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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

Confused about pre-walker shoes vs "proper" shoes

12 replies

WhiteWineAndJaffaCakes · 12/02/2009 18:04

My 16mo has been walking for a couple of months and is desperate to walk everywhere. We keep her bare foot in the house but we need to get shoes for her being out in public places.

She's only got little feet (3H) so we're coming across a lot of crawler/pre-walker shoes in her size. Don't really understand how they are different to normal shoes - are they a good or a bad idea?

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TheDevilWearsPrimark · 12/02/2009 18:10

Carwaler shoes have soft soles and are basically pointless (imo)

If you want shoes for her to wear out and about ten she needs sturdy soles. My DD was a size 3 until she was 2 and it was a nightmare trying to find decent shoes.

TheDevilWearsPrimark · 12/02/2009 18:10

Crawler, hehe

Timeisablindguide · 12/02/2009 18:12

I agree - no point having shoes unless they're proper shoes if you want dc to walk outside. We had opposite problem in that our ds2 had very chubby ankles so although there were shoes in his size, they didn't stay on his foot because of the thickness of his ankles(cute!) so to begin with he wore wellies when we were outside.

meep · 12/02/2009 18:17

dd is a 2.5e and we could only get one pair of shoes in the whole city to fit her! They are short boots with laces which are quite good for narrow small feet.

Do you have any specialist children's shoe shops and near you? I thought they'd be more expensive - but they were the same sort of price as Clarks.

We had pre-walkers because it was the middle of winter - she wasn't totally walking - but like to toddle holding my hand every so often when we were out and needed something to keep her feet dry. Would rather not have bothered - but hey ho!

The lady in the shop said that once they are walking properly and no longer gripping with their toes it is good to get them into proper shoes and away from pre-walkers.

bababelle · 12/02/2009 19:40

We have the same problem, DD (14 months and walking) is a 2 1/2 F and we were told walkers start from size 3.

We went with cruisers in the end as her first shoes. They are quite a different type of shoe to the very soft pre-walkers you see around and which she had before.

They do have a fairly sturdy sole, just they still have a textured 'toe' area as well to help cruisers who are still gripping with their toes (which DD is not). She can walk in them fine and is loving exploring the great outdoors.

My big gripe though is that they are not particularly weatherproof as obviously they were not really designed for that (they are 'Mary Jane' style with a big open area over the top of the foot, there was nothing more enclosed available - where did you get your DD's boots meep?).
Don't get me started on the difficulties of finding wellies small enough...

nickytwotimes · 12/02/2009 19:44

pre-walkers are a device to get parents to spend even more money on stuff for their kids by inventing reasons they need said stuff.

The need shoes when they are walking outside and not before.

Original poster

WhiteWineAndJaffaCakes · 12/02/2009 19:52

Hmm. I don't think she's really up to walking around outside yet - not until the weather's better. It's more for when we go somewhere - if floors are slippy/tiled (shopping malls, hospitals, restaurants) then she needs something a bit more secure than socks I think. Maybe crawler shoes would be good for that?

OP posts:

nickytwotimes · 12/02/2009 19:53

I just used to let ds toddel around in his socks that had grippers on them. I was a bit but crawler shoes are one of those things that get me on my high horse, in case you hadn't noticed.

Ohforfoxsake · 12/02/2009 20:05

I don't think there's any point to them. Clarks tried to flog them to me, saying 'look, she can't walk in those ones'. Of course she can't, its the first time she's worn shoes! By the end of the day she was fine. She'd been walking for two weeks when it occured to me she needed shoes

Tis just a marketing ploy IMHO.

johana · 12/02/2009 21:07

Have just nipped to clarks today to ask the very same question! My ds of 12mths is wearing through his soft soled shoes as he's now trying to walk. The crusing shoes are apparently a marketing gimmick (I had a very nice shop assistant who told me this) she said to wait till their walking a bit more and get the proper walking type shoes as it help support theyr soles and helps them stand stronger etc

Pruners · 12/02/2009 21:09

Message withdrawn

CarGirl · 12/02/2009 21:13

My podiatrist at the hospital said that shoes like the crusiers (with the rubbery feet) were better than "proper" shoes and to use those for as long as possible, they are softer and more like going barefoot. If it was too wet for cruisers you jut use wellies. Much cheaper than "proper" shoes too. He also said doodles were better for their feet too than "proper" shoes and again much cheaper.

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