to be more than a little pissed off with purveyors of children's shoes

[MagdaMagyarMadam]

I've just been looking at on-line shops including Clarks and Startrite and cannot believe the stark gender divisions in what is on offer. In Clarks, for girls it is bloody pink, more pink, oh hold on, there's a pair of ankle boots, no they're "violet" - still on the pink spectrum for me.

Start-rite to be fair doesn't have an abundance of pink but the shoes look like those worn in the 1950's, very girly and the price of them is eye-watering especially as I have twins.

All I want are some reasonably priced, gender neutral shoes/trainers for knocking about in, not some bloody sparkly pink confection costing the same as some adult footwear.

So, AIBU?

NBU AT ALL!
I share your pain. Have you tried Kickers shoes?

My DD (2.3) is currently in Timberland boots and had a great time splashing in puddles in them today.

I too hate the naff pinks on offer but there is so very little else, isn't there. when she wears something orange I really struggle. I got her the only other option I could find for the summer, white sandals, but was so careful with them (she's not the daintiest or ladylike child) that she didn't wear them as much as she could have done.

Mrs Wembley you're right. I love oranges and greens for clothes but pink shoes look awful with these colours.

Have you seen vivobarefoot?

I used to despair of the choice for my DDs, but love these.

I have never done the clarks/startrite thing, I just stick all of mine in converse and hunters, DONE

MsScarlettInTheLibrary

Try finding a 'girl's' school shoe for the winter term that actually covers the whole foot,

I bought my DD age 7 some gender neutral trainers in clarks.

She has wide feet so generally have to buy shoes with wide width fittings.

link

re: small feet, ricosta boots start in a size 18 which is a size 2.... so size 3 feet not a reason not be have to wait for shoes.

And why oh why can't you get decent boots for boys? I don't mean wellies or walking boots - I mean this sort of thing - tough, waterproof and comfortable. In fact why do girl's boots outnumber boy's by about 100 to 1? It's not like they had different types of feet?

After three dc, my extensive research suggests the following:

Dinosoles do fabulous unisex trainers/shoes. Very good quality too. You can get them for £20 or so from Shoes For Kids. The top three on this page, for eg.

Angulus do lovely shoes and boots for boys and girls, though they are spenny. They often come up on ebay though, or you can keep lurking for sales.

Bisgaard are a bit like Angulus, though not quite as chunky. Lovely trad-but-funky Mary Janes in a good range of colours.

Vertbaudet have quite nice shoes often.

There's so many suggestions I had never heard about, thank-you OP for starting this thread.

I too, though, have the problem of wide feet. Just been checking one site and every shoe I liked the look of only did up to F and DD's a G.

If you're near Norwich then it's definitely worth checking out the Startrite factory shop. It's only open in the week and the range isn't huge (so may not address the OP's pinkness problem) but we've always found something and they're much cheaper than the shops. I haven't been this year (my parents live near and I live overseas) but last year got boots for DD1 which were £45+ in the shops for about £17.

Gilmoregirl - you're having a laugh with that shoe orchard site surely? £76 pounds for school shoes? Are you barking mad?! Or just Prince Charles style rich

Sparkle - ooops aplogies for my recommendation: I got DS two pairs of boots for less than £50 in their sale - a pair of startrite which I think were £18 and a pair of someother brand I had never heard of so assume they are posh and continental for I think £38. Both pairs were I think half price.

Sorry maybe the sale is not so good this year as I would definitely NOT pay £76 for shoes full stop.

The startrite site is good as also often half price offers.

I saw a gorgeous pair of boots in a shop window once - went in and had DS measured etc and pointed them out. Thank GOD they were out of stock in his size as they were £78!!!!! He was I think three.

I am having an "I hate Clarks" moment today - because they don't do boots to fit my teeny almost 2yr old DS - the ones I want start at a size 5 and he is only a 3 (and has been since June). I will NOT be buying him another pair of cruisers when he has been walking a year because that the only the thing they ever seem to have in his size!!!! Grrrrrrrrrrr ..... and BREATHE!

UniS thanks for the tip about custom made shoes - if they last that long that's great! PS Did you go to Surrey Uni?

lljkk I was wondering if I was the only one to buy second hand shoes from ebay! Thank goodness I'm not. I get DD measured in Clarks, then go home and search ebay for correct size shoes. Rarely have I paid more than £7 inc p+p.

Can I also suggest NCT Nearly New sales - just bought 2 pairs boys shoes in good nick for £3. DD will be wearing them - who says brown isn't a good colour for a winter shoe?

Sketchers do a variety of sparklyish type pumps in lots of colors not just pink (twinkle toes) but also plenty shoe/trainer types of the less sparkle variety.