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Does my crawling, cruising 9 mo need shoes outside?

14 replies

thetraveller · 23/03/2010 20:25

9mo DS is crawling all over the place and has just started cruising. He goes barefoot at home, but is getting increasingly desperate to get out of his pushchair when we go out to park. Would love to let him practice his new skills outside but don't really feel he can do this barefoot or in socks! Should I get some shoes for him, and if so, what sort of shoes are best at this stage?

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TottWriter · 23/03/2010 20:45

Take him to a shoe shop which sells clarks shoes. They're good because they do through fittings and sell half sizes in a variety of widths. They also have shoes for babies who are cruising which are softer and more flexible, so just what your DS needs right now if he's out of the house.

Round here, the 'first shoes' range are about £20, so a little cheaper than those for slightly older children, and a lot of places offer a presentation box to keep them in later, so it's not a bad price all included (though once you start buying them regularly it does add up).

If you're only putting them on him so he can wander around in the park, it might be worth getting him measured in clarks and then (assuming he's a 'whole' size) buying cheaper shoes elsewhere, but that's really dependent on your budget. Personally I try and buy 'good' shoes, but then our DS was a bit later starting to walk but fast learning to, so once he was on his feet he was keen to be on them a lot, and we felt it was justified.

The main thing to remember is that cruising shoes are much bendier, and usually not as big and 'clompy' so they aren't too heavy for their feet to lift. Expect a spaceman walk at first while he adjusts to what re effectively pretty big weights on the end of his legs all of a sudden, and don't buy them if you think it will put him off walking. He has to be ready to learn to walk in shoes, as it is a slightly different skill to walking barefoot. But the clarks staff are generally good - the woman we had said although our DS was walking when we got his, he was better in cruising shoes as they weren't as heavy (and they were cheaper, so that was fine by us!). They sell crawling shoes too, which I assume are lighter again, but we didn't really look at those.

Daffodilly · 23/03/2010 20:51

I have my DS in the little leather Shoo Shoos. Just a bit of extra protection and warmth for his feet. Helps keep the socks on too!

vannah · 23/03/2010 22:20

hi mine were in shoo shoos leather at that age, much easier.Tricky with wet parks, as the soles get wet, but i wouldnt do shoes till walking at least a few weeks.

MultiTaskingMum · 23/03/2010 22:30

Hi, We used Daisy Roots for our triplets who were just walking at about this time of year - they only wanted to walk out when it was dry so they wore holes in the soft leather Daisy Roots then we went to Clarks for their first pair of shoes!

Firawla · 23/03/2010 22:40

get the leather ones like shooshoo type things as people have mentioned, i found them much much better than the clarks cruising and crawling shoes. they seem comfier on the feet, and they cant take them off easily (dont seem bothered taking them off either) but my ds was always taking the clarks ones off and didnt seem 2 keen on them.
theres a shop on ebay that u can buy those kind of leather shoes much cheaper than the main known brands, i think its called twinkletoe shoes. i got quite a few from there and was pleased with them esp at the price (its about 6 quid inc postage if i remember right!)

jadziadax · 24/03/2010 05:01

www.mytwinkletoeshoes.co.uk/

tortoiseonthehalfshell · 24/03/2010 05:18

Admittedly I live somewhere warmer, but my daughter (almost 16 months, just walking regularly now) has been barefoot or in socks her whole life, including out at the park.

If it's wet, I suppose you need shoes, but otherwise I think the longer you let their feet be free, the better.

Of course, now I can't convince mine that she should accept wearing shoes for more than a couple of minutes. So maybe starting earlier would've been a good idea.

thetraveller · 24/03/2010 13:52

Thanks for all the replies!

I like the idea of the Shoo Shoo type shoes for now. Will try those for now and get DS measured up at Clarks when he's walking properly.

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thetraveller · 24/03/2010 13:54

Jadziadax - thanks for the link. The shoes on that site look very reasonably priced compared to some of the others I've seen.

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messymissy · 24/03/2010 14:02

yes its a good idea to get something to protect his feet when out and about. I had the soft leather slipper type shoe, very flexible but gave a good grip and were water proof. Cant remember the brand name though. got them in mothercare they were about £15 but lasted a long while.

JaneBee · 30/03/2010 21:18

Hi

Have a look at www.healthylittlefeet.com.

Lots of information on baby footcare,an online ready for shoes checker and a downloadable guide to take with you to your first fitting to make sure it is done properly.

Hope it helps

AmyWarren · 11/11/2011 10:52

Hi. I had a bit of a search around and a lot of the companies are very proactive about pushing the safety of their shoes. I guess this isn't surprising as its obviously in their interest, but it definitely seems soft-soled shoes are the ones to go for younger babies.

A lot of sites includes guides for baby shoes such as this one , but the main messages seem to be to make sure they are made of non-toxic materials (seems obvious but I guess many aren't) and to leave plenty of room to not constrict the foot.

p.s. also found this site which also seems to have a good selection of shoes

Octaviapink · 11/11/2011 12:18

I actually wouldn't bother with proper cruisers or shoes of any kind at this point - my DCs have both used these: www.waterproofworld.co.uk/togz.htm#Booties

The Togz booties are lined with fleece and completely waterproof. They're absolutely brilliant - it's like being barefoot but warm and dry.

madmomma · 11/11/2011 23:45

If his little feet get cold when he's in the house, those moccasin type sockslippers that boots sell are good for this stage.

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