Baby shoes - what and when?

[noolia]

DD is 10 months and has (i think) quite large feet. She can do a few tottery steps and is working hard at doing more (v. stubborn like her father!) I think she'll be walking properly soon. Does she need shoes? How does one go about getting them? At the moment she wears very soft leather shoes from jojomamanbebe. Thank you!

keep with the soft slipper-type ones till she wants to walk outisde and it's wet

no benefit in getting them earlier - waste of your cash and harder for dd to walk in

DD walked at just past 10 months and I got her some little Italian boot-type shoes that supported her ankles well.

The nicest children's shoes in England are the Start-Rite English classics - Diana in grey or Clare in red patent are fabulous for very little girls, especially if you match them with grey or scarlet tights and a little sticking out skirt.

I think the general rule of thumb is put them into shoes when they've been walking properly for at least 6 weeks. Its much easier for them to crack the whole walking/ blanace thing in bare feet than in hard shoes.

Don't rush her into them- they cost a bomb. I recently spent £45 on a pair of boots for my 1 1/2 year old DD- ouch!

Anna, are you Anna 8888?

I got the crawling shoes from Clarks for my DS2 who is at the same stage as your DD.
I know he doesnt need shoes yet, but he wont keep any soft ones on or sock and these he keeps on! So his feet are warm and they stop him slipping over when he's cruising which helps his get his balance.
Keeps his socks/feet clean and protected when he's pottering round at toddler groups too.

I never bought DS shoes until he started zooming round the furniture etc and I just bought Clarks Cruisers they were fab.

Oui

bonjour

NB buying £20 shoes to keep 5-for-£2 washable socks clean is surely a false economy...

The independant shoe shop I go to say that the recommendations are that they should not wear anything more than the very thin, soft shoes (and ideally be in bare feet as much as possible)until they have been walking on their own and confidently for 6 weeks. This is as walking is about developing the prioperception (feed back from the nerves in the feet and legs as to where they are and how much pressure is being exerted), and shoes with harder soles interferes with this.

Well not so much keep his socks clean as to keep his feet from treading in god knows what and being trod on by other children who are wearing shoes I suppose.
I am often at play places and toddler groups with my older toddler and so DS2 is crawling round the places most days and I wouldnt like him to be doing it in bare feet (especially in this weather!)

Clarks cruisers are fab for protecting feet if they want to crawl around outside or on hard floors like we have in our house, or at toddler group etc. i've had them for all my ds from the stage of cruising.

I got my DS clarks cruising shoes when he started cruising (about 10m). DD is now almost 10m and I am going to get her a pair of cruisers soon.

but why, crokky?

is she walking well?

I know I keep banging on about it but it seems such an awful waste of money for something that doesn;t do the child any favours...

I quite agree that babies who have just started walking do not need to wear shoes as a matter of course (I never, ever put DD in shoes indoors and she still prefers to be barefoot) but surely when they go outside they need shoes?

they help them grip and increase their confidence and also if they want to crawl around at the park or toddler group/soft play, they are ideal. i think this is more the case if you have older dcs they want to get out of the pram and copy and follow and i want their feet protected warm and dry and safe. the soles are v.soft and flexible in the cruisers, i also like the startrite ones as their boys ones buckle up.

I can remember DD very clearly running around the Jardin du Palais-Royal shortly after her 1st birthday (mid-November) pushing a red doll's buggy. So she did need those little boots.

[backs away from thread]

if they're walking outside, by all means; if crawling outside/at playgroup then leather slipper-types are adequate IMO

but buying shoes just because they're 10m and cruising indoors sounds mad to me.

Agree with MrsBadger.

I remember reading that the bones and muscles in children's feet spread and form differently as they start walking (presumably with the additional weight and balancing act going on) and that you shouldn't put them into hard shoes until they have been walking almost continually for a good 6 weeks. Otherwise the foot doesn't spread as it should.

Ds wore these for a couple of months when he started walking, and we had a pair of £3 wellies for the few times he walked any distance outside when it was wet or muddy (not much in the early days).

First shoes are so expensive - leave it as long as you can!

cruisers aren't hard shoes tho!

they're a damn sight harder than socks or Daisy Root slipper types

have to agree to disagree on this one i think! all my ds had the cruisers so they could walk outside protected and also at toddler group obviously not indoors at home and feet are all fine and well developed no problems i've noticed in either my 9 or 3 yr old

I dont put shoes on dd at all. She is 14 months almost and cannot walk unaided. At toddlers I just put socks on her, is this OK? I thought shoes were bad until they needed them

MrsBadger - just to let you know why I started my DS in shoes at 10m - he would hold my hand and my mum's hand the other side and walk along outside. He could not walk unaided until 13m I don't think but basically he never crawled so was always on his feet holding something/somebody and my DD is the same.

Oh and anyway, most of the time, both my kids have shoes off in the house all day anyway - but that is a whole other debate .

exactly the same as my ds crokky