When to buy school shoes?

[Chestnutx3]

DD starting reception in september, so when do I buy shoes. Worried if I buy them now her feet would have grown in 2 months but if I leave it until mid August there will be little choice. Although she has smallish feet so maybe there is more choice?

My kids feet always grow at least a size over the Summer. I wouldn't DREAM of buying them now, personally..

I attempted to buy my daughters shoes in the summer prior to her starting because they were in the sale and she loved them. I bought them a size too big and then she started growing in half sizes so they have never actually fit her properly, she uses them for dress up. It's a gamble whatever you do. Good luck. x

Ask your preferred shoeshop if you can book a slot for the end of August. My local Clarks are doing this. I have to say shoes are the one thing that's left until late in August to avoid having to buy a second pair then anyway due to a growth spurt. The shops know it's a boom time for them so they will have stock in.

Although I'm not tempted by YummyMummys suggestion!

"now" !!

I buy the week before mine go back to school. Luckily our Clark's have a number system so you can go shopping in the 3 hour wait rather than stand outside the shop.

Hmm well I'm the other way and DS already has next year's shoes (he did trash and grow out of his last pair making it necessary this time, but I also did this in Reception).

I only buy one pair of decent shoes at a time, and when he got to nearly school age I just made sure they were regulation black school shoes. He wears them till outgrown/wrecked at which point he would need new shoes anyway. Buying them now, the shoe shops are quieter and the shoes themselves aren't brand new and stiff for the child starting school because they've been worn over the summer a bit.

It's less than two months till the start of next term. I don't know if we're unusual, but although my children have had sudden spurts and grown a shoe size in a month or so, that was only when they were babies. A school age child's growth is a bit more predictable isn't it?

Measure the child's feet yourself (you can download printable measuring gauges from the startrite website) and then buy the shoes online at a massive discount from shoes for kids or ebay.

Simples.

My DC always take at least 6 months to move up a half size at reception-starting age, so it'd be fine for me to buy now... but depends what you know your DC feet to be like. About 2 weeks before school starts is good, 2 days before school starts and lots of places will have sold out.

Just before the start of term
and hope the queue at French's is not too bad after lunch

I'm planning for mid-August. Not so late that it's all chaos and they've sold out (although IME they don't actually sell out in the week before school starts, the queues are just insane!), but not so early that the DDs feet are bound to grow. DD2 (starting reception)'s feet haven't grown at all in the past year, so I figure we MUST be due a spurt soon.

DD's shoe size didn't change for a year but recently has gone up 2 shoe sizes, so worry that the trend continues.