wonder why shoes are so expensive for toddlers

We always buy good quality shoes one pair in the spring and another in the winter. They tent to last about 6 months currently but we do go to an independent retailer who try lot's of different shoes before buying. We have the narrow foot problem and like bare foot soles.
We like ricosta, froddo and have brought start rite in the past.
Now over 3 year old we have brought a pair for walking boots for muddy play to save the good boots.
£55 for good brand boots
£20 for mountain warehouse walking boots
£10 for slipper in the last week! Hope they all last a while!
I wouldn't buy second hand shoes as everyone walks differently so moulds the shoe on the base.

I only buy geox now. There is a removable sole which tells you when they need a new pair, then I just buy the next size. I alway take advantage of sales online.
every brand has slightly different sizing so no matter what it’s always trial and error.

Sainsburys is best for good but cheap wellies op (my youngest is same age)

That's why our local independent shoe shop went out of business.

They were the only place that actually sold shoes narrow enough for DD. So I had to resort to getting measured at Clarks, not buying from them for the very good reason that they didn't have anything that fitted, and then going and buying online - sticking with the same shoe style that we'd been buying from the independent shop.

I didn't like using the sales service without buying from them, but I didn't have an alternative.

Mountain warehouse do really good quality ‘hiking boots’ and are almost always having a sale. We got some for about £25 a few years ago.

Wet Wednesdays do the best wellies - cheap, extremely light and come with removable liners so span 2 foot sizes.

buy a foot gauge and measure several times.

Brands like Vivo, Bobux etc are pricey but have good resale value and wear really well. They are designed to support growing feet with soft soles and wide toe bits. You can either resell or buy second hand to keep the price down.

We were loyal to clarks for years, but I don't bother any more. I find the fittings inconsistent, even when it's a good fitting, it's only right for a such a short time with the speed they grow. Shoes off as much as possible, foam rather than plastic wellies and bog standard trainers (we favour tensaur type things).

My mum was a chiropodist and as a child I wasn’t allowed to wear any shoes that hadn’t been professionally fitted, and even as a teenager she wouldn’t let me wear any pointy shoes or high heels. She explained that a baby/toddler/child’s feet are still forming, and not all bones are present until adulthood. If your child wears shoes that have inadequate space for the foot to spread and grow, the new bones will be compromised and could lead to lifelong pain and even disability.
When my kids were little I often bought second hand clothes and toys, but would never buy shoes for everyday wear unless they had been fitted properly in a shop.

Order a foot gauge and measure at home.
Buy decent brands online from Clarks outlet, shoesforkids.co.uk, new with tags from ebay etc.

But obviously children’s shoe sales are a business. Companies will exploit parents’ anxieties to charge exorbitant amounts for tiny pairs of shoes. I would treat companies’ claims with some caution, and ultimately use your own judgement in how the shoes fit. You just need to find a match between your child’s shoe and the foot, and not get too influenced by the marketing.

I always buy Ds decent shoes. Any time I have tried to go cheap ie Zara wellingtons they don’t fit and fall off, causing him to fall.

Super fit- shoes and winter boots
kuling- wellingtons, snow boots

I usually always get the Kuling ones in the sale online (Alex and Alexa), and get ski stuff and rain trousers the same

Superfit stuff sometimes in get him remeasured and buy local independent, other times I measure at home and just buy the same shoe, just bigger size, maybe different colour. But that way I know the style and brand fit well.

I always read shoe threads, thinking that maybe I neglected my kids. I didn’t give it much thought at all. We just found shoes that look like they fitted, whatever brand they were. We bought wellies from M&S or John Lewis. Shoes were sometimes Clarks and sometimes other brands. We did not buy secondhand as we were lucky enough not to need to do so.

anyway, my kids made it to adulthood with no foot issues so luckily I have had no consequences for my cavalier attitude when they were kids. They only had a pair of trainers and school shoes and wellies or sandals at any age until they were 11-ish. Some of their friends had many more pairs.

It was only later that I realised what a serious business kids’ shoe-choosing was.

I second, third, whatever searching vinted new with tags. I like the Bogs neoprene baby wellies. You can buy them new on vinted for £15. Comfy, supportive, warm and waterproof.

I bought the startrite foot gauge to measure at home and then buy from their clearance section. I typically pay £15-20 for a pair of shoes that have an RRP of £40-50.
I don't get the same choice as buying full price but never have issues with finding something I like and that is suitable
I won't go anywhere near Clarks as they wouldn't let my daughter try on any bogs shoes and insisted that the only suitable shoes were hideous pink trainers and they got a defensive when asked what if a boy walked into the shop with same same sized feet

High instep and wide feet was our problem. Clarks and high street shops never worked. Independent shops helped me find a few brands that did work. Ricosta, Geox, Superfit. Always look for ones with two rows of Velcro.

No, lined wellies are just warmer. No extra support.

OP, it will take him a while to get used to walking in wellies, but he will get used to it. As long as they aren’t falling off when he walks. Pick the lightest pair you can find, it is the extra weight that is the problem.

I work for an online shoe shop selling minimalist and barefoot shoes. Yes the prices make me wince but the development of children's feet is SO important, not just to their foot growth but their balance and alignment. Money spent now on good shoes will pay out in good health when they are older

Ebay is your friend. They don't get worn for long as they're outgrown.

Because they can be.

gortex ankle boots

There’s your problem! You’d be spending £200 on an adult pair of goretex walking boots.

Does he actually need boots? DS wasn’t immediately able to walk in boots at that age, they were too heavy for him. DS did need to wear boots as we lived in Canada and it was too cold for normal shoes, but it took him a while to get used to the extra weight. So if your son isn’t splashing in deep puddles, I’d probably just try to cope with waterproof trousers and normal leather shoes. He’ll be fine next year when his legs are a bit longer and stronger.

If he does want to go in puddles, or his feet are getting wet in normal shoes, just persevere with the wellies. Took DS a couple of weeks of daily wear to get used to snow boots, but once he got used to them he was running around and climbing quite happily in them.

They outgrow shoes so quickly there’s just no point forking out £60+ for shoes, definitely not for wellies which are designed purely to get as dirty as possible!

I buy their shoes on Vinted mostly nowadays.