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Shopping

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Original poster

DS is cruising so decision needed on first shoes

53 replies

mrsright · 01/05/2006 11:57

He is 14mnths. Don't know whether to go for Clarks cruisers or will Daisy Roots be sturdy enough for outside?

OP posts:

Peachyclair · 03/05/2006 15:54

I like the Clarks cancvas summer ones though; and I think if your baby is going to walk outside then canvas is a good lightweight breathable shoe choice. Plus, maybe not you but a lot of parents will find it far easier to chuck them out after six weeks than if they blew the budget.

Bozza · 03/05/2006 15:58

I have fournd the difference to be more like £10 uwila.

Also what do the Clarks children do when outside? DD is not yet two but I make her walk to school and back on the days I am not working. She plays out at nursery and at home, goes to the park and plays on the gravel/bark etc, walks round the shops sometimes etc.

Squarer · 03/05/2006 16:07

SG - Clarks have produced both crawling shoes and cruising shoes. They are a complete gimmick, but from my point of view have been a godsend (an expensive godsend but a lot cheaper than carpets though!)

Twiglett · 03/05/2006 16:09

no shoes is best

Squarer · 03/05/2006 16:10

I'm with you on that Twiglett - I have just poked DS outside to have a run round with no shoes

Peachyclair · 04/05/2006 14:15

No shoes is great if you have a garden... if the only outside space you can access is park then shoes are a must.

Tinker · 04/05/2006 14:18

Glad teh cruising shoes are seen as a con. Friend has just bought them for her daughter and had that "Oh god, am I meant to be doing something liek that as well?" feeling

dinosaure · 04/05/2006 14:18

It's funny how everyone frets about keeping their kids in no shoes/just socks for as long as possible.

DS2 had talipes (clubfoot) and after spending a lot of his first year in plaster casts, he then had to wear boots with a bar between the heel that kept his feet braced to the required angle. He didn't get to go barefoot at all until after he'd learned to walk.

okeydokeygirl · 04/05/2006 16:02

Glad I found this thread as having the same dilemmas myslef. DD has a really nice pair of soft shoes but they really are no good for outside. She is only just cruising but loves to stand up and play upright. We have ceramic tiles and wooden floors indoors and the soft shoes are OK for that but outside we only have a patio garden and we go to playgroups and the park that have tarmac. I have sort of come to the conclusion that a pair of cruisers would be a good idea but the Clarkes girls ones are all far too girly and I don't really like the boys ones either. Thanks for the ideas about Elefantan and Startrite - I will see what is available. What are Doodles?

Bozza · 04/05/2006 16:10

Doodles are Clarks canvas shoes. I have just bought DD a pair from the Clarks outlet for £8. And a pair of Startrite sandals. But the doodles are great for sending her to nursery in, playing out etc. She is nearly 2, mind you. Last summer she had a pair of cruisers - not really a waste of money because they lasted her well into walking and are cheaper than walking shoes. DS never had cruisers but he started cruising on Boxing Day so most of it was done indoors.

okeydokeygirl · 04/05/2006 16:11

Just checked out the start rite shoes - pink pink and more pink. the boys ones are a bit more neutral.£18.00!

starlover · 04/05/2006 18:56

dinosaure.. that's a completely different situation though! your son needed obviously needed the support of his boots etc becauwse of his medical condition, which is totally understandable

for a child with no foot/ankle problems then it IS best to go without shoes.

I work for clarks and we HAVE to tell people (if they ask) that they should keep their child out of shoes for as long as possible

Bozza · 04/05/2006 21:46

okeydokeygirl - DD currently has black patent t-bars and white sandals from Start-rite (in the first shoes size) - no pink at all. That is reserved for her doodles which I see as messing around/nursery shoes. Black patent shoes were from January, mind you, so probably no longer available.

Bozza · 04/05/2006 21:52

DD has \link{http://www.startriteshoes.com/footwear/girls/open_sandals/flutter.php\these} in white. A lot of the shoes come up in pink on the website but then there are other colour options available. What colour were you considering?

charliegirl25 · 04/05/2006 21:58

This is a relevant thread to me at the moment because my dd has been walking for a couple of weeks now and my childminder has started to get quite angry that I havent bought her some proper shoes yet, but she has only just started to toddle around outside now its been warm. Am i really awful that I havent bought her any yet?

starlover · 04/05/2006 22:01

charliegirl not at all! it's up to YOU when you get her shoes, not your childminder.
I am guessing that she probably isn't going to be walking around outside much anyway for a little while.
shoes are very expensive for them to wear for 5 minutes a couple of times a week!

charliegirl25 · 04/05/2006 22:04

Thank you starlover, even a lady at the playgroup today commented on how she should be in Clarkes otherwise her feet will be deformed. Sorry Mrsright, didnt mean to highjack.

starlover · 04/05/2006 22:09

no they won't! what a silly thing to say.
feet should be allowed to develop naturally.
clarks shoes offer the least support possible... they simply provide a protective surface for children to walk on... this is so that the foot will develop properly.
well, that's what i was told on my training course anyway! lol

charliegirl25 · 04/05/2006 22:13

Oh good, i will quote that to them next time they say anything to me, but to be honest I think i will buy some at the weekend.

misdee · 04/05/2006 22:16

dd3 got her 1st shoes today. she has been cruising for ages, and walking for a few weeks. she has been in daisey roots, but in this lovely weather we have been having she has spent a lot of time outside. i got her a pair of doodles, but she refuses to stand in them, so she also has some softer soled cruisers, but was told they arent suitable for outside [puzzled] i remember dd1 first shoes were as soft and flexable as the cruisers, so whats changed in err 6years?

charliegirl25 · 04/05/2006 22:20

sorry if i sound stupid, but what are cruisers, are they 'proper' shoes or just the soft ones you can buy from next or other baby shops?

starlover · 04/05/2006 22:20

the person you talk to misdee! lol

i would let her outside with cruisers tbh... they're not going to protect against big spikey stones and stuff obviously, but if she's just on grass or flat surfaces then the should be fine!

misdee · 04/05/2006 22:21

they are very flexable fitted shoes.

Squarer · 04/05/2006 22:24

Not entirely sure Misdee, but cruisers wouldn't keep anything from piercing the sole and hurting the underside of the foot - in my opinion, it depends where it is they are walking.

I tend not to scatter boxes of thumb-tacks round my lawn so so far DS has been ok
At my parents today he has been tootling around barefoot on concrete driveway. I only have him in cruisers when his feet are likely to be cold/wet otherwise.

Squarer · 04/05/2006 22:25

x-posted wth everyone else
(like "the person you talk to" starlover )

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