when did you buy DC's first proper shoes?

[controlpantsandgladrags]

DD1 got her first proper shoes after she had taken her first steps (she was about 11.5 months).

DD2 is 13 months and cruising but not walking yet.....a couple of the other mums at playgroup suggested that I should get her some shoes now and that it will help her learn to walk (bit about this, but they seemed pretty convinced!) I know Clarkes do do cruising shoes, and all the cruisers I see do seem to have them.

So what did you do? Is there a point to cruising shoes or are they just a gimmick created to make more money for gready retailers?!

I got DD and DS1's first shoes after they took their first steps - didn't feel that they needed them before they were walking.

I don't believe that having crusing shoes will help babies to walk quicker. I think that babies reach their milestones when they are ready regardless of what they are/are not wearing.

I think these types of shoes are a marketing gimmick but maybe that's because i'm too tight to buy any

Hi,

I'd say Its best to buy their first shoes with their first steps. This could be at 9months or 2 yrs but do not leave them walking for a long period of time without shoes. Good support is needed to ensure that they develop their steps and positioning of their feet as they learn to walk... (I have seen some babies walking in cheap Uggs/flip flops where their feet are tilting to the sides... NOT GOOD!)

They need protection and support of good shoes which should be checked regularly to ensure they are not too tight... tiny toes can become misshapen if their feet are in shoes that are too tight... (or tights that are too tight!)

Cruising shoes just enable your child to get used to the sensation of having the support round their foot as they start to walk and to ensure they develop their steps in the correct position rather than having to relearn this when they have "real" shoes on.

Chelsea

The Nanny Tree
Where fabulous Nannies do grow on trees!

Six weeks after he started walking unaided.
The lady in the shoes shop (John Lewis in Sheffield) wantd to see him walk before she sold me shoes for him. He took to shoes like a duck to water and was running around like a demon within seconds. He had had InchBlue/Shoo Shoo type things before.

HV/Shoe Shop lady all told me that cruising shoes were a waste of time and money.

With dd1 we got them when she was spending most of the day walking round iirc.

With dd2 it was ages after she started walking cos she has tiny feet. We had to get cruisers for her and she's still wearing them now. She's 18m and only a 2.5F.

Oh meant to say, we mainly wanted them cos they were starting to want to walk outside. (it was summer with dd1, dd2 wanted to walk on the school run)

Thanks for the replies........looks like I don't need to rush out and spend after all

We got cruisers for DD at about 11 months when she started walking/cruising but only because they happened to have her exact size on sale for £6 in Clarks and only to use outside - we let her go bare footed indoors.

She had her first proper walkers when she was about 13/14 months because she was moving to the toddlers room at nursery (so needed more foot protection) and was walking all the time by then.

DD is just beginning to regularly take a few steps indoors now at 13.5 months and we haven't bought cruisers for her - but she is the only child at every playgroup we go to who doesn't have them, most have had them since 10mths if not earlier. Makes me feel a bit bad, but all the official advice I've read is that they don't need shoes until they are ready to walk outside, the best thing is to be barefoot inside and that will help them learn to walk - so that is what I have been sticking to! Once DD can regularly walk across the room then I'll take her and get fitted.

We didn't until he was walking, but he wasn't cruising for long (he didn't crawl until 11.5 months, but was walking a few weeks after that).

To be honest, he only ever wears his shoes to go outside, so they wouldn't really have been used before then.