Where do you buy your kids shoes from?

[Up2nogood]

Ds is almost 3, dd almost 1 but walking. They need winter shoes. In the past I've bought nice designer shoes from local shop... Rondinella and such like. Usually £70-80. Worth it I think as he generally has one main shoe especially in winter. But I'd like to spend a bit less this year. Maybe £50-60, less for dd. But I want a good quality comfy shoe that's a bit more trendy / cute than clarks. Where do you shop? Or what brands if you buy at a boutique?

I want decent shoes that don't damage my dd's feet and are fitted by someone who knows what they're doing, but I'm afraid I don't see the point in spending £50-60 on shoes they will outgrow in a matter of weeks (even if I had the money, which I don't).
Consequently I buy mine in our local "independent" store which is a sort of franchise of clarks. I think clarks shoes are nice for wee ones .

I actually buy my 3yo shoes at Clarks as they are measured & they do last. But once she has been measured I also get her others from department stores (usually Next). Don't see the point in spending more than £35 at this age as they only last them about a year at most.

We do a lot of walking, so I think sometimes more expensive shoes are worth it.
I find they usually will last 6 months, my children must have slow-growing feet.

I really like Ecco and Ricosta and Geox, but I have found Vertbaudet to be really good, and a bit cheaper (they sell Kickers and Geox as well). The problem is you have to order online, and fit the yourself - I order several sizes and send some back. Bit of a faff, but lovely shoes.

Clarks for everyday shoes.
I would be happy to get 'special occasion' or trainers etc elsewhere but I am too tight so haven't done so yet

Startrite here. I think it's important to get them fitted properly. I just took DD (2yo) yesterday and was really impressed with the Clarks shop, who measured her and tried to find a shoe that would fit, but none of their designs fitted her because she has a high instep. There aren't many shops that would advise you not to buy their product, but the lady said they weren't right for her feet. Not something I would have noticed and would have easily bought poorly fitting shoes that were the wrong shape for her foot, even though the right size if I had just bought them off the shelf or online.

That said, I will buy her sandals/party shoes etc online as she's not going to be wearing them the whole time.

I've just bought a pair of ricosta for DS, who's just started walking. We tried Clark's and startrite, but those shoes were so heavy and he couldn't work out why he had trouble walking.

I got them from a local independent shop, good advice, good range and great service. They also give you 25% off your sixth pair (given that he's just under one too, I fear that'll come around pretty quickly).

I used both Clarks and Startrite, but I was happier with Clarks. I didn't feel the Clarks shoes were unattractive or clumpy, although this was 13 years ago TBF! They were both independent franchise shops but the Clarks assistants were more very competent granny types experienced.

We use an independent children's shoe shop, but one that stocks many brands. That way, they can find the shoe that best fits. It's nothing to do with style, and the fitter often just selects the shoes they think will fit best, so I rarely really choose (although I wouldn't take anything I hated.

They stock several brands and I've never seen anything over £50 for this age group (we usually pay £38-£45 for DSs shoes, which have been a mix of Startrite, Pedipods and SeeKaiRun)