First shoes recommendations

[OopsieeDaisy]

DC has been walking independently for a few weeks now so I am wondering what first shoes people would recommend.
Also, did they wear the same ones for nursery? I put DC in cheap clothes for nursery as they generally get stained during messy play but don’t want to use cheap shoes that could damage their feet.

I got decent quality trainers from next for nursery.

You should ideally look for shoes that have thin, flexible soles and a wide toe box. Tiny feet shouldn't be squished at all!
Bobux are fab, I'm sure others will come in with recommendations!

Thanks both!
This gives me a couple of things to look at 😊

We did the stereotypical thing and took DD to get her feet measured and shoes from Clarks! She enjoyed being able to pick out her own shoes and we knew they would be robust. Only issue is that obviously they are expensive (unless on sale) and little feet grow fast.

If you have a John Lewis nearby, they might have a Clarks section and hopefully like mine, a reduced section! I took my DD there recently and measured her feet using the gauges they had out and then she was able to choose her own trainers. Ended up being £9!

Another vote for Clark’s. Get her feet measured and get shoes with soft flexible soles.

It’s still best for her to have bare feet inside as much as possible.

I do have a Clark’s and John Lewis nearby so will try both. @Alarae @DuploTrain did you go for the prewalkers first time round?

In all honesty Next shoes are good. Clarks are a waste of money an prey on parents insecurities about getting shoes to fit. Get a size gauge online from next and you can measure your child's feet yourself. It's really quite simple to do once you get the hang of it.

Asda do nice first shoes. Not expensive so no worries if they get ruined, lost or grown out of quickly!

Yes pre-walkers are good especially if she’s going to be wearing them all day at nursery.

With DD we got her feet measured at Clark's and then I bought her some Clark's shoes on Vinted.
With DS we got his feet measured at Clark's but they had a really good sale on so we bought him some direct.
I still get loads of DD's shoes on Vinted as they are usually barely worn and brilliant value.
DS has only just started waking so he still has his pair we got direct from Clark's

Clarks outlet website is worth a look too once you know the size.

We went with Clark's. He wears them to nursery too.

Didn’t know there was an outlet website, definitely sounds worth a look!

The most important thing is to get them measured and fitted properly as their feet are growing. I have had mixed experiences with Clark's and would also suggest looking to see if there are good independent shoe shops who have a wider range than Clark's have - mine needed Startrite because they were super wide

I'd second buying your own foot measuring thing, and then buying online or vinted new / bearly warn. As a student a friend worked in Clarks, they got a 10 minute explanation of taking measurements from another shop worker, then left to it. It's not very complicated and there's no gatentee the person in the shop will do a better job then you can yourself.

I worked in a shoe shop and was not allowed to fit first walkers at all - I had to go on a full day of training by Clark's to fit over 3 s and always had to have my shoe fitting checked by an experienced member of staff until the manageress felt I was safe. I was always told not to use shoes worn by another child as their feet may be different and would mould to that child's foot. There are lots of different brands and confusingly they have their own measurement system. Even though I can fit my own children's shoes and check them I also go to shops with experienced fitters. I don't use supermarkets or chains like M and S

@blotchyredanditichy that’s good to know. What worries me with the supermarket ones and even Next etc is that they are usually sold by age, and surely that will rarely give a good fit to most children.

We’ve recently bought DDs first shoes and took her to John Lewis where her feet were measured and we weren’t rushed at all while she tried on a few and was given time to walk about in them. I’d at least have the first pair properly fitted so you can watch and see what they check when fitting. We went with a leather pair with a very soft, flexible sole by start-rite.

Second hand is a terrible idea, each shoe and sole moulds and adapts to the first wearer. While your child’s feet bones are so soft and developing you don’t want them forced into a shoe that is moulded to another child’s foot.

Bare foot as long as possible when not outdoors is still best at this age. Inchblue sell shoes that are as close to being barefoot as you’re going to get if you want some form of indoor shoes. They do suede soles for indoors and rubber for out.

Go to Clark's to be measured you can't mess around with kids feet -

Asda's are sold by size, but it's easy enough to try them on and check the fit, whatever the make! I didn't pay out for Clarks shoes and went for cheaper supermarket ones. My children have no issues with their feet 😆
A lot of it is marketing.