Indoor shoes for nursery - any suggestions?

[Bozza]

My little baby (well he's 22 months) has come home from nursery with a letter saying that they feel he is ready to move on from the Toddler Room to the Main Area - he's not even two yet!

Anyway in the information pack it says that he has to be provided with indoor shoes as well as his regular outdoor shoes. This has niggled me a bit because since I spent £27 on a new pair of Clarks last week I think he should be wearing them all the time. I can't really afford to be buying him two pairs of shoes every two months so wondered what to provide? I don't think slippers are good enough for all day, 3 days a week besides the fact that he won't keep the velcro type on his feet. We've had trouble finding trainers that are wide enough for his feet so I'm a bit stuck really. Personally I don't see why he can't wear socks indoors but I suppose there is a risk of slipping.

There is all sorts of stuff on sale right now. How about some of those things I think you british call plimsoles?...ie thin canvas tennis shoes that kids wear for gym class. Gap is always good for canvas tennis shoes. Just get last month's color when it goes on sale.

Bozza this has annoyed me a bit too, ie spending a fortune on "proper" shoes for ds to be told by the nursery they want them to wear plimsoles inside.
You can get them in Tesco or Woolies.

Bozza
How about wearing expensive Clarkes shoes for indoors and getting wellies or cheapo shoes for the outdoors? At this time of year, they seem to spend more time in than out and at least you know he's wearing the good Clarkes ones for the majority of time?

Plimsolls are a good suggestion, but just out of interest, Bozza, why do you think slippers are not a good idea?

Bozza, I'd second what Jessi says - wear Clarks indoors and have cheap wellies for outside - that's what they all do at my dd's nursery.

Another vote for Jessi and Scatterbrain's solution - good shoes indoors, wellies outside. If you are canny you can get real rubber wellies (much more flexible and manoeuvrable for little feet than plastic ones) in the sale - try Aigle or Gymboree.
I would guess that even a medium-sized Lego model hitting a slipper-clad foot might be painful...

Problems with slippers are that he tends to take them off - but have only tried the velcro kind. Also don't seem to fit his foot/support him that well (he has very wide/high/short feet like his Mum!). I think the shoes indoors and wellies outdoors idea sounds good at this time of year. I will go to the Clarks outlet shop I think. But will still allow him to wear his shoes outdoors at weekends - just give them a good clean up on a Monday night.

I think. But will see what the others do when we go on a tour of the main area in a couple of weeks. Thanks everyone.

at our nursery, the indoor shoes thing was to protect the surfaces on which babies crawl from being contaminated by dog poo etc, so as long as you keep them clean, I don't think they can complain about you using the Clarks. in the spring I'll be buying dd some doodles for inside, they're quite cheap but have sturdyish soles and they come in lots of colours and are very broad for her chubby feet.