When do they need shoes?

[mrsflux]

Ds is 9 mo and climbing onto his feet whenever he can. He's just started to take some steps while supported but has very little balance on his own.

When do kids need shoes? He seems quite young still but also other babies we know who are doing similar thngs have shoes now. Clarks I know have shoes from crawling state which seems way too soon.

Basically I'm very confused!

After they have been walking confidently for six weeks.

You can buy cruising shoes from Clarke's but it's a bit of a waste of money, just hold on until he is properly walking, it's better for foot development and balance to be without shoes as long as possible.

Crawling shoes are yet another shocking (yet cunning!) marketing ploy to seperate otherwise sane parents from their cash.

Once your DS is walking outside he needs shoes, before that I really wouldn't waste your money

Wait for a couple of weeks after he has been walking properly.

I bought DD some soft shoes just so that I could put her down on the floor if we were out someplace, like this kind of thing.

Not until they are outside!

DS has been cruising since 8 or 9 months and pulling up at every opportunity but at fifteen months he is still not walking confidently and I can't let him walk outside as he'd just start crawling and get all muddy - so it could take longer than you think I tend to put soft shoes on him at toddler groups where he is more likely to get trodden on, or to keep his socks on in the pushchair when it isn't cold enough for the footmuff, and to let him crawl outside in the summer when he was going over concrete slabs etc. I got mine from here: www.snugglefeet.com/ and I found them really good.

You are supposed to wait until they are walking confidently enough to be walking outside I think.

However, DS2 is 13 months and nowhere near that stage yet and I was determined to wait. But then I felt his little feet must be getting so cold in just socks so I did take him to Clarks yesterday and fortunately they had some cruising shoes in the sale so only cost £10 (the full price ones were £22 ). It just felt wrong somehow that I spent ages wrapping him up in jumpers, coats, hat, gloves and then just left his feet dangling in the pram in thin socks

I would wait as long as possible, don't let clarks rip you off with cruisers (waist of money). Wait until he's walking outside.

I bought a pair of Clarkes cruising shoes from Brantano for £5, I thought they were a bargain. Would never think of spending the full price for them.

moccis [cant do links-sorry]do slipper socks which are ideal for babies to keep feet warm and give a little traction on wooden floors.