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...

[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!

[3peassuit]

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

[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

[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

[5thnonblonde]

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

[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.

[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.

[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.