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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to think that I am still an okay mother even if I don't buy DD's shoes from Clarks?

63 replies

missblythe · 23/05/2008 15:10

She has perfectly acceptable pair of canvas Mary Janes for JojoMamanBebe, and some navy Crocs. They both fit her.

MIL has just had a massive go at me for not gettign her 'properly measured at Clarks', because her feet will 'be damaged for life in cheap shoes'.

Now, I don't see why shoes need to be Clarks, as long as they are not too big/too small/too tight.

Also, I don't like the ones in Clarks that come in her fitting (ie. one pair of sandals)

Surely humans are designed to go barefoot, so we don't need shoes to give us 'support', do we?

Anyone would think I'd used a Greggs sausage roll to shoehorn her feet into two Fruitshoot bottles!

OP posts:

CristinaTheAstonishing · 23/05/2008 16:25

Part of this must be cultural. I grew up in a country without Clarke's shoes and not only are my feet OK and everyone else's I know, I don't have these hang ups either. So my children don't get Clarke's shoes, unless they are the only ones that fit when we go shopping for shoes. I can't say i'm terribly impressed, they wear just as badly when your 7-8 year old plays football in them.

muggglewump · 23/05/2008 17:40

I bought DD shoes from Ckarks once. I was convinced I'd be a terrible mother if I didn't so I went along with it. I bought her a pair of £30 shoes that were far too big, so much so she tripped over her own feet.
They were the only pair in the shop that fitted, even though there were a few pairs in her size.
Now to me, that says that even if they are DD's size, they all fit differently and whilst I'm not a trained fitter, I'm not dim and can check myself and I don't need to pay £30 a pair for that, especially when the one pair I bought didn't even fit!

bebespain · 23/05/2008 17:47

Definitely cultural Cristina - there is no fitting of feet here in Spain

FWIW My mum always bought my shoes from clarks and I had the most awful corns before I was 16

SirDigbyChickenCaesar · 23/05/2008 17:51

i'm with cristina on this. we didn't have clarks wehre i grew up. it's ridiculous here. my MIL HAS to take DS to get his start rite shoes.
i' all excited because i found a nice pair or sandals for him in Lidl for a fiver! (i sooo can't wait to show her! ha ha ha ,evil.)

seeker · 23/05/2008 17:59

My mother has dreadful bunions - they regularly get infected and are so painful she can't put her foot to the floor. Her mother bought shoes on looks alone. I always get my children's feet measured in a "proper" shoe shop, then buy the same shoes on ebay or from a factory outlet shop. You don't actually have to buy the shoes they fit for you you know - but children's feet MUST be measured properly. The nerves in little people's feet don't develop fully until they are 6 or 7 and so they don't always hurt when the shoes don't fit properly.

CristinaTheAstonishing · 23/05/2008 18:03

"The nerves in little people's feet don't develop fully until they are 6 or 7 and so they don't always hurt when the shoes don't fit properly." Where did you get this one from?

I don't think anyone says you should buy shoes on looks alone, like your grandma did, just that Clarkes is a bit over-rated and a tick on your "good parent" list. Like saying if you don't spend X on your child's feet you're not trying hard enough, you're not sacrificing yourself enough.

TheDevilWearsPrimark · 23/05/2008 18:04

Clarks are shite, find an independent shoe shop, ideally when they have a sale on.

muggglewump · 23/05/2008 18:10

I'd never buy DD's shoes on looks alone!
She is with me when we're buying her shoes and if the ones she likes don't fit, I don't buy them.
I don't belive for a second that the nerves in her feet are just developing now (she's 6) and she wouldn't have known earlier that they were hurting in ill fitting shoes.

3madboys · 23/05/2008 18:10

what thedevilwearsprimark said, i dont buy clarks as they are shit and they never have anything wide enough for my boys.

but we have a little independent store and we ALWAYS go there, and they have set up a discount scheme so ten% of the price of each pair of shoes you buy goes on a 'tab' and you can save it up to pay for a pair of shoes or just take it off the price of the next pair you buy its fab and the shoes are mUCH better quality, ie Ricosta, Geox, primigi etc, lovely soft leather and lovely designs etc

pagwatch · 23/05/2008 18:13

I buy the best shoes I can get every sale. And I too prefer independent stores with proper fitting. Especially need this for DS2 who can't express discomfort and would just say they were fine.

pooka · 23/05/2008 18:16

Another vote for ecco. They are really the best shoes ever.

binkleandflip · 23/05/2008 18:20

I like Clarks

I think they're good quality and comfortable for the children - no strappy numbers where the toes are hanging out over the side or heaven forbid flip flops forcing tiny toes to grow scrunched up. I was always made to wear 'proper' shoes as a child which I hated - I wanted the trendier versions but now as an adult my feet are lush and I can wear whatever I like cos they look good in anything no hiding the bunions and plaited toes for this girl

binkleandflip · 23/05/2008 18:21

p.s. yes, you're still a good mother btw

OverMyDeadBody · 23/05/2008 18:25

of course you're still an ok mother. What a lot of codswallop your mil is spouting.

frootloop · 23/05/2008 18:36

yanbu, but i would get them properly measured somewhere, dh never had proper fittings and his toes are all twisted and look revolting.

Sidge · 23/05/2008 18:45

They don't have to be Clark's, but I don't buy shoes off the shelf if they are to be worn every day. I prefer to get them measured and fitted properly (we go to an independent shoe shop).

I only buy sandals, jellies, wellies etc off the shelf as they aren't wearing them day in day out. Children's feet are too vulnerable to put in crap shoes.

Madsometimes · 23/05/2008 18:51

dd1's feet are very narrow and Clarkes do not really work for her. They only have a few styles in her C fitting. We mostly buy Ricosta shoes from an independent shoe shop with special inserts but they are so expensive. dd2 has standard feet and I can buy her shoes anywhere. I'm a AA fitting and can only buy shoes that fit from specialist fitters.

dd1 and I both have feet that are not average and I want to say that foot problems are not only caused by ill fitting shoes. Often it's just your makeup and foot problems are nobody's fault. My mum always put me in startrite and my feet are very difficult.

seeker · 23/05/2008 18:53

I was told the thing about the nerves in children's feet by my mother's p... I was going to say paediatrician, but that's not right - foot person....chiropodist - that's it!

And I didn't say anything about expensive branded shoes - just about getting children's feet properly measured.

silvercrown · 23/05/2008 19:02

I read that trainers offer the best support for feet.

Original poster

missblythe · 23/05/2008 19:20

Thanks for the advice, y'all.

To clarify

I do take to have her feet measured, about every 6 weeks, and usually at Clarks. The conversation goes thus:

missb: Hello, please can you measure DD's feet?

EmoClarksWorker: Huhh, now? Okay, hang on, I'll get the measurer....right, she's measuring a 6G/H

missb: So what have you got that we can try on then?

ECW: Umm, only these. And the left one has been on the shop floor since February.

missb: Ah, lovely. Have you got anything a little less covered in glitter and shit/pink/repellantjazzy?

ECW: Only these boys ones. And not in this colour. In fact, no, none at all.

missb: thankyouverymuchforyourhelpgoodbye (while backing away).

It's not that I'm buying on looks alone, but I'm certainly not paying £30 for something that looks horrid.

Actually, DD hardly ever wears shoes, never at home, and she whips them off as soon as she's in the pram, so they are certainly never on her feet for very long.

Will investigate Ecco.

OP posts:

ByTheSea · 23/05/2008 20:36

Sometimes I buy Clark's school shoes, but I think with four children I can see what fits and what doesn't so I use various brands and sometimes get them quite inexpensive shoes. That said, I don't think it's improperly fitted shoes that cause foot problems -- I grew up having only properly fitted 'good' shoes all the time, as my grandparents and uncle were in the business and had nice shoe shops, and my feet are giving me a lot of problems now that I'm in my forties.

EZeeDee · 02/07/2008 13:11

has anyone heard of Pediped shoes - soft leather soles which are closest to bare feet (which is what under 2s should apparently be walking around in)?
www.pediped.com/Home/Whypediped.aspx
any thoughts?

cmotdibbler · 02/07/2008 13:19

Never heard of Pediped.

Missblythe (if you come back) - my DS is a G/H fitting, and can't get shoes in Clarks/Startrite. We go to an independant shoe shop where he has a choice of shoes that really fit. Currently he's sporting lovely Ecco crocodile sandals and some Ricosta sandals. They had loads of lovely wide girls shoes in pink too.

Kimi · 02/07/2008 13:24

Anyone would think I'd used a Greggs sausage roll to shoehorn her feet into two Fruitshoot bottles! ROFLMAO.

Clarks are over rated tbh
Take her to be "properly measured" then go elsewhere for shoes.

sheepgomeep · 02/07/2008 13:57

well my mum bought nothing but clarks when I was young. My feet are awful and slightly deformed collapsed arches etc.

wearing clarks have made no difference to my feet at all

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