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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To get shoes for newly walking 10-month-olds?

34 replies

Linguaphile · 10/07/2014 11:24

I've got twin girls who have been cruising round the furniture for about two months. They play on their feet quite a lot now, and have been taking unaided steps for about two weeks. I've been leaving them barefoot up until now, but last week at crèche, they both came home with little black feet from the dirty floor! :(

If you were me, would you get them some cruiser/crawler shoes to protect their feet and keep them clean when they're toddling about at playgroups? As the big sales are on, I went out yesterday to get them some baby shoes, but they still worked out to be a fortune at half price (£16/pair... which seems a lot for babies that are just learning to walk). DH wasn't pleased.

So... what do you think? Just let their feet get dirty for a few months when they're walking in public play spaces/outside, or keep the shoes?

OP posts:
Original poster
Linguaphile · 10/07/2014 11:29

I should add the reason the shoes were pricey was because the John Lewis shop lady said they could only really go into the Clark's shoes because of the girls' tiny foot size--although the cheaper off-the-rack shoes from places like Gap come in their size, they're apparently terrible for new walkers... Sigh.

OP posts:
ikeaismylocal · 10/07/2014 11:29

I think yabu to buy shoes just to avoid dirt, My ds started walking at 10 months (which happened to be in October so it wasn't even lovely warm weather) and I just let him have bare feet until he actually started to want to walk around outside the majority of the time.

I felt that bare feet were safest for new walkers as babies have a much better grip with bare feet.

Our families bought ds so many socks and even shoes as they thought we were just being neglectful or we didn't want to spend money on footwear but I still didn't put things on his feet very often.

We had little leather slippers which we used at the park or if he was walking in shops.

ikeaismylocal · 10/07/2014 11:31

These are the little slippers ds had.

www.lindex.com/sk/6681435/moccasins

lozster · 10/07/2014 11:32

If their feet are big enough then definitely go for shoes. I got my 11 month old some as doom as he was a size 2. Fortunately there is a Clarks outlet near me so £14.99 for a properly fitted pair. He was measuring size 2 but the assistant recommended 2.5 to give him a little growing room. Definitely necessary for outdoor play at the childrens centre as he was starting to enjoy sit on toys which was ouch! for his toes.

Oh - and get some pictures too as they are the cutest things ever!

Irishmummy1981 · 10/07/2014 11:33

Dont put shoes on your kids until they are walking unaided for at least 6 weeks, you risk damaging their feet otherwise. I used to work in a shoe shop & I hated when parents would bring their newly walking kids in for shoes too soon, I would explain why they are better to wait, most would come back in the 6 weeks.

NigellasDealer · 10/07/2014 11:34

do you mean 'DH was not pleased' about the money you spent , or because he thinks the babies would be best off with no shoes?
tbh as the weather is warm you could let them go barefoot - it must be better for their tiny feet.

jeanmiguelfangio · 10/07/2014 11:35

Mine had bare feet until she wanted to walk outside, then we got her cruising shoes. We got start rite, as they were a bit more supportive than the clarks for us. But even now she can walk (and run) and she is still barefoot indoors.
They say get proper walking shoes after 6 weeks, but my dds feet were too small for them, we had to wait until her feet grew to a size 3 for proper walking shoes, so she was in cruisers for longer if that makes sense.

m0therofdragons · 10/07/2014 11:37

With twins, join tamba and you'll get discount in Clarks.
I put my girls in jojo maman bebe leather slipper things for as long as possible but they were late walkers. For little feet you need well-fitting shoes imo and cheap ones don't seem to last or fit well (my girls are all a D/E width fitting which may have something to do with this).

TheCurseOfFenric · 10/07/2014 11:39

If it's dirt you're worried about, put socks on them?

Agree that shoes aren't necessary until they want/need to be walking about outside.

My youngest is 2 and still doesn't wear shoes most of the time (just takes them off!) so she your money.

The leather moccasin types are great - bit of protection, bit of warmth, but soft and unstructured and roomy enough for babies. And they don't come off! Baby shoes are easy to get off, and easily lost!

todayisnottheday · 10/07/2014 11:44

Use soft slippers/booties/socks for as long as you can. Walking totally changes the Shape of the foot and that process is important. It needs to happen uninhibited to help avoid problems later on. Lots of people will tell you their kids are fine etc etc but I don't think many people really understand the damage that is done. Speak to a paediatric physio or orthotist for a rant about the perils of young feet in shoes Grin

Original poster
Linguaphile · 10/07/2014 11:46

Nigellas--not pleased about the money. Truth be told, I wasn't either! Have kept them in a bag unused to mull over whether or not to return. It seems I might reasonably leave them without shoes for a bit longer, though, by the sounds of it!

I know that barefoot is bestI never put stuff on their feet (they're the only ones in crèche without shoes)but I didn't know if I should be protecting them now... The shop lady seemed quite adamant that they were ready for them... but then, she works in the shop. Confused

OP posts:
FreeButtonBee · 10/07/2014 11:48

agree with just putting socks on or those little suede pram shoes only when out and about. Otyherwise, no shoes until they are properly pegging it around. I waited 6 weeks with my twins. Then got them startrite first shoes.

bucketofbathtoys · 10/07/2014 11:52

Bare feet all the way - vital for foot development. This allows nerve ending in the feet to develop and the foot to not get squashed.

I just used sticky pad socks until both mine needed them for wet weather in the park - when they were walking all the time a opposed to a few steps.

My DD was a size 2 walker - three different clarks shops would not sell me cruisers as they said that they are no good for walkers. I ended up getting another make of size 2 from an independent shop. (agatha de la prada) as clarks girls only start at size 3 and boys a size 4 I think.

They were brilliant and you can get them on Amazon etc

NigellasDealer · 10/07/2014 11:53

know what you mean lingua - I well remember the shock of the price when we first bought some little soft shoes for our twins!!
sure barefoot would be better for as long as possible.
btw you do not need a tamba card to get the twin discount at clarks - just ask nicely and they let you have it anyway.

bucketofbathtoys · 10/07/2014 11:54

I have a family member who works with kids feet and hates seeing little kids in 'cute' shoes for a very good reason!!!

ShergarAndSpies · 10/07/2014 11:55

I was told that they should be able to confidently walk the length of the room, turn around and walk back again before they should be put in shoes.

And when they do go into shoes, keep them in the flexible soled cruiser style as long as they possibly fit them. And then shoes off whenever in the house.

It made sense to me when you see that the bones in their feet aren't hard yet, so they need the freedom for their arches and soles to take shape - babies feet are flat to start and then the muscle development from walking gives them shape.

wheresthelight · 10/07/2014 11:58

As a different opinion I did get clarks shoes when dd started walking (and wasn't advised the 6 week thing bythe lady iI'm clarks) but from the minute dd walked unaided at 9 months and a week (little monster!) she has wanted to walk everywhere! Screams if in the buggy or carried and only tolerates the sling since I bought a wrap one instead of buckle carrier but only for a little while and then wants to walk.

She also has some cheapy Mothercare pumps (like clarks' Doodles) as clarks no longer do the doodles in the smallest sizes for running about the garden

OorWullie · 10/07/2014 12:02

DS didn't have shoes until he'd been walking for around 8 weeks- until then if he was walking outside the house I put on those thick bedsocks you get with the grippy stuff on the bottom. You get cheap ones in primark so no big deal if they get very dirty or get grown out of quickly.

andadietcoke · 10/07/2014 12:03

The leather baby slippers are £8 (normally £14) in the JoJo Maman Bebe sale

VioletHare · 10/07/2014 12:07

I only bought shoes for when they were walking around outside.

Ds1 took his first wobbly steps at 11 months and he didn't have proper shoes until 15 months when he was more confident and started walking outside.

Ds2 however took his first steps at 8 months and completely seemed to miss the really wobbly walking stage. By 9 months he was able to confidently walk back and forth to the shop half a mile away, so he had proper shoes at 9 months (which cost a fortune because of his tiny feet).

Original poster
Linguaphile · 10/07/2014 12:07

Great tip, Anda! Thanks!

OP posts:
PurplePidjin · 10/07/2014 12:18

Sainsburys do socks with a leather sole for a fiver. I would get those stock up on multiple sizes, the sell out fast and are amazingly useful and accept that they'll get trashed at nursery!

PurplePidjin · 10/07/2014 12:19

Oh, and my ds has shoes at that age because it was the depths of winter and he like cruising round the park - was capable of walking all the way there and back by 11 months, holding onto my finger. But he only ever wears shoes when he's out of the house and walking on a rough surface, he's barefoot or in socks indoors and in the garden!

MiaowTheCat · 10/07/2014 12:31

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

museumum · 10/07/2014 12:37

I have my 10mo old in soft leather slippers with no structure for now. They protect his toes when he crawls and soles of his feet when he walks outside which he does holding my hands.

I like dotty fish as they're much cheaper than similar bobux etc. I have both dotty fish and bobux and have detected no difference in quality even though bobux are more than twice the price.

dottyfish.com/softleather-baby.html
www.bobux.co.uk/boys/soft-sole