What are your top tips for finding good winter shoes for your DCs? Tell Brantano for the chance to win a £200 Brantano voucher NOW CLOSED

[AngelieMumsnet]

As the weather gets colder, Brantano would love to hear Mumsnetters' top tips for finding good winter shoes for their DCs.

Brantano say: “As we approach autumn and winter, our stores will stock a range of shoes and boots suitable for little feet in the cold and wet weather. As with shoes, our expert fitters will measure and fit boots making sure they are a comfortable fit for your child. Brantano stores are also conveniently located in retail parks, with most open until 8pm so you don’t have to go too far with your little ones."

So how do you try to find good winter shoes for your DCs? Is there anything in particular you look for in winter school shoes? Do you have any tips or tricks for making the winter shoe shopping experience run a little smoother?

Whatever your experiences are, Brantano would love to hear about it!

Everyone who posts their comment on this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one Mumsnetter will win a £200 Brantano voucher.

Please note: your comments may be used anonymously elsewhere on Mumsnet and by Brantano on their website, marketing materials and possible elsewhere, so please only comment if you are happy with this.

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

I look for a strong sturdy pair that will last them through the winter - but I also get a good pair of wellies for them to walk to and from school in!

Always bring a pair of socks! I always buy 3 winter shoes, wellies, sturdy warm leather boots and some party shoes. Luckily dd loves shoe shopping, if we go after nursery I always pack her a little snack to eat en route, just to make sure she doesn't get hungry or stroppy :)

Look for the shoes first. Prepare them by telling them they are the " in" shoes and then take them to the shoe shop for fitting

Winter shoes for my children must be hard-wearing but comfortable. Considering they have to wear them for at least 7+ hours a day, comfort is really important. A good, solid sole and heel should ensure that they last (flimsy, thin soled shoes may look smart but are rarely practical). Buying for my youngest daughter is difficult because she is autistic and has sensory issues so boots have to be furry lined.

My top tip is look for comfortable, practical shoes that will be fit for their purpose, they may cost a little more but it will be worth it.

Several pairs can be needed. DS needed sturdy school shoes, trainers for school and home and wellies.

DD needed boots, trainers and probably could do with some shoes too. Finding affordable leather shoes for children can be a bit of a nightmare especially when so many pairs are needed.

If doing other shopping as well as shoe shopping try to get the shoe shopping out the way first before your DC get tired/hungry/fed up or all three

First make sure you get your childs feet measured, having a good fit is very important and it is surprising how quickly kids feet grow. Next buy a good quality leather shoe, they may be more expensive but will last much longer than cheap pairs which are a false economy. And lastly make sure your child changes into play shoes for any rough and tumble outdoors.

I home educate my four kiddies, and this involves a lot of walks around the hills, woods and canals, this means loadsa mud n muck so we live in our wellies! I have bought faux fur insoles too for extra warmth! For anything else, we have trainers, these work for going out, parties, shopping...since we don't have school, we save a fortune not having to shell out for black shoes for school too! :-)

Do not buy too cheap i no it sounds silly and they go through shoes/boots quickly but if you get a good pair at a good price they will last much longer look for something they will be comfy in but of good quality

Good quality, normally more pricy but worth it.
Boots go with most outfits and you can easily get away with getting them slightly bigger than their show size as they will not fall off.
Also if looking in shops that have online stores , look out for codes and discounts to use either online or in store. Always nice to feel like you have got a bargain.

Reading reviews first

I take my children to the Clarks at the Local outlet mall where the shoes are £10 cheaper than usual. I also make sure they have a pair of wellies that they enjoy wearing, which helps their shoes to last for longer!

Look for good quality shoes that are on special offer or use discount codes that can usually be found with a quick internet search. Don't buy cheap, inferior quality shoes as you will probably regret is fairly quickly.

Buying cheap shoes, especially winter ones, is often false economy, they often can't withstand the weather and result in freezing little feet, rather spend the little extra and get something decent.

plan ahead - buy in advance. buy multiples so you have spares.

have a few pairs wellies as ultimate backup, snowboots and sturdy trainers.

Get boots that are waterproof or have a thick rubber front....nothing worse than wet socks and wrinkly toes!

Lots of people may not agree we me but I find a lot of winter shoes on the car boot sale. Their feet are growing so fast if I buy new I have to get a little bigger so they don't grow out of them in a few months. Kids feet grow so fast that the boots and school shoes on the car boot sale look like new and are a lot more affordable so I can buy them a lot more often so they are a comfortable fit. Xx

I always go for Clarks or Startrite for their main school shoesbecause the shoes are good quality and very hard wearing. We always get them in the sales or from Clarks outlet shops. The girls also love a pair of calf length leather boots to keep their legs warm and dry and the boys love a pair of ankle high boots. The leather is usually pretty good, but it's best to have a spare pair just in case they get soaked and don't dry out in time for the next day. Welly boots are very good for very wet days and snow. The main thing is to avoid canvas shoes and trainers over the winter months because even if it looks dry when you go out, the weather can turn wet very quickly leaving your kids with wet feet!

Always go for real leather - they last a lot longer and don't rub their feet as much!

It's easier to have several pairs. We live in the countryside so take them to get measured up for walking boots, you can get trendy looking kids' ones that don't look too "hippie". They are water, snow and mud-proof, as they come up to the ankles. If DS and DD like them too, they'll wear them often which is great! They have school shoes, but can choose their own so that's lucky, they have trainers too, for being fashionable, and DD has ballet shoes for when she wants to be a girl. DS and DD are quite reasonable about wanting things in general, and if they want another pair of shoes that aren't needed, they will help out with chores in the house and earn a bit of extra pocket money to buy them! :)

Look for tough shoes that are warm and weatherproof

Shoes are so expensive that you need to make sure that you choose a pair that are going to last and do the job of lasting through the winter. What I do is ask around my friends for advice. It makes sense to see what works for them (and what doesn't).

Don't buy winter shoes in the sales hoping your child will grow into them the next winter. They might have a growth spurt and they will have grown out of them by the time summer is over.

I'd always go with some kind of fleecy lining xxx nothing worse than cold feet x and have a good look at the depth of the tread on the soles :)