High heels on a 5 yr old - Am I being unreasonable?

[Spagblog]

DD is going to be 5 soon so my mum took her on a shopping trip.
They came back with a gorgeous pair of boots and some party shoes. The shoes were from Next and have a 5cm heel.
I told DD that she was too young for heels before the trip. However she convinced my mum they were what she wanted.

It isn't Mum's fault though. I should have warned her what not to buy, but I thought she would have helped her pick flat shoes. She was very strict on my shoes when I was growing up!

I don't like seeing small children clumping around in heels and I want to take them back.

Am I being precious about it?
I'll try and find a link to the shoes. They're not hideous by all means, but I just think she's too young for heels!

I just can't bear it.

No doubt the thinking goes "they're not for everyday, just for parties, and 'best'", but it's just so restricting for small children, who should be able to play unrestricted - especially at parties - to be physically restrained by their footwear. Especially footwear designed to mimick adult 'sexiness'. I hate the idea that it's ok for girls to be physically less free than boys...flimsy shoes, short non-functional wellies (unless you buy proper ones) high heels....it makes me WILD.

Have just sent long, complaining email to Next. Will let you know if they respond.

norklettes .. that's the most entertained I've been all day .. thanks

spagblog that's terrible, why were they sold to yr DD?
My dd is 5.5 and NO WAY would she be allowed to wear those.

Mind you she may be in a minority; our (infant) school christmas disco is next week and I am expecting hordes of 4-7 yos to be there in off the shoulder tops, short short skirts and heels like that.
Sigh. DD wants to wear her Christmas Day dress (from Boden, long-sleeves T shirt one with cord skirt.) I fear she will be ostracised

yes but these would be ideal for a walk in the woods, don't you think? forth one down

typoppet...

Thise are wrong on so many levels TYP. Whoever designed them should be forced to wear them for a week.

I know, I saw them a couple of weeks ago and just stood and stared at them in sheer disbelief!
It was also a full moon so I raged on about them for half an hour at least to dh, who agreed with me (for once)that they should be made illegal!

When will it end??

I was allowed small heels at 12... and that is when dd will get them if she wants.

Five??

I'm all for a petition if you're doing one. Same here I go to our local shoe shop which sells funky European shoes: Ecco, Aster, buckly my shoe,... They're a bit more expensive but well fitted, well made not too sickly pink or flowery and have no heels.
I must say that I often by clothes for my dd in Belgium and people always comment on how nice they look. They are proper funky children's clothes, not old fashioned but also not sexual. So it is possible, don't know why Next, Mothercare and Adams can't do that. H&M & Vertbaudet got it about right I think.
As you can see this subject can get me going too and I had actually thought about moving back to Belgium for that reason. I just feel that there's something not quite right with a society that finds it OK to dress children in such sexualised clothing.

The thing is, everyone complains about it.

And yet it still happens.

Who is buying this stuff?

sadly someone somewhere does buy such products for their kids, inappropriate or not, otherwise the stores would n't bother to continue to stock them.

What age is adult size 1 for?

I was a dancer in my younger years and i remember if any of the pupils turned up to class wearing heels the teacher would go nuts. Isnt there some info about the damage that can be done when a childs feet are still growing somewhere?

i started a thread the other day about high heels for 6 year olds. i tried to get my kids winter bootrs from clarks, all they had in their sizes were ones with heels. not a 5cm heel but about 3cm. way too high IMO.

all i want is some nice winter boots. the ones that seem ok are call 'gemma emma' the ones we said no to had names like 'celebrity babe'

I have to say no from me aswell.
I wasnt allowed to wear heels until i was 14, much to my annoyance at the time, but know looking back i have to say im very glad my mum put that rule in place.

definitely not. what are they thinking of? it's just a cynical money making ploy by people wjo obviously aren't parents or are living in cloud cuckoo land with ref to paedophiles.

ps one of the women's magazines, i think it is best has a mum's army that women can join and does have some political experience. maybe we could join them and get clout.

I find it absurd that I could buy 2 inch heeled sandals to fit a 3 year old.

I saw a little girl in heeled, thong sandals in the summer - unsurprisingly she was being screeched at to "Fucking keep up, Cortnay!"

She goes to the same playschool as ds1, she is 3. Poor little sod.

If the shoes weren't available to buy, her stupid twat of a mother couldn't have put them on her feet! I only have boys, but I still say ban 'em.

Thank you, typoppet, I needed a laugh after feeling thoroughly depressed reading this thread. 'Stylish'?

Shoudl add I am totally against heels for little girls, naturally.

My mum did let me have heels. Fortunately she feels differently now.

DH has just told me that the Downing Street web site has a bit on it about writing petitions. We could use that to send them one about banning the making of unsuitable clothing for children.

Am just off to have a look.

It's there all right. You can sign an existing, create a new etc. www.pm.gov.uk/output/Page1.asp

It has to start "We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to". There's one which continues "stay in office as PM", but I've signed the one which goes "

whoops clicked wrong button on wrong tab! The one I've signed says "recognise Borat as the leader of Kazakhstan". Just because it's silly and will waste our public servants' time.