To wonder why shoes are so expensive for toddlers

[Mama822]

Why are toddler shoes so expensive?
so I got my toddler some wellies from next with vouchers but he couldn’t walk in them, and i thought maybe wrong size, poor fit or not ready for wellies. He’s 18 months and been running since 10 months!
it’s the third time I tried to buy shoes online that just don’t fit!
last time I went to Clark’s LO was curling his toes and the shoe fitter just said “oh let’s just guess he is a size 4”, and then tried to squeeze shoes on and encourage me to buy the shoes.
so I went to a little independent shop and he’s needed a size 5! got shoes there, great service and fortunately the best fitting shoes were half price!
anyway went today to see if we could get fitted and get the right wellies and none of the wellies are supportive enough so tried on a pair of gortex ankle boots which fit great and comfy, waterproof and warm enough for winter and fine for spring too etc then asked the price —- £64?!!!! Is this normal?
I’ve come home to think about it, and will need to discuss with DH. If we get then we won’t get any other shoes , and won’t get spares. He will wear them until he outgrows them! They do leave plenty growing room.
money is tight but I don’t want to get badly fitting shoes - DH has foot problems and so have I, and was told by the foot dr it was from wearing poorly fitted shoes, and I’m so paranoid about that.

I don’t trust myself to buy online again or fit them myself.
I don’t want to go back to that Clark’s again. There is nowhere else near us that fit kids shoes so I think I’ll have to go back and get these shoes. And hope he doesn’t have a growth spurt!!

but I can get shoes cheaper for myself so it’s a little frustrating.

AIBU to wonder why shoes are so expensive for toddlers? Is it worth it? Is it normal? Should I just be ok with it?

tia x

I also suggest vinted or a mum2mum market? I've got loads of branded shoes for cheap and very good condition/some brand new. I don't mind them getting messy that way and he'll grow out of them fast. Ds(14 months) was also off at 10 months. Wellies took a few tries to get use too but worth it for puddles, he doesn't wear them for long though.

It is more important for a toddler to wear properly fitted shoes than an adult, though, because their feet are still growing.

Yep. We've done a pair each today for the toddler twins... Clark's do 10% off for twins but even then I felt sick. I asked the woman how long they would usually last for at this age and she went "oh the season, so around Christmas". I thought she was joking and luckily didn't say the words in my head aloud. My lovely mum has paid for the children's shoes. But I still feel annoyed! (And grateful obv)

We take much this approach. I won't use secondhand shoes unless they've clearly been barely worn.

We have a really great local Clarks store I must say. Our eldest is 5 and we've been going there regularly since her first pair at about 14/15 months old. She was very challenging to fit (hysterical) when younger and the staff have always been fantastic. Our youngest is 2 and has joint problems which has caused delayed walking skills and an abnormal gait, he wears orthotic boots from the hospital but also needs additional shoes too and they're great helping us with him too.

OP, it is October and you are buying for an 18 month old. Unless you are planning to recoup the cost of the shoes by stinting his meals, the shoes will be outgrown by spring. Do not factor spring suitability into the cost of these shoes.

If we get then we won’t get any other shoes , and won’t get spares. He will wear them until he outgrows them! They do leave plenty growing room.

Of course you shouldn't get spares. He's a toddler. You shouldn't be wasting money on "spare" shoes at this age, because all toddlers do is #grow.

Buy wellies off ebay or vinted.

@Devilsmommy Bought kickers high tops for dd 20 months 2 weeks ago from m&m and she won't bloody walk in them! Absolutely hates them. No idea why... She will however wear clarks, jelly sandals and m&s wellies (slower walking in these though, she was a later walker). They cost more than my every day rocket dogs from there!

I was obsessed with ds only shopping and measuring in clarks. When he hit 4 I tried other brands but he wore through them so fast... even his leather reception school shoes from m&s are badly scuffed after 5 weeks, although at least comfortable.

I get DDs shoes from Clarks mainly because they measure and check them and she needed a supportive shoe when learning to walk as she had slightly bendy ankles. The first few times I was buying them full price at £40 a pop but the last time I bought two pairs in the sale for the price of one.

I wouldn't worry about wellies being supportive unless he's planning to spend hours at a time wearing them?

Toddlers need multiple shoes. When you are potty training and they wee in them or get them soaked/covered in paint at nursery etc.

We always have a minimum of wellies, trainer type and then either a sandal in summer or a boot in winter. Wellies and sandals are cheap or secondhand. The rest we get in sales. I have a measuring gauge from
Startrite and measure myself.

I worked in a shoe shop as a teen and did the “training” for shoe fitting. Any idiot can fit a shoe, it takes about an hour to learn and is all common sense. I wouldn’t set much store in what the fitters say as it really isn’t anything special. Just try on lots of styles to work out what suits eg my DD needs shoes that come quite high at the sides and ankle otherwise they gape. She is also best with 2 straps. It’s just trial and error. Now I know what suits her I can get the bargains.

I tend to just order a stack online and then send most of it back as we are rural and shopping in person is a pain.

DD has a pair of Clarks ankle boots that were £52 this winter as she really wanted them and Grandad paid. But usually we aim to spend less than half that. Her leather trainers were £14 in the sales and her wellies are all free or 50p from the charity shop. I did once spend £11 on light up ones with Peppa Pig on but managed to recoup most of that when they were outgrown. You don’t need supportive wellies for puddles.

You need several pairs @Mama822 it is poor foot hygiene to wear the same ones all the time for starters.

It takes just as much work to make a small pair of shoes as a large pair of shoes.

shoes and car seats were the two things I would never buy second hand for a child. When they are just learning to walk, someone else’s wear on the shoe can be an interference. I just only ever had 1 or at most 2 pairs of shoes for dd at a time when she was growing quickly.

Sale / Outlet / TK Maxx. I’ve gotten all the top brands.
Once you look at your child’s feet it’s easy to figure out the size. DS has wide flat feet. I know the shape of shoe to look out for & when he is ready for the next size up. Have had wellies from Clarks & Marks. They don’t wear them that often, I’d spend more on good trainers / leather shoes.

I bought DS's wellies from John Lewis at that age, no issues.

It sounds like you have a problem with measuring his feet correctly. Why don't you get him to stand on an A4 piece of paper and use a crayon to mark the lenght and width of his foot? You really don't have to take him to Clarks.

What's needed are shoes that are the right size and width, that are well cushioned and preferably leather or different breathable material. This is what I buy. DS's most expensive shoes were from Bobux, but bought on sale for £35 a pair. YABVU as you really can buy good quality shoes cheaper if you look properly.

However, in principle I agree that toddler shoes at full price are way too expensive, it's a money maker for these companies considering they're only in use for an average of 3-ish months.

And when I say top brands, I don’t mean silly Converse / Nike for babies. Clarks, Primigi, Ecco. M&S are good for summer shoes.

Also really recommend buying a shoe gauge. The little
paper slips you can print are not nearly as accurate, especially with children. It will save you time and definitely money in the long run.

Toddler feet are growing fast and are very flexible. Cheap shoes are a false economy, as they can cause lifelong foot problems by forcing toes in or being too narrow or too wide. Buying used shoes is another bad idea, as shoes wear in to the shape of the foot. This can cause foot and gait problems, and is not sanitary. It’s best to buy one pair of shoes at a time only, and have them properly fitted in a reliable shoe store every time. Everything else your child wears can be secondhand, but never buy secondhand shoes.

As for scuffed shoes, buy only polishable leather shoes and shine every week or every other week with quality cream polish.
No, I’m not in the shoe business, but have very good feet in my fifties.

I worked in a shoe shop as a teen and did the “training” for shoe fitting. Any idiot can fit a shoe, it takes about an hour to learn and is all common sense. I wouldn’t set much store in what the fitters say as it really isn’t anything special. Just try on lots of styles to work out what suits eg my DD needs shoes that come quite high at the sides and ankle otherwise they gape.

This is worth repeating. You only have to look at threads on here to see that those trained fitters so often get it wrong or try to convince parents to buy a certain shoe or style simply because it's in stock. Honestly it really isn't a difficult concept to work out if a shoe fits properly or not, it's certainly not something you need to be trained in.

My DD3 has ECCO or ricosta. They cost £55-60. But she has 1 pair that outlasts her growth. They fit properly, are waterproof and bullet proof. She absolutely smashes them.
Never once fallen apart, worn away etc.

My friend buys cheap crap from shoezone and buys her son a pair every couple of months because they fall apart. They aren't properly waterproof, the soles rub away. She doesn't really know if they fit properly. I can tell some of them haven't been a good fit. Plus, She spends more in the long run.

Just take them to a big supermarket- Sainsbury's and Asda have worked for us. Measure the bottom of some wellies on their feet and then pop them in to double check. Have them standing when you check the toes. About £11.
We had early walkers so I am sympathetic but £64 is madness.
I did buy some size 3 off Amazon the first time as they were so little.

Get a measuring device, measure at home and order online.

Most of the people who do the fitting in my local Clarks are teenagers who've watched a training video. It's not magic, it's nothing you can't do yourself at home.

Not everyone has the same hangups around shoes that you (understandably) do. One of my children has standard width feet so theirs are often bought online, the toddler has wide feet and the eldest has narrow feet so I take them to try theirs on before I buy. I wouldn't buy second hand shoes and I wouldn't buy them shoes in excess of £50.

Thanks for all the advice everyone.
I did learn a lot from the indi fitter such as shape of my sons foot and how it’s not just length.

the fitter in Clark’s never mentioned anything about that - just guess a size. My son has a high instep so that affects which shoes fit.
I have bought slippers from M&S that I couldn’t get his feet in as they were too narrow for him.
when he tried the wellies he looked drunk and like he was going to roll over his ankles!
I think I’ll go for a snow boot type thing with more support than his welly, or like the ones we tried on but see what I can find cheaper (like last season or people selling new on eBay or Vinted as I don’t want second hand either).
the indi fitter said his current shoes still fit well so no rush or pressure to buy shoes - she had wellies too but said they weren’t supportive enough for my son yet.
his current shoes are start rite we bought from that shop in a sale and seen the perfect fit. He still has growing room as well.
so I’ll be on look out and I’ll buy a foot gauge - but should I get the star rite one?

i do get all his clothes second hand. The rest of his clothes are hand me downs or gifts l, except the occasional thing needed last minute like gloves the other day! Most of his toys are hand me downs too actually, we got so many from family I’ve never actually bought him an actual toy except for a scuttle bug for his first birthday! £10 new from face book market and now I’m going on a rant lol.
I guess if I couldn’t find anything cheaper I would get what he needed but I’m sure I can find something - I think I don’t have confidence in my measuring abilities but maybe I can learn from YouTube!
his current shoes fit well but are not suitable for rainy winter but he could still wear them on dry days or so to get a break from boots!

I do worry about spending more on the long run!
I mean I’ve already done so in the past and have passed on some he’s never worn because his feet are so chunky. but I’m also not fussed about colour or last season or so hopefully can find something cheaper. If I can’t I’ll get what I have too but here’s hoping!

The better TK Maxx stores have Start Rite for toddlers. And measuring is only a starting point. Find a pair which looks like it’ll fit, place toddler’s foot in it, and then see whether it (a) fits, (b) has space for growth, and (c) is comfortable (i.e., your dc instantly starts running around the shop with you in hot pursuit after them).

Maybe I can go on a shoe fitting course? Just for my own confidence really.

Just for my own child lol.

I guess the indi shop taught me so much about my child’s foot - I don’t think all Clark’s fitters would be terrible , it was just that one particular fitter I b my experience but it put me off going back. I felt so upset!

I always got good shoes (start rites/expensive German brands) for my dc, btw, and I have never been terribly convinced that it made a difference.

I also notice a PP mention 3-6 months before outgrowing occurs. With my dc, sometimes it was 3-6 weeks.

Small shoes don't cost that much less to make and are more fiddly. The main difference in cost in the U.K. is lack of vat. Shop has same overheads etc. they actually make lower profits on kids shoes despite them seeming expensive.

And wellies don't really work until a bit larger