Talk to Clarks about getting your DC's first school shoes and other milestones in their lives - you could win school shoes for your DCs for a year! NOW CLOSED

[AngelieMumsnet]

We've been asked by Clarks to find out about what Mumsnetters remember about getting their DCs first pair of school shoes.

Here's what Clarks say,

"From tearful to triumphant, there are many words that parents use to capture the excitement and emotion they feel about their child starting school for the very first time. Clarks understand how important the First Day of School is for both parents and children, and how sentimental parents feel about sending their child off into the big wide world.

To celebrate this momentous occasion, Clarks have partnered with Ladybird to create a bespoke memory book, free with your child’s first pair of Clarks School Shoes. The memory book lets children and parents complete and capture all their first moments from their first year at school, from favourite lessons to favourite friends, and of course a space for a photo of your child in their perfectly crease free uniform and shiny shoes on their first day at school.

To complete your First Clarks School Shoes experience, you can also book a fitting appointment at a time to suit you. The occasion is made all the more exciting by being measured on a new Clarks iPad Foot Gauge! Book online at //www.clarks.co.uk/storeappointments, phone 0844 248 8408, or in store. Clarks also have over 7,000 trained fitters in stores over the back to school season and Clarks stores open for longer for the summer holidays to make sure your shopping experience is completely hassle free"

So, what do you remember about getting your DCs first school shoes? Maybe it's having their feet measured? Or perhaps it's the number of shoes they tried on before finding the right pair? Was this a big milestone in their lives? What other milestones are important to you?

If your DCs aren't old enough for school just yet, is getting their first pair of school shoes a milestone that you're looking forward to? Was being fitted for their first pair of shoes a milestone? Are there any other milestones which you think are important? If so, what are they?

Everyone who comments on this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will receive school shoes for their DCs (worth up to £150) for a year.

Thanks and good luck,

MNHQ

[chrin]

the first pair if school shoes I bought my son was a milestone and took ages to find as he has a narrow foot with a very high instep so measuring was a must and finding ones that fitted well with what he liked was a bit of a nightmare

[sugar1975]

It was an ordeal for me getting school shoes as I had such big feet! Back then there wasn't such a selection and very limited styles to choose from! Any milestone in a childs life has magical moments. I remember when my daughter got her first pair! A photo to keep and a happy smiley face beaming down at her new shoes! I have even kept them and the small green Clarks box!
Nowadays though there are so many great deals online with shoes that I buy them and fit them myself! Having worked for Clarks myself I am a fab shoe fitter..... even my friend asks me to fit her childrens shoes!

[sara11272]

I remember having really narrow feet and being offered a choice of about two pairs of school shoes every time. My DC also have narrow feet, but have a much bigger choice of shoes these days - I'm quite envious!

We are shoe shopping tomorrow which, with three DC, is always a challenge. We go to the Clarks outlet which at least makes it wallet-friendly.

[pazanne]

I remember my daughter all excited in Clarks getting her feet measured and telling the assistant she was a big girl now.

[jac22]

I have good memories of my daughters first shoes. But remember it being a bit sad that we had to buy black shoes for school. She seemed really young for black shoes.

[meglet]

It was hardly a milestone. Me trying to avoid the silly shoes with toys in and get DS into a practical pair that would last.

As with every single visit to Clarks they have to go and get a different size because of the way different styles come up. Why do they act like shoe fitting is rocket science .

The grips wore off the shoes by Xmas so I had to go back and buy another pair. Why do Clarks find it so hard to design a shoe with a proper grip, instead of wheel or dinosaur patterns. FFS.

[CheeseEMouse]

I have just purchased my daughter's first pair of shoes for her birthday - I have to say suddenly it felt like she really was a toddler and not such a little baby. The best thing of all is she can't work out how to take them off. Result!

[lhlee62]

My daughter isn't old enough for school yet, but I can't wait and I do think that it will be a milestone.

I loved Clarks with my daughter's first shoes, they made a big deal of her and took a lovely photo of her in them for us to keep. She wore them for less than 2 months though as she just doesn't want to stop growing!!

I have never had any problems with my local Clarks, but I do try and avoid busy times so the assistants came spend a bit more time and pay more attention to us as I've heard so horror stories.

[Spirael]

My daughter is starting school this year and we got her first set of shoes a few weeks ago. However, the school she's going to be attending is very new with all new buildings. As such, they don't need traditional style school shoes but instead change into softer canvas shoes when inside and require wellies when playing outside. So no black leather school shoes to get!

[insertsomethingwitty]

I was very proud, the whole process of getting them is a bit of a nightmare that you have to psych yourself up for but we managed to pick a fairly quiet time in the shop. I have 2 DDs who are at school and both have always worn Clarks and they have always worn very well for us. Even though DD2 is a total nightmare as she has a C width foot and then wears orthotics as well but we have always managed to find something that fits her.

[emsyj]

I took DD1 for her first school shoes about 2 weeks ago. The person next to me got one of the 'memory books' but we weren't offered one. Maybe you need more customer service training? I didn't mention it at the time as DD1 didn't notice and wasn't bothered but I did feel rather that they got different treatment - why was that?

Like others have mentioned, there was only one pair in the shop that fitted. DD1 has a very ordinary average size 9.5F so not sure why that was. Fortunately all she wanted was the lights in the heel so that was fine as the one pair had them.

[ChippyMinton]

Yesterday was a milestone for us -for the first time ever we left the shop with a brace of lace-ups and NO velcro! Poor DS2 has been wearing the same style since Reception and managed to find a lovely soft pair of lace-ups for his transition to secondary.

The appointment system and ability to pre.order shoes in preferred styles and estimated sizes made for the most stress-free experience ever.

Contrary to previous posters I felt there was a good choice of styles this year, certainly in the Bootleg range. I've never had an issue with the toys in the heels - just take them out.

[NotCitrus]

Ds is usually OK in shoe shops as long as I ask the assistants to measure his feet and then bring out what they have in his size, rather than them asking which shoes he likes and invariably not having them in his size. Before school started last year he was a nightmare, refusing to ever have school shoes, ever.
So we went to a Clarks outlet, there was one style of black velcro shoes, and I said we weren't leaving until we found a pair that fit. Left without too much aggro ten minutes later - by the next day he refused to take them off. They actually still fit so was hoping to miss the back-to-school rush, but they've both worn through at the soles so will need to brave the stores tomorrow...

I used to have very wide feet and shoes used to have to be ordered in, so I never got choice of shoes and had to get special permission from school to have a different style - hugely embarrassing!

Not sure what I will do for dd - all the shoes in Clarks and several other stores for girls are crappy strappy things that aren't nearly as robust as the boys' ones. I may end up still buying practical shoes for her online.

[KandSWh]

In some ways I'm dreading getting her first pair of school shoes - she'll clearly want ones with flashing lights and dollies in them...! Oh dear, what fun that'll be!

[feefeegabor]

I've always bought school shoes from Clarks and remember my daughter being fitted for her first pair. She has wide feet and I remember her giggling when they put the little tape measure under her feet to check the width. I think getting and losing her first tooth was another milestone together with her first Birthday, first Christmas and first day of school.

[Coffeechick]

My daughter was excited at getting her first pair of school shoes, but unfortunately they got scuffed very quickly and haven't worn well. I'm going for some other shoes this year which look more hard wearing, time will tell.

[HotPinkWeaselWearingLederhosen]

Getting dds first shoes was a scream. Decided to do the Clarks photo thing again, like we did with Ds.

They measured her feet, which were small and gave me a selection of crawling shoes. I asked if they had anything sturdier and they said "no, we only do those in larger sizes for when they are walking"

I explained that she was walking.

"Are you sure?" I was asked

"Erm yes, that's why I want shoes"

was the face I received

Then the woman said "how old is she?"

I replied that she was 10 months, and was told crawlers would be fine till she was walking properly without aid in a couple of months.

At this point I gave up and put dds shoes on and said I'd try somewhere else and walked out, with dd walking in front of me entirely unaided.

We went to Clinkards and got a lovely pair of Startrite

[emsyj]

Oh, interestingly we didn't get the 'first shoes photo' treatment with DD2's first shoes either! Perhaps you should have a word with your Birkenhead store, Clarks...

[Nottheshrinkingcapgrandpa]

I loved shopping for DS's first school shoes, but remember being disappointed about the lack of choice for black shoes for boys :(

[Dawnlight]

I can't remember either of my dc's first school shoes I'm afraid. I do remember dd's first pair of shoes though as her feet were tiny and the shop assistant had to Order them in specially (a size 2 I think) and dd's smile in the photo was the widest ever.

[ladybirdandsnails]

We have a foot gauge and I just get shoes when I see a bargain. My Dd and DS hate shopping. The Clarks girls shoes are either pink / white or with flowers mainly so my dd won't entertain them. She walked at 12 months and size 2 so Clarks had nothing for her - went to an independent shop in the end. The girls school shoes don't keep their feet dry by design and scuff badly very quickly - she had boys ones for school nursery in the end - so hush puppies this year for reception I'm afraid.

[kerryv]

Schools shoes one day (grew a size over the summer) pre-school haircut the next. Where has my baby gone? He's been swapped with this big boy!

[littleme96]

I didn't find getting my daughter's first school shoes that much of a milestone. There were hardly any designs available in her size and once we had discounted the ones with toys in the soles (just no!), we were only left with a choice of two and so went for the best of a bad bunch.

On the plus side, they lasted her all year and so were certainly worth the money.

[Ultracrepidarian]

We never got a ladybird first shoes book, no one in our Scottish store seemed to receive one. They didn't have enough shoes in stock either so I had to order mine and return a week later which wasn't great as it's an expensive round trip with 4 kids on rural public transport and I had no idea if the shoes I'd ordered would be right when I came back to store to get them fitted. I'm also not keen on the iPad measuring system, it doesn't seem that accurate.

My daughter had her heart set on brogues we order a 13 and 1/2 E and were persuaded by the assistant that the shoes would fit with an inner sole! No chance, so wide she was walking out of them. The size smaller were too close to her toe, we met another mum who was returning the same style of shoe for the same reason. We ended up getting a pair with t-bars which my daughter liked, but she was still miffed about the brogues. My son who has Aspergers was picking up his first pair of school shoes but they had non in stock. We ordered some dinosaur tough design shoes which I'm happy fit him when they arrived in store the following week as we'd had a meltdown because there were non in stock in his size, not a great first school shoe experience! I was pleased I didn't have to go through that again, he was inconsolable!

The other thing with the boys shoes is they should do more with a rugged build, ones that can't be scuffed or have the tops knocked off with scuffing feet and the girls shoes need to be more practical as well as pretty. Clarks also need to have a selection of girls gortex boots and calf length boots available for the start of school. I feel ripped off having to go back in October half term when you've released them, autumn/winter stock should be available for the start of school. I don't like buying open shoes at £38 then buying boots at around £40-£50 a month and a bit later. Whilst I'm mentioning the cost of shoes please could you release a voucher/points loyalty scheme were parents can get a free pair of kids shoes for so many bought or at least free plimsoles, I have 4 kids to shod and a loyalty scheme would be very appreciated.

Thank you Clarks.

[Ladyofthehouse]

Went to Clarks on Friday.....massive queue for feet measuring. Started queuing then moved outside (in shopping centre) for someone else to do it. She was lovely but my 2 daughters very upset their feet were too small to be measured using the ipad!!

Then went back inside to pick shoes.....didn't bother in the end. Looked to me like one style of shoes with slightly different heel heights!

Sorry Clarks going elsewhere! Very expensive in my opinion!