baby shoes - do you really have to have them fitted?

[tasmaniandevilchaser]

dd has just got her first walking shoes - do you really have to have them fitted by someone in a shop?

some of my friends do, some don't. Not really sure if it's something I can do myself.

What do other people do?

I always had them fitted properly. Think of those lovely little soft feet. Of course they need to walk around in their new shoes and you have to watch them as they do unless the assistant knows what they're doing.

Which is not always the case. We used to spend a fortune on their first shoes [I've kept them]. .

yes, they are their most important shoes as they need to be properly supported when starting walking. its easier to get someone who is trained to spend a few mins checking size and width of feet so you get the correct fit. well worth it.

i absolutely would. their feet are very vulnerable when small

thanks, your answers have confirmed my doubts about not getting them fitted.

I did get them fitted btw, although I'm not convinced the assistant knew what she was doing, she definitely knows more than me!

I would definitely get dc shoes fitted, so I agree with you on that.

With ds first shoes I went to a shoe shop where the assistant fitted them. Ds cried but he assistant said that the shoes were fine and that babies cry when they first get shoes on. Ds never seemed to get on with them. He refused to walk in them, would only sit on the floor and cried when I tried to put them on. Six weeks later we went to my home country where we had to buy some winter boots for him because of snow and cold. This time we went to a shop that specialises in children's shoes. The assistant fitted the boots on him and ds just ran off to the other end of the shop to look at a display. He absolutely loved those boots! They didn't seem to bother him at all. After that I learned to listen to the assistant, yes, but to look at ds' reaction to them more.

reaction to the shoes, that is.

I think all children should have shoes properly fitted.