to want some plain shoes for my dd?

[CreatureRetorts]

Not flowery, covered in glitter with bows or corsages (?!) or frilly or with hearts. Or pink or purple.

I've been tearing my hair out trying to find decent shoes for 18 month old dd. she's got small narrow feet and clarks are shit as they've measured her wrong pretty much every time I go in. But they're one of the few that do shoes small enough.

I've been trying online but they come up too wide (I know the post office well from all the bloody returns) and I'm at a loss now.

So I'll have to go back to clarks or start rite and get her shoes that fit but that look rubbish.

Why are shoes for toddlers so twee and pants?!

Have you tried John Lewis, Jones, Clinkards or Russell and Bromley as they have a range of brands they tend to be better at find a good fit. Having spent 9 years trying to get shoes for DD's difficult fit I have discovered these are the best.

Don't knock the pretty shoes though DD's feet are difficult big and she wore school shoes from 2.5 years which resulted in many tears over not the same shoes again.

Buy her 'shoes for boys' if you really don't want twee ones. For my DD's first shoes I didn't want to spend too much as they outgrow them so quickly so I asked for whatever was in the sale and the sensible woman brought out some boys shoes which were pretty unisex really. They did the job.

I used Clarks Doodles at this point, I don't know if they still do that range or something similar, but they were canvas T bar shoes, in a range of colours for boys or girls. DTD1 had blue ones and DTD2's were yellow, sometimes they had pretty prints, others had animals on.

Clarks are a franchise, some of the shops seem to have better trained fitters than others.

In the summer there are lots of canvas shoes around. OK a lot of them have embroidery on them which you might not like, but there should be plain ones too (I think gingham check looks nice).

YY to trying John Lewis, also try independent shoe shops.

Make the most of glitter, bows, pink, purple, flowers and the rest.

School shoes are dull, dull, dull and stupid, impractical, let the rain in and generally awful. Little girls shoes are so much nicer.

On a practical note Joneses are our best choice.

Try Independent shoes shops that sell European brands Ricosta etc. DD has awkward feet and our local shop really spends the time looking at what shoes suit her feet. They know their shoes

I wouldnt set foot back in a Clarks if you paid me! Awful service and "advice"

What size is she? DD2 is finally into a size 3E/F, she has 3 pairs of shoes and only one pair are really girly.

She has the startrite 'pixie' in cream and the 'cathy' in navy.
She also has a pair of light floral canvas shoes (but can't remember the brand) from a local shoe shop.

I feel your pain! My DD (2.5) pretty much always wears boys shoes as they aren't covered in sparkly shit and I find they give much more support to her feet, boys shoes are more hard-wearing and better for outdoor play. Little girls shoes suck.

I'd suggest local independent stores if you have any, our nearest one is fab and they don't push the flowery, sparkly girly crap on you either.

She's a 3/3.5E. Clarks measured her at 4.5 the other day but when they tried the shoes they were like boats. I don't want to give them my money now!

Yes there are canvas shoes around but her feet are too narrow for them.

No independence shoe shop near me (it closed down). I've been trying online but they're too big!

Will keep trying. She's wearing boots which are too big but the straps are such that I can tighten them enough. Summer shoes are less secure.

If you look at clarks online you can order in slightly plainer ones - you could also try boys shoes, but I've found them cut pretty wide in general. (too wide for my f fitting boy sometimes )

Ricosta shoes are good. And I swear by Ecco shoes - not too girly at all (but enough that I can get them past my pink obsessed DD) and they wear really well.

Or how about something like baby converse? We use "One Small Step" for my kids - they're pretty reliable. Don't trust Clarks at all - went into one, and the woman put the left shoe on my son's right foot - did not fill me with confidence...

Startrite online have 3 and 3.5's.

Have a look at the Papouelli website - they have gorgeous shoes but they are eyewateringly expensive. My DD has very narrow feet too and a lot of their shoes do come up narrow. I have the opposite problem size-wise though: DD's feet are HUGE - adult size 6 at age 10 and I'm finding it hard to buy child appropriate shoes that are narrow enough.

Vertbaudet shoes are lovely, plain and really good quality.
I also hate shoes here, they're ugly, rubbery, horrible shades of purple and lilac, or full of dinosaurs and other embellishements.... I always buy the dc shoes on Portugal where they're plain, pretty and good quality. Ah and you can get them with leather soles instead of rubber, which I prefer.

Have checked DD's other shoes and they are a Spanish make called GIOSEPPO. They were the smallest, neatest fitting canvas style summer shoes I could get for DD. Size 3's in Clarks, Next etc were far too wide.

Definitely Clarks doodles. My Dd has nice plain Velcro ones, (and pretty party ones too ) also have you tried Flossys for the summer? Lovely and comfy and come I lots of different colours. Very plain designs

At that age I bought pepino and not flowery at all....

Converse
Hush Puppies (they saved the day for narrow footed DS when I wanted shoes without dinosaurs/diggers on)
19 month old DD is in bright red Kickers
Also, Google "Conker Shoes".

Thank you all. Will check out the suggestions. Bike how wide are the converse etc? DD's feet are very slim. She's a slight child so we struggle.

I checked vertbaudet but was nervous about the fitting.
Will look at the others, thank you!

Try Mothercare, I know Mothercare can be a dirty word on MN , but my 2 year old has plain white shoes £12 from there. She has actually had 2 pairs, one in purple. They're just little "leather" t-bar types. I know I've been able to get them in a size 4, am not sure if they go smaller.

Pepino in TK Maxx

Stick with clarks
Both my dds have always had small feet
Have a look on there website u can see which ones they do in her size

OP, DS was a D at one point, now E at nearly 5.