To think I am NOT going to damage my DS's feet forever just because I don't get him 'fitted'?

[angel1976]

Ok, so DS is PFB. When he first started walking, we took him to Clarks to be duly fitted and my parents bought him his first pair of shoes (costs £28! ). Since then, he's had two more pairs of Clarks shoes and now I just cannot be arsed bear to do the whole shoe fitting thing again...

So he has one pair of shoes now - they are very cool Adidas Superstars trainers (he's 20 months old btw) that I bought on sale so not expensive at all. Thought they seem very comfy. And I have bought him a pair of fake Converse canvas sneakers from Next during the sale for when he goes into the next size.

My MIL (whom I do like mostly) was appalled when I happened to mention that DS has only one pair of shoes that he wears everywhere (including nursery) and they were the trainers (so not 'fitted' professionally). Well, once a week, I put his bare foot against the sole of the shoe and as long as they look like they fit, I think it's fine. It's not as if he is coming home with red marks on his feet or he's complaining his feet are sore.

Honestly, I want to know how many mums here take the whole shoe fitting thing seriously? I may now take DS to get his feet measured just so I don't feel so guilty but I hate the look of leather shoes and trainers just look so much more comfy. Am I seriously going to be damaging his feet for life just because I don't get his shoes 'fitted'? I also throw all the shoes he has outgrown off into the washing machine and dry them so that DS2 (due anyday!) can wear them and I think MIL's jaw hit the floor for a second time when I said that... I do come from another culture (my parents, when they visited, couldn't believe it when we did the whole Clarks shoe fitting thing! ) where this is a fairly foreign concept and I am sure we haven't suffered from it.

Help me NOT feel so guilty! Thanks!

lol at mutant feet Riven. I can assure you I do have mutant feet (albeit very straight ones - well, if you overlook the splaying out anyway). A friend used to affectionately call me "flipper". I don't care - I can outswim anyone . These days, people usually just say "f'kin hell! What are those?"

I physically can't wear the vast majority of shoes available in shops. If only Clarks did the width fitting thing in their adult sizes... oh, and nice shoes

I'm doomed

We got fitted shoes for all our DCs first shoes ( had done it for DD1 and did not want to do different for the others) Then they got shoes from whichever shop was selling appropriate shoes at a decent price. We do occasionnally go to Clarks whem they do have sales as you can buy good shoes for as little as £5 for children.

We do not get fitted a Clarks ang go to buy shoes elsewhere because not all shoe makes size exactly the same. We do try the shoes on the DCS, touch the toes to see how it feels and get them to walk a few steps in them to check they are confy and we never got it wrong so far. With DD$ we had to get her first pair of shoes changed twice as they had measured her wrongly at Clarks so as long as humans are fitting the shoes they can make mistakes, even if they charge an extortionate price for tiny little shoes.

As well the DCs walk to school and back every day and the expensive fitted shoes do not always last much longer than the supermarket ones.

Never had fitted shoes as a child.

Now have major foot problems and need surgery to correct them.

It makes me angry that Clarks can foist such a campaign of horror onto parents, that it has actually filtered through into popular consciousness that 'children's shoes must be fitted by a trained person' or you are doing them damage.

When said 'trained person' is 15, only works there on a saturday, tells you your child's feet are a G then comes out with several pairs in an F and says 'well they all vary anyway' - and the shoes are £35 a pop - I am inclined to think it is horseshit and simply a money making advertising campaign.

I do save ds1's shoes if they are useable, to keep as spares for ds2 because as everyone knows, one shoe will go missing just as you are leaving the house. However I tend to buy new shoes for ds2, and I get nice soft good quality ones usually from Clarks or Startrite, BUT I get them in the sale when they are £10 or £15, much to the indignation of the sales people, and usually in a size too big or whatever is available, so that they can wear nice shoes once their feet are bigger.

I fit them myself using a jumble sale gauge, and common sense...I don't use trainers as they tend to make their feet sweaty and I find leather shoes more supportive.

Saying that I didn't have shoes till I was 3, my feet are enormous and very wide, but they are a good healthy shape.

Clarks Schmarks. Don't believe the hype.

YANBU I'm sure. My best friend is one of 7 children and all wore hand-me-down shoes from next sibling along as soon as they grew into them, I bet his mum would have laughed at the idea of throwing away good shoes and bowing to Clarks' insistence of having new ones fitted every three months (his feet are fine.) People just didn't have the money for this in the old days and most of us didn't end up crippled.

I once read an article by a podiatrist who said in all her years of looking after feet she'd never come across a case of 'damage by non-Clark hand-me-down shoe' and suspected it was a myth peddled by people wanting to con us anxious parents into buying their shoes.

Barefoot is best whenever possible I'm sure.

some of us are born with bent body bits.

Yes Geox are brill, but £££

both boys wearing them atm, but I am not doing that every time

Rubberduck that is fab link it has how to measure at home stuff on there, you can buy one, you can download one or even take of photo of your child foot and upload it - its amazing!!!!

JOhn Lewis ime are much worse than Clarks.

Yes, I think the "barefoot is best" is the key.

Children in UK start school at 4 & have their feet stuffed in shoes all day everyday from then.

Therein, I think lies the problem.

If Clarks believed every child should have newly fitted shoes every three months they would make their prices more available tot he average parent and not try to profit from said vital procedure

It's nasty to make people feel they are rubbish parents for not spending £100+ a year on shoes for each child

Really bad

Barefoot is definately best. With a small DC you can spend on shoes and get 2nd hand clothes to even it out.

yes barefoot is good - but then you have the problem of - as adults we often stub our tours/damage our bones in our feet doing silly things (I learned the hard way tring to play for a service sans shoes was in agony for weeks) - children run around much more often and are much more likely to hurt their bones in their feet doing stupid things

and I think of the thread about the PE @ school damamged my DD's feet thread, apparently she should have been wearing shoes for jumping and running around .

My mum never had fitted shoes.

She has had 2 (painful) operations to break and rebuild the bones in her feet to stop her from being in agony whenever she went out for a walk or shopping etc, she was 32 at the time of her first op BTW and 8 years on she still findsit hard to wear anything other than flat shoes even trainers are agony for her!

According to many specialists this was caused by poorly fitted shoes, my gran was skint so not her fault she just used to measure her feet against soles and try them on, buy the ones that felt right to her.

So I have to say I am a bit sceptical about the fitting not needed argument, I normally take my DS to get his feet measured in DE shoes they seem to be a bit more customer orientated and you have the choice of Clarks or cheaper shoes which is good but the main thing for me is that they fully check over DS's feet with shoes on and point out any pinching etc.

FWIW though I do buy supermarket slippers and wellies because with those you can't really go wronga nd they are never worn for such a long period.

I love Geox shoes. I know they're expensive but they really last. We bought DS a pair for his winter shoes last year, he wore them pretty much every day and they still looked as good as new when I packed them away in the late spring. Just bought DD (14m) her first pair (Geox also) and they're standing up pretty well to her. We have the DCs measured about 3 times a year.

The awesome surgeon who fixed the boy's foot (extreme clubfoot - now perfectly straight and strong) told me that fitted shoes are a crock.

His advice was to be barefoot as much as possible and then buy him shoes that are just a little too big to allow for growth.

Given the magic he worked - if he had told me that the only suitable shoes were made by a hermit on a mountain in tibet and cost $1,000 each we would have listened. He didn't though, he said supermarket cheapies fine, just leave enough growing room...

I don't think so Riven-all sorts of things get onto the floor-there would be injuries and parents would sue!

Well, OP, I guess people who swear by "fitting" are going to tell you that´s the way to go, and those who haven´t always bothered will say that´s also OK!

So I guess it´s a do what you feel OK with!

Maybe he didn't have wide feet Morloth. We have extremely wide feet in out family and it needs a wide fitting.

Well, we do it here in Kindergarten & Primary school, piscesmoon, & manage OK!

When fitting kids shoes, Clarks;
Whilst measuring will look at the foot, see which is the longest toe, the spread of the toes, look at the heel and instep, to gain an idea of what styles of shoes will fit. And anything else to look out for, whilst fitting the shoes.
Once, a style of shoe is selected; fasten the shoes whilst the child is stood up, otherwise, you cannot accurately tell if they will fit, as the foot changes shape once it is bearing weight.
Then check;
The topline (where the top of the shoe lies against the ankle) is checked that it won't rub against the ankle but offers nice support for the bones.
The width, stroke firmly across the top of the shoe, the material should move smoothly, if it doesn't, too tight, if you can pinch the leather then it is too loose.
The depth/shape just pushing down around the toes and foot to check that it isn't too deep, or identify any gaps, it shouldn't be tight on the any toes either.
The length, there should be a gap at the end of the longest toe, of 1cm. (avg.thumbs width)
Walking, does the shoe slip or gape? Can they walk well in them, Are they comfortable?
Then sit the child down, pull on the back of the heel, if it moves, (at any stage in the check), stand them up and retie there shoe laces tighter, if they still slip, then they are unsuitable.

The trained fitters in Clarks have been on a course, shadowed a staff member, and done 50 fits all checked by another qualified fitter, which are documented. until they earn their badge or are qualified to do it on there own.

If you are ever in doubt then you can ask for another staff member to double check the shoes.
Other than that the shoes are expensive! I think you either love Clarks or hate them. If you can get to smaller stores invariably the service is better as they have more time and often more experience as there isn't such a high turnover of staff. If you need another size these can now be ordered in to store free of charge or obligation to buy.

That Woman's Hour link with the podiatrist was awesome.

Basically: non-professionally fitted shoes fine, cheap supermarket shoes fine, trainers fine, passing down shoes fine.

The big no-no for kids are: sling backs, slip ons, and using an insole to force a shoe to fit.

I always look for shoes that have wide rounded toe forms.