wide feet

[MiniMousse]

dd (18 mo) has v wide feet, currently measuring 6 I. (when I asked if I could buy some I width fitting shoes I was told they are not manufactured!)
She has now been referred to a paediatric podiatrist as her toes seem to be getting pushed out of shape (this despite having had a new pair of properly fitted clarks shoes approx every 4-5 weeks since she started walking 7 mo ago).
Anyone else experience of this? What can the podiatrist do? Can you get special shoes? If so are they really huge and clumpy and hideous? Can the damage to her toes be 'undone' or is it already too late? If it can be rectified, how do they do it? Strap her toes up? What impact has this had on your dc?

Am feeling a bit worried that she will have a lifetime of not being able to buy shoes and will be known as the girl with clumpy shoes

I'm not sure. I often wonder if my kids should be size I. They measure H in Clarks 'but may have to go up a size in length' (probably because they don't stock I fittings.)

I think their toes look a bit squashed and am tempted to take them to see someone after your OP.

I have wide feet and so does DH. I don't wear heels as I've never got on with them. Wedges are OK. I have to admit that I go for comfortable, not pretty and find pointy high shoes somewhat ridiculous as they disable feet no matter what width.

I'll watch with interest in case we get a podiatrist on here.

SHOUTS: 'Is there are MN Podiatrist in the house?'

i think i read in the clarks first shoes leaflet that it takes about 5 years (?) for all the bones in their feet to form and settle down properly. that's why regular fittings are a good idea.

that's what clarks say but thought that might make you feel better

Im not sure what a podiatrist could do to be honest. I wouldn't have thought having very wide feet would cause her toes to turn inwards so I would imagine they'd check everything to do with her feet and make sure its all ok.

Is her actual foot very wide (ie the bit near her toes)? Or has she got a high instep as well? My DS is 5 and has very wide feet and a really high instep and has done ever since he first got fitted for shoes...he is way way beyond an H fitting but when I questioned it in Clarks/Startrite I was told that they can only measure up to an H and anything over that won't ever fit-which it doesn't!

Im not saying there isn't a problem because I know how frustrating it is but it just means you are probably going to have to look much much harder for shoes...it took 3 weeks to find DS some school shoes for last september! DS simply cannot wear clarks shoes so we get Geox ones for him and loads of other European makes fit really well also. They aren't actually widthed at all...in fact as far as Im aware its only in this country that we "width" shoes according to letters (but I could be wrong!)so if you go into more independent shoe shops they should hopefully be able to find some lovely shoes which do fit her. Obviously the podiatrist will be able to advise more but just thought Id speak as a mum who can totally sypathise...but at least she'll have different shoes to all her school friends when she starts school-trust me when you see 15 girls in the class wearing exactly the same Clarks shoes you'll be glad that she couldn't get them on!

BTW both my kids (one DD and one DS) were H fittings (infact with DS they said "at least an H" at 18 months - 2 years (from around size 4 - size 7) but by around age 4 both now G fittings, and DD at age 6.5 (size 11)just got new sandals which only came in an F and were fine (but have adjustable straps) so maybe feet get less wide as they get older, so not clear whole lifetime of very wide feet. DS still has wide feet, has geox trainers which come up wide.

I agree that its worth looking around, clarks/start-rite are not always best i think ricosta do narrow/standard or wide fittings, and the wide really was quite wide.