Ask Brantano Training and Development Officer Louise Williams your questions about shoe fitting and you could win a £100 Brantano voucher ANSWERS NOW BACK

[AngelieMumsnet]

Ahead of the upcoming new school term, Brantano is launching its Walk to School campaign and is encouraging children and parents to pledge to walk to school more often. The campaign is designed to raise awareness of road safety, health and the importance of correctly fitting shoes.

As part of their Walk to School campaign, you can submit questions to Brantano expert Louise Williams, Training and Development Officer. She will answer your questions about the importance of getting your kids feet measured, the dangers of not having correctly fitting shoes and what sets Brantano apart from the rest.

Post your questions to Louise on this thread before 17th August and we will send 20 questions over for her to respond to. We will then post a link to her responses on the thread on 7th September.

Everyone who adds a question (regardless of whether it's answered or not) will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £100 Brantano voucher.

This Q&A is sponsored by Brantano.

NB: ANSWERS BACK here

Thanks
MNHQ

[dairyfarmerswife]

Thank you!

[InAndOfMyself]

The answers are here: www.mumsnet.com/microsites/brantano-qa

[dairyfarmerswife]

Have I missed the answers to this thread somewhere ?

[sharond101]

How early should you put shoes on a baby?

[MermaidinJeans]

Other than breathability, are leather shoes better shoes?

[MermaidinJeans]

What are your thoughts on the benefits of bare foot shoes such as livie and Luca etc?

[lexy444]

Why should we shop with Brantano?

[SaltySeaBird]

I'd also like to know about second hand shoes.

My DD has several pairs that were all measured to her feet, quite expensive and then got relatively little use. I have saved them to use for DC2 (all being well, currently pregnant) but I was told you shouldn't pass shoes down until they are much older which seems very wasteful.

Also, how often should I be getting my daughters feet measured?

[woodchuck]

My dd has one foot bigger than the other. Is it harmful to wear an insole in one shoe?

[StickChildNumberTwo]

How can I tell whether the person fitting my daughter's shoes is doing a good job? Some seem to be more thorough than others, and I'm pretty clueless.

[SuzCG]

I know when little ones are little you should get feet measured about every 6/8 weeks but mine are now 6 & 9 years. Is this still necessary? How often should their feet be checked? Is termly enough or should they be done at half term too. My kids seem to grow all at once!

[Anononooo]

My children both have extremely wide feet, which I only found out about because I took them finally for a proper fitting. It explained a lot about why they always wanted shoes so much bigger than their feet. My question is....do wide feet stay wide for ever and if so, do adult shoes ever come with width fittings?

[MangoDaiquiri]

In terms of well fitting shoes for sport, are laces better for trainers/plimsolls than Velcro (or the plimsolls that you pull on)?

[rupert23]

i have difficulty getting ds 8 feet measured as he is very particular about clothing especially shoes and does not like his feet being looked at. do you provide special quiet areas in any stores that i would be able to take him to to get measured. i usually just do my own test as it is easier but would prefer for him to be measured correctly.

[DoItTooJulia]

My DS walks with his toes pointing inwards. He's 10 and quite tall for his age. It's been pointed out to me when I've had shoes fitted ( I did already know, but was thinking he'd grow out if it) and on the back of that took him to the GP.

He said he'll grow out of it.

He hasn't. I know I need to go back to the GP, but is there any particular style of shoe I should be looking for in the mean time? He's an adult size 8 now. Would a trip to Brantano be worth it for us?

Thank you Louise.

[ChazzerD]

Does my 6 year old DS ideally need two pairs of shoes for school so he doesn't have pongy shoes by the end of the week? Thank you.

[Belmo]

I'm really struggling to find plimsoles for nursery that will fit my daughters very high instep. Whyyyy is it so hard?!! And is it okay for them to wear them all day? (Assuming I ever find any!)

[boptanana]

Why do shoes of all brands not manage to withstand my daughter's wearing of them without falling apart after 6 weeks ?

[Byrdie]

Interested to know the current views on supportive shoes for kids versus shoes that at super flexible with little support. I tend to buy shoes that are very soft and flexible and if i can't bend the sole easily i won't even let then try them on. Whats the expert view??

[Pointlessfan]

Are the sizes the same in different brands? If DD is measured as e.g. a 4f in Clarks but I then see a 4f in the sale in another shop, would they be the same?

[GoooRooo]

Should you go up a size in children's wellies? I suspect not, but we struggle to get them on if they're the 'correct' size.

[chairmeoh]

I religiously get fitted school shoes, and regularly get them checked to see they still fit. DD has expensive and fitted trainers.
But during the summer, she loves to wear crocs, flip flops or bare feet 24/7. Is this bad for her feet, or is it healthy to let them be unrestricted by fitted shoes?

[Pico2]

Should we expect to buy shoes in every half size or just every size for children?

[SunnySomer]

Where can I find school shoes with sturdy soles? We do walk to school (about 30 mins each way, brisk walking) and find that the soles of school shoes wear away within three months - as though they're designed for children who only need them to play in the playground. We have tried all sorts of brands and styles over the last four years to no avail...