DH says I 'can't' buy these school shoes for a girl!

[dontyouworrydontyouworrynow]

Opinions please!

Are these shoes ok for a 5 year old girl (going into Y1) for school?.

They come up listed in the girls section on Clarks. My thinking is they look tidy, practical and not likely to cause wet feet when it inevitably rains this autumn. DD insists on pinafores and tights so this is more of a pain to change than socks if she gets wet feet at school (and she won't tolerate wet feet, she has diagnosed ASD with sensory issues).

DH says they are boys shoes and I can't buy them it's mean. I think they're unisex and anyway they're five years old so surely practicality wins out!

I've looked at all the girly shoes but they're nearly all very low at the front or gappy!

Anyway... thoughts? Am I condemning her to being teased?

They look like exactly the shoes I wore to school for years 😂 and I was and am definitely female haha

Awful, awful shoes for a girl. She will be laughed at. Kids are nasty.
They will tell her she has boys shoes.
Don’t do it.

Neverrains it's sad but true. I was completely shocked that kids that age even knew about brands etc. I think I was 12 or 13 before I figured out some clothes were considered better than others. It really made me feel sad for her that that competition was starting so early.

@Maharajah20

Awful, awful shoes for a girl. She will be laughed at. Kids are nasty. They will tell her she has boys shoes. Don’t do it.

If 4/5 year olds are so strongly opinionated about boys and girls things, then their parents are doing a pretty shit job.

I really don’t believe kids are going to get teased over shoes. My DC goes to a large primary school and has never had any issues. Plenty of the cool footie girls wear shoes like that. Nobody cares. Especially not in reception. I feel like kids I know are way more tolerant than the ones I went to school with. My DC has worn the same hat since Reception and would have been crucified for it at my primary school. Her classmates don’t bat an eyelid.

Yanbu. At that age my DD and some of her friends starting wearing clarks boys shoes as they were more like trainers and they could run around in them.

I also buy closed shoes for my 5-year-old DD in the Autumn/Winter. She does prefer more 'feminine' shoes but I explain to her about the wet feet thing and she gets 'prettier' shoes in the Spring!

I've got these ones for her this year, maybe slightly less clumpy? :

www.startriteshoes.com/flair-black-patent-girls-riptape-school-shoes

DD1 (year 5) has those shoes. She hasn't been teased and has never come out of school moaning about wet socks, unlike the girls in open shoes.

I would roll my eyes at anyone who thinks someone 'can't' wear a pair of shoes because of their genitals!

I noticed that Clark's seem to have made a big effort this year to produce girls' shoes which are more practical and solid. There's been criticism in the past because girls' shoes tend to be flimsier and harder to run in, compared to boys' ones.

Those look absolutely fine if she's happy in them and finds them comfortable. Why worry what other people think?

They look great - will keep her feet warm and dry.

🤣😂😅at the poster who said it was a huge heel. That gave me such a good laugh - thank you

God they’re ugly! I’d say that if they were for ‘boys’ as well though.

My Mum used to buy shoes like this for me, I hated them. I always wanted pretty, feminine shoes.

*’for boys’ not for ‘boys’

I think they're ideal because, unlike most bloody 'girl' school shoes they're not flimsy and open and likely to be cause of wet, cold feet in winter for any girl who isn't chauffeured everywhere with someone carrying an umbrella above her at all times!

She's not allowed trainers, has to be proper shoes.

The chunkiness is a fair point, she has a tendency to tip toe walk so I don't want to give her anything that makes tripping even more likely!

She wasn't really fussed when I showed them to her but then had a look at the others and said 'oooh' when she saw a very flimsy open unpractical pair that will have her feet wet in two minutes flat.

She came home at the end of term (reception year!) asking for a Smiggle backpack for this year, so I think they do know about brand etc already.

We also do prettier shoes for spring summer as her gets two pairs a year currently they way her feet grow.

@wellysock
That may well be true but several pp have said their SONS have these shoes. If a couple of boys in her class have them she is going to be laughed at. Why risk it? Just buy some sensible shoes that are less boyish.

[quote Silversun83]I also buy closed shoes for my 5-year-old DD in the Autumn/Winter. She does prefer more 'feminine' shoes but I explain to her about the wet feet thing and she gets 'prettier' shoes in the Spring!

I've got these ones for her this year, maybe slightly less clumpy? :

www.startriteshoes.com/flair-black-patent-girls-riptape-school-shoes[/quote]
Those are nice! I've only got a Clarks measurer at home and I can't take her to a shop for it she hates having her feet measured.

Might have to invest in a Startrite one too!

I think they are absolutely fine, really practical. And I'm super happy to see more practical looking shoes for girls nowadays rather than those shiney Mary-Jane style shoes with massive bows that most shops seem to just sell.

Not sure why people are recommending trainers instead of shoes - this is school uniform.

I'm quite saddened that a lot of people think your DD will be teased. I'd hope not, I don't ever remember teasing at school being because of shoes!

I think they are hideous and I wouldn't have bought them for my daughters.

They are awful and very chunky. I wouldn't put my DS in them tbh

It seems Clarks have just listed all the school shoes under the Girls tab (doesn't seem to be the case in reverse) The pair of shoes that were brought out for ds (13) to try, are on that page, and they are a traditional male style.

Quite ugly looking imo.

We have always gone to the "boys" section for my dd(8)s shoes, because she says she can't run and climb as well in open ones, and hates anything patent or glittery. She's never had any mean comments at school, and plenty of the other girls wear similar. Now that Clarkes and other places have started to sell more practical "girls" shoes we buy from either section depending on what she likes.

We do the same with sports clothing. It drives me mad that shorts for little girls are 3" shorter than shorts for little boys. What kind of message is that sending to our kids? "You can play sport if you must, but you have to show more flesh than the boys."

Personally I wouldn't as they do look very clumpy and big. Comfy but they look heavy