Not to get DS shoes just yet?

[sprinkles77]

DS is 16 months and just walking. A few steps at a time, but mostly crawling. As it's warm and he is walking mostly just inside (sometimes in the garden) I wanted to save some money and leave him barefoot, at least until he was choosing to walk over crawling (so probably a few more weeks at least). AIBU?

No, do whatever you like, you are his mum :)

I left buying shoes until mine were wanting to walk outside of the house/garden. I prefer bare feet and wouldn't chose to put shoes on mine until necessary.

Sounds like a good idea to wait.

I try to let 18 MO DD2 go without shoes as much as possible and just have them on when she's walking on the pavement.

I've had a few comments about leaving her barefoot when she's in her pushchair though she's not walking at that second so why would she wear shoes?

Perhaps they think she looks like an urchin

thanks. Some of the other mums have been saying things like "he'll find it easier to get used to them if you get them now". I suspect that is what the shoe saleperson said to them!

I've heard that it's best to wait till they've been walking for a few weeks anyway, as the foot 'spreads out' a bit when walking rather than crawling. As long as he's not walking on any surfaces that could be unygienic or could hurt his feet, there's no harm in waiting.

My DS's had soft leather shoes, so that they could still splay their toes for balance and get used to the whole walking thing, but that protected them from sharp stones and any other nasties outside.

But in the house and garden, no need for any shoes.

The Clarks saleswoman told me off for laving DS out of shoes until he was running around - apparently he should have been in "cruising shoes" for months... - methinks this is a ploy to get us to buy more shoes.

I went home and looked in the "birth-to-five" book the NHS give you, and lo and behold it says something along the lines of keep them out of shoes until they can properly walk, and even then save them for outside walking.

Stupid Clarks

laving = leaving.

Their bones are so soft at that age - no rush to get them into rigid leather shoes.

MrsPlug , my BF is a manager at Clarkes and they are told not to sell shoes to babies without seeing them walk in the shop :)

No, leave 'em barefoot. Much better for their feet and it'll save you a fortune. If it's one pair you don't have to buy, it's still £30.

Just don't buy them from Clarke's. Really.

God no, leave it as long as possible. DS didn't walk until 16 mo and I still leave him out of shoes as often as possible. I did buy some of the 'cruising shoes' as he goes to nursery, so it wasn't always practical for him to be barefoot - especially out in the playground. I did hold off on even those until nursery said they couldn't take him outside without them.
Think about it... as an adult, what's often the first thing you do when you get home (in my case, usually with a sigh of relief...)

I agree, don't buy them until he walks outside. I don't know why people would pass comments about babies in their buggies being barefoot, I used to love seeing mine like that. They look so cool and comfy. After all he will have to wear shoes for the rest of his life so let him have bare feet while he can.

DS has been walking for 3 months and he still doesn't have shoes - he's perfectly happy being barefoot for now.

I bought some "cruising" shoes for ds recently as he has started to want to walk outside (holding onto something as he can't walk independently) and his leather slippers weren't cutting it. We don't have a garden though so there was no outside space he could safely go barefoot. They were only £11 from Clarks and the man fitting them did say to only use them minimally for outside and leave him barefoot as much as possible.

I do not think you are being unreasonable, but beware of stones in the garden if he is out there in barefoot. Ds1 cut his foot quite badly on a small but sharp stone and then had to have treatment on it as despite me cleaning it a few grains of dirt had stayed in there causing a lump on the side of his foot. That said, it hasn't stopped him being outside in barefeet!

I love seeing DDs toes as well fatlazymummy (I feel a bit sad you picked that for your MN name).

Amongst the people commenting I said to an older woman I chat to in passing that I'd love to have my feet out as well on such a hot day, I think she must have misheard because she said 'It'd be great to walk about with no clothes on wouldn't it'

Right. Barefoot it is for my little urchin. I love looking at his little toes!