Are you a bad mum if you don't buy...

[btfly2]

to your children Clarks, Start Rite, Hampton school shoes? Would you think badly of me...? In our school it's the non written norm but I'm thinking to be brave and break the rules...aibu ?? ;)

We have given up on Clarkes and Startrite, every time we've had them they've dropped to bits or looked really scruffy within a couple of weeks and my dcs aren't particularly hard on shoes. Ds2 used to wear Startrite Aqua shoes, which were really supportive and hardwearing, but the last time he had them they'd changed the design, they were less hardwearing and the designs are too 'trainery' for his schools uniform rules.

Dd (7) has Kickers t-bars. She has very slow growing feet and a pair of those lasted almost a whole school year last year, so I have bought a similar style this year. She loves them too, which helps.

Eldest ds is now 14 and has ASD. He can't stand tight shoes and won't do up or undo them, so he has Kickers slip-ons.

Middle ds (12) has hypermobility syndrome, so has the same pair of Kangol lace-ups every year, because they are the only ones we've found that support him properly and also have a low impact heel, which stops him developing heel pain.

I bought a Startright foot gauge online and measure them all regularly.

That said, I wouldn't have a clue what shoes the other pupils in their classes have.

I went to a small family-owned shoe shop - Wagstaffs in Holmfirth - because they cared enough to get the right fit and knew enough about it to get it right. Bought mostly Clark's and was very happy, but it was much more to do with the fit than the brand. Didn't get the same service in the city branches.

Of course not. My daughter has such narrow feet I had to get Clarks's shoes and insoles so buying elsewhere was not an option but don't succumb to peer pressure...something you will be telling your DC later in life!

We have Clarks, but fitted at the independent shoe shop. Have previously had Superfit and similar brilliant brands.

Clarks measuring, fitting and sales practices are stupid. The last time we went, several years ago, they made a big song and dance about measuring DS's feet accurately with the machine for a brilliant fit, and declared 13C.

Lovely. What do you have in 13C?

Nothing. Try 13F.

What's the point in measuring minutely if you then ignore the measurement?!

But I agree with pp that this is a kind of heartbreaking conversation given the state of some children's footwear and some families' finances.

When I'm Lord Commander children will just wear trainers or equivalent to school

TeacherBob

Get over yourself. You know nothing about any poster on here. Right now we are commenting on kids shoes, but for all you know there is all sorts of shit going on in our lives.

lol whut?

this is interesting to read. I've actually got a question ( sorry for hijacking the post ).
My 6 yr old has pronation ( walks on the inside of his feet, ankles touching )
He used to wear terra plana vivo shoes as a toddler ( I didn;t know what barefoot shoes were, it was a gift of several pairs from a kind relative, when a local shoe shop closed down near her and put everything on sale ).
When he was around 4 yrs old, he used to complain about tired legs, aching feet. I noticed the pronation, took him to an orthopedic shoe specialist who made him orthotics. They told me that the more rigid the shoe was below the ankle, the better. At the time he had outgrown the vivo shoes and refused to wear the last pair we had ( said they didn't feel right ) and wore Geox.
After getting used to the orthotics, he never complained again about tiredness so we thought " great!"
When he started school at 5 I bought him black Clarks shoes, made sure the orthotics fitted well etc. He has very narrow feet and nothing non-fitted suited him.
He's on his 2nd pair , they have lasted very well, but I'm wondering now about conflicting opinions on what constitutes an ideal child's shoe!
The science bit about barefoot shoes is attractive, but the bit I was told about rigid support at the ankles makes sense to me too .... the vivo were like slippers, and the fact that he actually rejected the largest pair we had, refused to wear them, just as he developed pronation ... coincidence?
Interested to know about other people's experience really ....

we could do with which? doing a consumer survey on childrens shoes, to see if it really is worth the extra expense of a brand name, and give us an idea of other worthy brands & good supermarket equivalents

Mrs Hathawayy that is exactly what we had at clarkes 13c- no shoes try an f ! see if you can find a Ricosta seller fab for slim feet no insoles required....

• you can also take the insoles out if you need to put orthotics in ....

I took DS1 and DS2 to Clarks when they started primary. It took one week for DS1 to come home with his shoes ruined. From that moment on I realised DS1 was going to ruin any shoes you give him, so there was no point buying really expensive ones. 10 years later, it's still true. DS2's shoes last longer but we usually go to Brantano for his. DS1 gets Shoe Zone, because I refuse to spend £50 every term for shoes for him.

Duchess since you have a specific issue it's probably worth re-assessing now with a qualified chiropodist rather than going by what's best in general

#firstworldproblems

and I suppose you go without shoes? or wear shoes that are 2 sizes off? just to show solidarity with those who go without?

But the sizing is different for different brands so you can't just measure once then buy where-ever.

A Clarkes 7h isn't a startrite 7h etc

No but I do do what is best for my child, and don't worry what others may think :p

Mine wear Elephanten or Ricosta, and leather lined usually as they last longer. Clarks shoes are glorified cardboard. Start-Rite are a bit better. There is too much obsession about width sizes and it's better to go for a style that suits the shape of your child's foot.

No but I do do what is best for my child

as opposed to all those posters on this tread saying "yeah I squeeze my kids into ill fitting damaging shoes so long as they look good to others"

This thread isn't about shoes. Read the OP.

It is asking if people would look down on her for not using clarks.

I revise my hashtag.

#middleclassfirstworldproblems

I have the foot measuring gauge from Clark's and it cost about £10 you then put the measurements into an online thing to get the size and the width. With that I tend to then buy online on eBay outlets etc. other good brand shoes but for much less than in the shops, Kickers for £15 etc. Best purchase ever, that foot measure.

Your a bad parent if your child's school shoes aren't leather and you buy pvc crap

Fabulous, don't be daft.

I brought some shoes from shoe zone for my 5 year old daughter and they lasted ONE DAY!!!!!! they were compleatly scuffed!! It was hideous! My mother had actually picked her up from school they say and I got a big fat "I told you so!!" Lol deserved it though but I was a bit skint that week what with getting all her other new school uniform and stuff but learnt my lesson! The ones she has now are actually from tesco and are lasting pretty well so far but these definitely are leather!! My daughters feet grow far to fast to pay Clarks prices!

DS1 gets Shoe Zone, because I refuse to spend £50 every term for shoes for him.

DC1 had a pair for three weeks once. Realised a pair wouldn't last until the end of term, so bought "early for September" at the beginning of July. He was a size and a half bigger seven weeks later.

Your a bad parent if your child's school shoes aren't leather and you buy pvc crap

cause good parenting = making other people's children ill in cheap leather workshops

I kinda think that good parenting should include some level of social conscience about the world your children live in no?