Breaking in Dr Marten boots for little feet!

[GraduallyGoingInsane]

DD has been begging for a pair of DMs for ages. I am a very mean mummy and think they are vile so have said no.

She has had a tough few weeks, she fell hard at a gymnastics competition, spraining her ankle. Some of her team mates have been very catty about it, and she is really struggling with being still and inactive.

I thought the DMs would be a good confidence boost, and would support her healing ankle better than uggs/vans that she lives in out of school at the moment.

We got these:
uk.drmartens.com/uk/Kids/Kids-Juniors/Dr-Martens-Delaney-Kids-Boot/p/15382670

She loves them, and wore them for the first time on Sunday. We didn't walk far, went for Sunday lunch so were sitting down for the most part. She had thick socks on. Nevertheless, her heel and ankle area is rubbed raw. In particular it has rubbed on her Achilles area which is very prominent, and on her left ankle bone (ironically that is the none sprained one). She has twiget legs and very bony ankles.

Are these boots destined to fail? Do they suit a certain foot only? Or is there a trick to breaking them in?

Help my little one please good people of mumsnet! My cheering up plan has gone massively off course!

The trick with the adult ones is to gradually build up the time you wear them for. I wore mine around the house, to nip to the corner shop and take the dog for a quick walk for the first few weeks then started to wear them for days out but always taking another pair of shoes incase they got sore. Blister plasters are your friend as well, I put them on preemptively where I thought the boots would run. I've also heard wearing pop socks under your thick socks helps.

I'm guessing the same tactics work for the children's boots :)

Thick socks in layers are not the way forward, layers of thin socks on top of blister plasters over the areas you can see rubwork for me. As Duke said, short wears at first, with the layers inside, then gradually build up to longer wears. They will give, it just takes a bit of time and once they do, they will be the most comfortable pair of boots going. Also once, the initial raw area has healed, use micropore tape over the bits that rubbed under socks to give some extra protection

My friend advised me to wear them with wet socks for a while around the house. Apparently the combo of hot feet and damp socks softens the leather?

Maybe not something you would really want a child to do but it might help?

You need to dampen the insides then rub some soap onto the insides

Then sit there massaging the boot and flexing it, pushing on leather round the heel and up the sides of the ankle while its still damp

I sit doing it watching tv in the evening, do it for a couple of evenings for as long as you can be bothered -it makes a big difference

And thin socks with a thick pair over the top work best

Right its baby oil smear it inside the boots where it hurts you girl and it will soften the leather right up no breaking in. I think water is bad for leather shoes. Maybe let her feet heal up first

Also keep rubbing the area at the back where the leather needs to soften with vaseline ie the ankle area of the boot, Worth persevering as once worn in and moulded she will live in them

Some of the double layer running socks will help as well as they rub on themselves, not your skin. Mine are More Miles.

And blister plasters on the sore spots

Whenever I buy new leather shows I always put loads of talc inside my socks, also put some in the shoes themselves, it reduces the friction which causes the rubbing and blisters.
You can thank me after the first attempt!

I used to wear them as a teen when they were in the first time! Get some neetsfoot oil.. It is used on horse saddles etc to soften the leather. Get a big hammer and willow the life out of the heel and the sides if the boot give several coatings of the neetsfoot oil over a few days. Then wear lots of socks, go no where without plasters. Wear them in the rain. Anything to soften the leather. If this fails try the hammer again. Honestly, the leather is softened and they have moulded to your feet they are very comfy. I must have had about 7 or eight pairs my time and have still got two parties lurking in the back of my wardrobe!

I am a doc marten addict, you need to rub vaseline, or baby oil as a pp said, on the inside of the heel, dubbin on the outside and massage the leather. I do it while watching the telly Then gradually build up the time worn, while wearing plasters on the heel. It takes time to break them in, but it it really worth it.

Whallop not willow!

I recently bought a pair for my son to wear for school, black Chelsea boot style. He struggled with blisters after the first outing.
He has worn them for short periods and allowed his feet to toughen up.

Persist with them, as they will be the most comfortable shoes ever!

Oh god, I'm not sure I want her to wear them
24/7, I've only just prised the ugg boots off her feet and DMs are even uglier!

Thank you for the tips, we will try again this weekend with layers of thin socks and talc. In the meantime I will Vaseline them and squish the heels. I'm not sure the patent will survive a hammering!

Franchini, where do you get the horse saddle stuff? Is it better than Vaseline?

Thanks all!

I had the problem of them digging in my achilles. I rubbed that part of the boot with shoe wax, steamed the hell out of them over the kettle them put them on and bent my leg back to stretch the affected part. Worked a treat. The leather was fine, probably because of the copious amount of moisturiser I applied first.

If its any consultation, once the are broken in they are the most comfortable shoes you could ever wear.

Neetsfoot oil. Get it from horse type shop or you can probably get it on line somewhere!

I have patent ones, they are particularly tough to break in, but once you have... oh my word they are heaven for your feet.

I ruined my feet forever in dms, back when I was 16 (30 yrs ago, ahem) i had a pair in my goth days. I remember nearly crying with the pain standing at a gig, i have bunions to prove it . I do however think I was in a size too small?

My dd age 3.5 spotted some bright pink patent doc martens when we went for her feet measuring.
The shop lady warned me they weren't the most comfortable as they are quite heavy and restrictive for little feet. But I gave in and bought them for dd, she wore them happily a few times but then refused point blank to wear them as they weren't comfy
They were worn less than ten times and ended up on eBay.

wow and they say women and their high heels are crazy . I wouldnt put myself through it for a pair of clumpy boots

DMs wear you in, not the other way round! I had some pink ones and managed to get a decent amount on ebay for them as they were hardly worn. ouch ouch ouch. they must get better eventually though!