Outdoor shoes for just walking baby

[LeeMiller]

Sorry if this is the wrong section. DS is 13 months, has just started walking properly after a few months of crusing, but is still crawling as well. Indoors he goes barefoot or wears thin grippy socks but he needs something for outdoors as we don't have much space for him to practice his new skill indoors!
I'm looking at first shoes (bobux and startrite after recommendations) but the first steps walking shoes seem very solid and bulky... Should he/could he wear the lighterweight cruising shoes for walking initially while he is getting the hang of it? And does he need ankle support? I'm finding it really hard to get some objective information on what is needed as opposed to what people want to sell us!

Yes cruising shoes will be fine.

Bobux do pre walkers which are like leather socks and are lovely and soft while still protecting their feet

Other brands do similar too

We have the soft leather bobux slippers bibbidy but they don't stay on his feet and I'd like something for damp ground. I will try the crusing shoes. So I'm guessing soft and flexible is fine and he doesn't need sturdiness /support now (or ever?)

Urgh it’s a grim time of year for ‘new walkers’

What he needs really depends on where he’s walking. Mall/pavement/grass/woods...

Go for as soft and bendy as possible that won’t soak through in a couple of minutes.

Given he won’t be walking miles though,even firm ones will be fine and he will learn to walk in them. Just use them when it’s necessary, not for hours each day

I thought this was going to be about shoes for you for going out , walking the baby! I was going to recommend Sketchers or New Balance for just general pram walking!

We got firm ones for DS walking at this age - the cruising shoes just didn't look weather proof enough / good for walking on stones etc. I asked the shop staff and that was what they recommended too (children's shoe shop). I didn't get him any ankle support. He was only outside walking for short spells given the time of year and we didn't use them inside.

We got DS soft but supportive shoes from Elefanten. He's 20 this year so not sure if they are still going, but they were lovely quality.

DD started with the Startrite Baby Jack prewalkers. The sole is incredibly flexible but waterproof and the suede upper is soft around the foot.

They definitely don't want ankle support at this stage. I think recent research has suggested you want the most 'barefoot' shoe possible so basically you just want the shoe to protect them from things on the ground rather than a structure shoe to support the foot. Since reading this I've switched to Bobux for DD's shoes as an established barefoot brand.

From the age of 18m she did have boots for the winter but that was for protection from the elements rather than for ankle support as we do a lot of walking in the countryside.

At that age mine wore those padraig slipper things outside - crocheted upper with thick leather sole. They were warm and waterproof ish - obviously they won’t do for proper puddles but were fine on damp pavements and slightly muddy grass. I had spring babies though.

How long has he been walking independently? I would keep him inside to start in this weather. It’s cold and wet and the cruiser shoes aren’t great for this weather. They should ideally be walking 4-6 weeks before they have shoes, so if you can stave it off another month, I’d then go get some sturdier shoes, which will be more suitable for all weather.

As its so wet out there at the moment (all our local countryside is a mud bath) you could always seek out some good indoor spaces for walking practice...

We have a museum local to us that is free entry and quiet during the week so DD did a lot of finding her feet there.

Ikea is pretty good for this when its quiet too!

We got cruising shoes from start rite. Still very soft and bendable but a proper waterproof sole.

We then moved to a brand called Ricosta. Proper shoes but so much softer. The independent children shoe shop we go to advised that you should bend a shoe with one hand, if you can't do it, it is too hard for a new walker.

I got ds a pair of wellies very early on.

Ah ok i see your issue we used Bobux Xplorer from early on as my boy was trashing the prewalkers so fast as although he was only just walking we let him walk everywhere holding our hands. I went to a shop and they were so so flexible i was happy they were the best option to barefeet

Haha notacooldad recommendations appreciated maybe I'll treat myself too!

The barefoot advice is what I'd read but then the woman in Clarks said the opposite and was trying to sell us chunky ankle boots so I got confused. I will have a look for Ricosta, bobux Xplorer and the waterproof startrite cruisers.

He has been cruising and taking a few steps for months but only just started walking independently across a room, down a corridor etc, and still crawls a fair bit too.

We don't actually live in the UK but are visiting and would like to get some shoes while we're here as they are so much cheaper and we have access to a good range of shops where we are staying that we don't at home. Indoor spaces where we live tend to have marble floors so outdoor also has the advantage of being softer to tumble on, and will probably be damp rather than muddy and waterlogged.

Despite being a later walker, DS had to stay in softer cruisers because his feet were too small for "walkers" until after his second birthday. It was a really soggy summer and I had to buy ££ designer wellies as they were the only ones I could get small enough, and he couldn't play out without. ( Sod's Law, DS2's feet were bigger and he got not a jot of use out of the wellies )

Early walkers and tiny feet are a pain to get shod in practical footwear.

You'll struggle to find Bobux in a shop here OP.

Very handily for me there's a shop in the North of England with a good range of Bobux. It's particularly handy as it's near Grandma's house so she buys the Bobux for DD 😁

There's a shop in the South in Marlow who stock a good range of the barefoot brands.

Your normal high street shoe shops aren't good for Barefoot shoes.

Based on my experience with our local Clarks who on two separate occasions would have sold me shoes for DD that slipped up and down as she walked, I wouldn't really value their opinion.

Its true, finding Bobux in store is hard but there is definitely

• a place in Hove
• one in i think Burgess Hill or Haywards Heath
• one in the lake district (can't remember where though)

I'd avoid Clark's like the plague and go for somewhere independent selling barefoot brands

I thought about ordering bobux online while we are here, are they true to size? Yes I thought the Clarks woman was talking rubbish, will try some boutiques instead

There is useful information on the Happy Little Soles website re Bobux sizing as the sizing is a little different to other brands. DD has new Bobux that are a 22 and look basically the same size as a UK 5.5

Can't offer any brand recommendations as I'm not in the UK, but in Norway the health care recommendation is solid, supportive ankle boots for first walkers. It gives them good support and will help them balance as well as protect their ankles. Both my kids started walking in the winter (great plan kids with the ice and snow and excessively uneven surfaces..) and they both had chunky boots as first shoes. Like this coop.no/globalassets/inriver/resources/3098_1237002_201906150031.jpg?anchor=middlecenter&scale=downscaleonly&quality=80&width=480&height=360

I've always found Bobux sizing to be bigger than other brands. Both my boys used to wear a size smaller in Bobux compared to say Clarkes. I have also ordered online as there's only one shop near to me that sell Bobux. They have a cool tool on their website where you can use your phone to measure your kids size. And they have a sale on at the moment so maybe buy something and you can always return for a different size if it doesn't fit? Pretty sure they offer free returns.

Yes lots in the sale and when he's awake I'll try he measuring tool, thanks!

Chunky boots makes sense with snow and ice but I'd prefer something lighter and closer to barefoot for (possibly damp) grass.

The recommendation for solid boots first goes for all seasons in Norway :) it's primarily to support and protect the ankles while they're learning to walk and building their support musculature. My main point was that the lady in Clarks wasn't talking bullshit by medical standards in Scandinavia.

Hope you find the shoes you want easily OP!

Thanks Damtheman, seems there are schools of thought then, most confusing.

Final question, is it worth getting the next size/a couple of sizes up (in eg bobux - wondering if the barefoot style would make this possible) in the sales? Or will we need to buy at the time?