Hand me down shoes for siblings?

[faithfulbird20]

Does anyone not keep hand me down shoes for siblings especially if they have a 4 year age gap? It's said that hand me down shoes have already moulded to the previous wearers feet and thus damage the next wearers feet...not sure how true this is. But my 4 year has worn wellies on and off for a year and a bit of the print of the sole has come off (there's black marks inside the shoes too)...no point keeping them but DH wants to keep everything for baby...

[Mumdiva99]

There is no gimmick to width fittings. My daughters feet fall out of most shoes that are not adjusted by width. Yes there are companies other than clarks that do widths....startright etc But until you have a non-standard width foot you don't know the challenge of finding shoes to fit. So don't poo poo it.

Equally another child with a 'regular' width foot or a wider foot wouldn't be able to wear my daughter hand me downs. They would pinch and be uncomfortable. So of course not all shoes should be kept and shared.

[UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme]

You definitely can get various width fittings in Germany Bertie ! I know because I live here and have done for 14 years. Bama is a brand which does width fittings, and Reno display children's shoes by width and measure children's feet and have their own fitting passport for kids (which at least used to give a discount) - they've been doing that as long as we've lived here.

[BertieBotts]

I think if you have especially wide or narrow feet shoes must be tricky to find, but for the majority of people a standard width is fine.

[5thnonblonde]

The fitters get a day’s training iirc. They’re not qualified podiatrists!

[stayathomer]

BertieBotts-agree this is a British ( and possibly Irish) thing, and very clever of Clark's to present a gimmick (The Fitting) as if brand new shoes were an absolute necessity and based on scientific fact.
AndmathanxietyPeople pass children's shoes, boots, and clothes around where I am too
Yes this! And the whole width fitting. I live in a country where you buy your child a shoe in one size, there are no differing widths.
Unfortunately our house is the exception to this, both me and ds1 have wide feet. Now he's 13 and is in runners most of the time there's certain brands he has to avoid. I live by brookes runners (just in case there's any people out there who find they seem to be buying their runners in a size larger than they think they should!!!)
But yes, agree with all, growing up it was a fitting at Clarke's and my parents thought it awful that cheap shoes were allowed to be sold as they were asking for someone to be crippled by them

[CarbonMonoxideParty]

@BertieBotts

Also in fact despite my carefully fitted Clarks shoes and trainers every year until I was about 15/16 I still ended up with flat feet and needed special insoles. So they can't have been that brilliant...

My point exactly. The fitters may have some training but seems very little experience

[3peassuit]

Wellies and good condition clothes are fine, shoes need to be new.

[JoborPlay]

@BertieBotts

Also in fact despite my carefully fitted Clarks shoes and trainers every year until I was about 15/16 I still ended up with flat feet and needed special insoles. So they can't have been that brilliant...

Clarks are shit!

[BertieBotts]

Also in fact despite my carefully fitted Clarks shoes and trainers every year until I was about 15/16 I still ended up with flat feet and needed special insoles. So they can't have been that brilliant...

[Bunnycat101]

Shoes and home trainers no. I have kept school trainers as they have been barely worn and might come in handy if they fit. I have also kept the wellies that haven’t been trashed. Crocs is the one thing that I have kept and properly handed down but they are effectively summer wellies.

[Purplesky283]

Yes pretty much all the shoes my dc wear are hand me downs from older cousins. Plus most their clothes. They’re in perfectly fine condition. I’m surprised so many people are against it!

[MushMonster]

Nope, not shoes, at least you can have them refitted by a professional, if they are worthy of it.
If it was a smart shoe that they wore for a wedding or something like that, with very little wear, then yes.
But as you say, everyday footware gets moulded to the wearer, plus you also need to take into account foot width when they are little.

[Mumdiva99]

My son wore his sisters pink glittery hand me down wellies with pride. He took them I didn't make him.

Yes I would save those wellies. The only time I get rid of wellies is when they get a hole in them.

[JoborPlay]

@Shouldbedoing

I don't see any wear on them.
Perhaps too glittery for a boy

Depends on your boy. DS would love them!

[CarbonMonoxideParty]

I'm not sure I'd class Clark's as good specifically fitted shoes.

I did until I went to an independent near me. Sold lots of brands but not Clark's oddly. Fitting was second to none. It was about the fit primarily. Appearance came second.

I kept my used and ok condition (naively purchased) Clark's shoes for emergency for dc2 but rarely use them. Handy if there's a mid week break or something.

[suzyscat]

Yes, where they fit and like the style. (Girl and boy.)

I buy a lot of my kids shoes second hand anyway, and get a lot of 3rd/ 4th hand stuff from the neighbours. Their feet grow so quickly when they're small, I think it's incredibly wasteful to buy new each time.

[black2black]

What are fitted shoes? Surely all shoes are fitted ie they have a specific size.

[RagzReturnsRebooted]

@Shouldbedoing

I don't see any wear on them.
Perhaps too glittery for a boy

Absolutely.
Glitter makes your penis fall off...

[Bitofachinwag]

@faithfulbird20

Would you keep wellies with soles like this?

Yes! They hardly look worn.

[Shouldbedoing]

I don't see any wear on them.
Perhaps too glittery for a boy

[faithfulbird20]

Would you keep wellies with soles like this?

[gogohm]

Wellies, trainers, hiking boots and crocs yes as aren't worn out, every day shoes were wrecked anyway

[Florencenotflo]

I've kept anything that was ruined by Dd1 for dd2. Dd1 is quite heavy on her feet even now, so not many shoes/boots/trainers were in any fit state to be kept.

Wellies seem to have lasted ok, so dd2 will get those. Some of dd1's first shoes are in good condition or were outgrown before being worn in so dd2 has had those.

[TheLastLonelyBakedBeanInTheTin]

We keep wellies, slip ons, beach shoes, snow boots things that are for specific things but don't get worn much. I've kept them where a DC wore them for a week or two, but not much longer than that. That said they never survive anyway!

[DinosApple]

I kept all shoes, even fitted school ones. 17 months between my two though.
It worked best for wellies, trainers, slippers, crocs, canvas. School shoes though are just for an emergency really as my youngest has wider feet.