Toddler shoes they can put on themselves

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I'm struggling to find a pair of shoes that my 2 yr 9month DD can put on herself easily (easily being the operative word). Please :) share links and photos of shoes that your children of a similar age have successively been able to put on themselves without too much drama and frustration! I've tried a few models but what I think looks easy invariably turns out not to be and we're back to square one... (when all the stars align she can manage to put on her velcro trainers with a tongue, or her back-fastening velcro sandals, but I'm after something that she can reliably put on alone several times a day and wear to nursery, where the expectation is that they should be putting their shoes on themselves, plus I'm very pregnant and keen not to have to bend down too much right now)
TIA! 😊👟

I think the only shoes my toddlers can reliably put on are wellies, slippers and crocs. One of them is very obsessed with putting shoes on and she’s very independent but she can’t do any of the trainers she’s got. I think 2y9m is very young, I hope nursery help them?

Our local one is a Montessori one so it's supposed to be all things they can do themselves, but she's the youngest in her new group. We had to get slippers they could put on themselves for indoors, which I painstakingly found after some trial and error, but actual outdoor shoes are so much harder! THanks for your response, glad it's not just us :)

Wellies, crocs or pull on "Ugg" style boots. Or possibly the type of "Mary Jane" shoe that just has a Velcro strap

Best thing you can do is concentrate on teaching her how to tie laces. Our grandson has been doing so for a year or so now, he was just a little older than your daughter. Made going out far easier (he’s always wanted to do everything by himself, even when he had no idea how 😁)

DD lives in crocs. Grandparents hate them because they say they're not smart but I love the sense of independence she feels when she's able to put her own shoes on to go outside

DD2 is newly 2 and it's wellies for outside at nursery and crocs for inside and she can do both by herself (with some correction for wrong feet!). She loves wearing wellies and would wear them 24/7 if she could! Wet Wednesdays do super lightweight ones that are really easy to get on and off.

Both mine have been able to do t-bar type shoes before they could do anything with a tongue. We've had years of ricosta T-bars, they have flexible, grippy soles and are hard wearing. If you want something more like a trainer, I'd look for slip on ones with elastic sides to the tongue or ones where the tongue is only loose on one side, so can't slip down. DD1 currently has some from decathlon like that, but they might not go small enough for your DD - think they start at a 24.

If it's a case of putting shoes on the wrong foot get a large sticker and cut it in half and stick it to the innersole so that when the shoes are next to each other then sticker is compete.

For indoor shoes instead of slippers you might want to try ballet or pull on jazz shoes.

Outdoor shoes - wellies with handles

She is years off of doing laces ignore the previous poster, 2 year olds don't have the fine motor skills for that. Amazon do silicon laces which turn any lace up shoe into a slip on.

Velcro mary janes, crocs and wellies are probably the easiest. Bit useless of the nursery though. I get the montessori thing because mine went to one but I thought it’s supposed to be about encouraging independence where possible, not about having to send them in crocs or wellies because a 2YO can’t manage a pair of practical trainers themselves yet.

DD2 can put on crocs, wellies and slippers, although not necessarily on the right feet.

DS5 is only just starting to dress himself and can just about manage Velcro trainers, although again often on the wrong feet.

I think it varies a lot

How old is your grandson? I’ve never heard of a 2YO doing laces because they don’t develop the necessary fine motor skills until around age 5 and IME most kids are more like 7 before they learn properly.

InTheRainOnATrain · Today 12:15
MrsSkylerWhite · Today 11:46
Best thing you can do is concentrate on teaching her how to tie laces. Our grandson has been doing so for a year or so now, he was just a little older than your daughter. Made going out far easier (he’s always wanted to do everything by himself, even when he had no idea how 😁
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How old is your grandson? I’ve never heard of a 2YO doing laces because they don’t develop the necessary fine motor skills until around age 5 and IME most kids are more like 7 before they learn properly

He was 4 in July. He was just shy of 3 when he first tied laces with those wooden shoe toys. Does his own shoes, buttons, zips, etc. now. He’s reading already/capable of simple maths and is incredibly tenacious.
He’s had the benefit of a mum who was a senior early years practitioner and subsequently studied psychology to degree level. He’s also obvious very smart too. Not a boast, just the way it is.

I’ve no idea what expectations are tbh but IME, both of ours were also doing those things when they started reception. 7 seems quite late to me.

My 2 year 5 months child can do wellies, crocs, and then sandals, boots or trainers with Velcro. The boots and trainers work best if they have a wide opening so they can get their feet in easily. Also Montessori nursery. They don't reliably put on the correct foot, maybe 8/10 times it's right but they will change over if told its the wrong foot. Was not planning to introduce laces for a while.

I'd be surprised if there's any consequence if they can't put their shoes on at that age because it's totally normal to need help, not too mention special needs.
By all means get the best shoes for your child's skill level and they'll manage in time (especially once they're out with other children) but whatever happens the teachers will help your child once they have had a go themselves, it would be neglectful not to!
We had the same worry with potty learning, even the childminder was saying our child needed training before pre school, but when it got to that stage they said no problem and luckily he learnt a few months after starting.
So yes do what you can, but if it doesn't happen then it doesn't happen, but it will eventually.

Thanks everyone for all these tips and experiences! I happened to see her hopping along in the playground with one shoe off yesterday as I was going to pick her up (the nursery worker did then intervene) but I just felt so bad for little hopping DD behind her bigger groupmates and that I really need to up my game choosing shoes that she can manage a bit better than the velcro sandals she had on (or didn't have on, as was the case). But she is still so young and the seasons are changing too so it's not easy to know what to get!

Vivobarefoot Gaia shoes, my daughter's been independently putting them on since just before turning 2.

Sounds like your nursery is taking Montessori to idiotic levels.

Haha no I don't think it's really that, the nursery workers are lovely and I have no doubt they'll help her as much as she needs. It's more that, knowing her, she'll want to be doing it herself like the others so, as the buyer-of-shoes, I just want to up my game and get her something easier to deal with than the fiddly ones she has right now, which she clearly can't manage to do up herself consistently.

Thanks everyone for the pointers!