Not to buy my 1 year old shoes?

[pumperspumpkin]

DS is nearly 13 months. He crawls everywhere at high speed and pulls himself up on things. When we go to the park with DD, she runs around all over the place and he follows her on his hands and knees. On climbing frames etc he now climbs up the steps and ladders (even big ones), tries to walk up the stairs, cruises his way along the walkways, etc etc. He has no shoes so sometimes wears socks, sometimes bare feet.

Anyway, I have heard other mothers (and my own mother) making comments about why he doesn't have any shoes on, poor child etc etc. However, decent ones seem so expensive and I'm not convinced that buying cheap ones will do more than socks to cover his feet.

It's hand shoes they need when crawling in the park isn't it.

YANBU!

Why put shoes on him if he doesn't need them?? Pointless imo.

I bought dd shoes on her 1st birthday, but she'd been walking since 10 months. I only bought them once she was very steady on her feet, before that she managed in socks or bare feet. She is a July baby, so not like it was icy out .

YANBU. On HV advice, I didn't buy DS shoes until he had been walking confidently and independently for a month. He has some cheapo croc-type things for outside in the summer, and then wellies when it got cold. When I got his firt proper shoes the lady in John Lewis congratulated me for being so patient and waiting for his feet to develop properly before getting him proper shoes, when he really needed them. She, and HV, both said that there is no point before hand as baby feet grow and develop so quickly in the first few weeks of walking that babies they need bigger shoes really quickly. HE had his firts shoes for 4 months, but has also just grown out of a pair in a month!

Are you not worried about stones/glass or even hypodermic needles?

Inside I do accept that barefoot is best.

But I'd be a worried with a barefoot baby in the parks near me.

When I worked in a kids shoe shop we wouldn't sell shoes until the baby is walking confidently and not using their toes to cling on (toes curled into ground). Shoes do more harm than good then, you take away their ability to cling on (or at least thinking they are) and it can set their confidence back.

For a shop to turn people away there must be something in it (although we would sell pre walkers/ socks with rubber-ish soles) if they needed something for outside.

You can get decent shoes from next that don't cost the earth. I wouldn't let my ds crawl about the park, but each to their own i suppose. I certainly would say oh that poor child etc etc.

I had Clarks cruiser shoe thingees when mine were at the cruising/crawling stage for when we were out and about. At home they were always bare foot, but outside I had something on their feet for hygiene/safety reasons.

I don't like wearing shoes, and mostly wander about outside barefoot - feel free to call me a poor woman, mummysgoingmad - when dd was wee we did, however, get these which were warm and grippy, but nice and soft, and can get slung in the machine. This was in winter, though, so it was colder. Not sure what I'd do in summer - ds (10 mo) is barefoot most of the time, while crawling. I've never had a "poor child" comment - it's bloody rude.

There's nothing wrong with what you are doing - learn the art of shrugging

Hmm well my DD has just turned 15 months, has only just started walking and hardly ever wears shoes. I did buy her a pair of sandals when we were on holiday as the ground was very hot to walk on, and I sometimes stick her in those if she wants to walk somewhere spiky/gravelly etc but you can see she is more confident without them. She crawls/totters/holding-my-hand walks around the park all the time barefoot.

I like being barefoot, I often am, and in her case it's better for her to be like that. I haven't heard anyone mutter about poor children, but even if they do, fuck em, she's a hippy chick. I think people are quite strange about shoes actually - a hangover from when not having shoes was a real sign of poverty and quite shaming. Possibly.

My DD didn't actually crawl but walked everywhere whilst holding our hands from about 9 months. I didn't buy her shoes until she was 13 months (the socks were wearing through). Do what you think is right.

ref the needles in the park comment - the baby's crawling round, more of his leg than his foot is in contact with the ground and therefore needles. Shoes won't make any difference.

YANBU. DS didn't have any shoes until he had been walking for a month or so. According to my Mum and sister this could have damaged his feet and made them develop unnaturally

They are fans of trainers for newborns though.

YANBU- neither of my two have had shoes until they are walking properly. Inside and in the garden they are in bare feet so they still spend more time without shoes than in them. Nursery think I'm slightly odd but then I have introduced them to expressed breast milk, baby led weaning and unusual beds for children so they probably think this is one of my normal childrearing methods

I didn't want my ds in shoes too early either but I did feel his feet needed protecting when cruising/crawling around the park so I got him these from Boots.

I don't think YABU to not want him to wear shoes yet. My ds is 15 months and been walking confidently for a few months now but is still in pre-walkers/soft shoes as he point blank refuses to walk in "proper" shoes. ( he is mostly bare foot unless outside though)

And I've just realised that someone has already posted a link to the same thing that I did.

I felt the same but when dd2 was 13 months and at that stage it was November and very muddy. The slip on things just came straight off and offered no protection. Rather than stop going to the park (which would have been hard on DD1) I gave in and bought her cruising shoes which have proper soles so she could stand in the mud etc. At this time of year I wouldn't have bothered! They did fit her for 5 months though so we gor out money's worth.

I did Robeez/Starchild/Daisy Roots soft leather type things for in the park/if cold - and got v trashed (bought them on ebay). But barefoot wherever possible, yes. Much better for their feet.

Didn't buy either of mine shoes until they could walk. Would prob be a bit concerned about crawling round a public park though.