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...

[Vindo]

I just decide based on condition. If they are still in good condition I keep, if they are worn out they go in the recycling.

It's easy enough for me to do though as there's only 2 years between my girls and they have similar shaped feet.

[mathanxiety]

@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.

People pass children's shoes, boots, and clothes around where I am too (US), and also buy footwear at yard sales and thrift shops.

An old neighbour went trawling yard sales one weekend many years ago and returned with a lovely pair of Ecco boots that fit DD2 perfectly. I gave her the $2 she had spent along with a snow bib we had no use for. The Ecco boots were worn by DDs 2, 3, and 4.

[BogRollBOGOF]

Everyday shoes get too worn to be worth passing on, and my DCs have differently proportioned feet.

Occasional shoes (wellies, crocs, hiking boots, sandals, football boots...) all fair play to pass on. Unfortunately despite a 2 year age gap DS2 has now plateaued at the same size as DS1 so I end up buying everything in duplicate. Sigh.

[cillacilla]

Check the soles of the shoes and if there is any wear inside at the heel cup. If there is bad wear on the sole (particularly at the heel at an angle) then I would chuck out. Bad wear on the heel cup inside the shoe could cause blisters. Shoes should either be repaired or thrown out when they get like this even for the child they were bought for. Apart from that if the shoe otherwise is in good condition and is not too tight or big for the next child then there is no issue if the shoes have been worn before.

[PetrifriedPumpkin]

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.

And mathanxiety People 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.

[Thepurpleturtle]

@elbea yes I was also against 2nd hand shoes but have snapped up a few pairs hardly worn / brand new for a few ££ on Vinted. I got my DD some Clarks leather boots for £3.50 on Vinted and my local Clarks shop happily checked they fitted her. Looked like they had only been worn a couple of times and no sign of the soles being worn or the shoes being misshapen at all

[Thepurpleturtle]

Also those people saying their DC’s feet are fine - a relative of mine has foot problems which developed in her 60s and possibly linked to wearing high heels. Foot care is an ongoing thing. Thankfully for our DDs flat shoes are fashionable, I’m worried for my own feet given some of the huge heels I used to trek to school in

[takingmytimeonmyride]

Wellies, yes, as they weren't worn that much.

Football boots in secondary school, yes, because they rarely wore them and put very little effort into moving when they did (they all hated football)

Walking boots, we walk a lot, and they do scouts, so not usually, but there were a few times where they'd had a growth spurt so not got much use so I passed them down.

All other shoes got worn to death so were only fit for the bin.

[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.

[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!

[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.

[gogohm]

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

[faithfulbird20]

Would you keep wellies with soles like this?

[Shouldbedoing]

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

[Bitofachinwag]

@faithfulbird20

Would you keep wellies with soles like this?

Yes! They hardly look worn.

[RagzReturnsRebooted]

@Shouldbedoing

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

Absolutely.
Glitter makes your penis fall off...

[black2black]

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

[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.

[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.

[JoborPlay]

@Shouldbedoing

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

Depends on your boy. DS would love them!

[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.

[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.

[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!

[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.

[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...