Affordable shoes for skinny toddler feet?

[Sleeplessem]

Hiya,

Where do you get your toddlers shoes, especially if they have slim feet? My 20 month old has size 4 e feet, although she can wear an f and most of the time does.

We’ve been going to Clark’s but today did the classic ‘don’t look at price until you get to the till and ended up shelling out £45 on a pair of trainers for her, which is pretty much what I’d pay for a pair of shoes for me, so it seems crazy .

Anyone got any recommendations for decent and more reasonably priced shoe places especially for a slender foot?

My DD had very narrow feet as a toddler and we always got hers from H&M to fit.

We go to an independent shoe shop - counter intuitive but because they have a range of brands we get better fitting shoes and even clarkes we're cheaper than a clarkes shop. Or if you feel that clarkes do suit your child's feet then buying from onw of their outlet stores

@Findahouse21 we’ve got a few pairs from Clark’s outlet, they’re just a bit limiting in terms of style and size.

@thenonsensepotter I’ll try h&m. I’ve had a quick look and their sizes are 3.5-4.5- seems quite a wide range?

E is not that far off regular width.

D is very narrow.

Clarks shoes can be £45 for regular pairs. That's nothing yo do with width. Try an outlet store if you want Clarks. Otherwise, with a regular E width fitting, you can buy anywhere!

No I know the price is nothing to do with width per se. Some places just size narrower/ wide than the ‘norm’, learned that shopping for wedding shoes for me (wide feet haha), so I’m just looking for some suggestions of shops that cut a bit on the narrow side x

Have you tried Start Rite? We just got a lovely pair of wide fit summer shoes under £20 including delivery. I've found most supermarkets are a narrow fit so you could try Tu at Sainsbury's and George at Asda?

My dds have always had really narrow feet. C/D fitting -they have never fitted Clarks. We usually got one ‘good pair’ in the start rite sale or second hand online. Independent shoe shops also tend to stock different brands - although that can be expensive.
It really is trial and error for cheaper shoes - literally tried every shoe in some stores until something fitted.and walked away disappointed lots of times. DDs are now fashion conscious teenagers and it’s even more of a nightmare. Anything with laces tends to be better as you can tighten them to fit.

I have narrow feet and so do both my sons.
Have you tried New Balance for trainers, they come in 2 widths? Puma are narrower too, but that just might be football boots.
I agree with PP that independents are better for kids shoes and found Start-rite were a better fit than Clarks. (Although Clarks came up trumps for school shoes in year 13!) Some of the independent shoe shops stock European makes, we found Ricosta good.

I need to get ones with laces or that you can tighten for my son. I haven't found anywhere that is especially best but h&m are reasonable and I like zara too

Scrappy
It doesn't get any better! I was a B or C fitting as a child, and tend to buy my shoes from a couple of specialist on line shops these days . I am in my 60s and find some of the choices frumpy!

Startrite! They have a sale on atm .

www.shoesforkids.co.uk/

Also not ideal but inner soles can help too

Do you have a start rite? We get all of our kids shoes from there, under £20 a pair. Always fit brilliantly as they measure their feet.

DD 2.5yrs has narrow feet, some bobux work but it's a bit complicated as one style was fine in one size but not the next size but happy little soles describe the width of each which helps and Olli pops tends to have them cheaper plus bobux have sales. H&M we've only had t bar plimsoles which have been a bit wide but also seem to shrink a bit in the wash. Clarks don't make her current size (7D I think). I think converse might be ok, she used to have a pair but laces and an independent toddler don't work.

My daughter has very narrow feet and kids feet can grow quite quick - so you can find some really good quality second hand shoes. I would go to Clarks to buy the main shoe - then look on ebay for the specific size trainers. (also a trainer I could put in the wash if they weren't as clean as I wanted) - normally the seller washes them first.

Also look in shoe shops for buy 1 pair get a pair reduced. When your child is a little older that is on school shoes plus one other pair.

Don't try to buy 'cheap' shoes and add an insole - it just doesn't work for narrow feet at all. Stick with properly fitted shoes. Learn when the sales are about to appear online and buy then (remember to go in for a fitting a few weeks before - or just buy the size or half size up from last time - depending on how much your child has grown).

I never managed it with dd, her feet would just flap about in supermarket shoes unfortunately.
I'd recommend Clarkes outlet.
Now she's 4 i only buy school shoes in Clarkes, she can manage trainers, wellies and sandals from H and M, or supermarkets, if they have tightening velcro straps or suchlike.
It doesn't last forever I promise.