How important are Kids shoes?

[MrsLilley]

I have 2 boys, my 3yo seems to need new shoes all the time and often finds ones I buy from sainsburies etc not soft enough and he can be really fussy. he likes them when I try them on him but then they hurt after a day. He insists on wearing old shoes that he loves which are now too small.
Is it really important to buy "good" shoes? it just seems expensive to keep buying lots of shoes from clarkes, but I don't want to damage his feet so I want to know how important it is to get good shoes, how much I should be spending and where I have to go ? is there a good place online? do I need to measure his feet all the time, I worry they are sore. Any advice on this would be great. also how many people reuse them for their next child or is that bad, my mum says I should just get new ones?

Children's get do go through growth spurts. I imagine it's not good to let them stay in shoes that are to. Softer styles mite be a better option I had DS in www.kidzshooz.co.uk at that age. Softer then Clarks and more room in the toes as well.

Although DD fits in supermarket shoes I find you have to be really fussy as a lot ood them are stiff and uncomfortable. I find that as an adult to and although it's expensive shoes is the one thing I will spend more money on.

You can economize on clothes but not shoes in my opinion. You need healthy feet all your life, shoes that fit. Specialist kids shoe shops are great but expensive about £50 a pair often but they fit them well and have a variety of makes. Clarks and Startrite are good too, about £30-£35 a pair. Clarks outlets offer the same fitting but the selection is reduced but good on a budget.

I buy mine one pair of trainers and one pair of sandals, usually a good brand like Geox or something. If grandparents offer to buy it's a plus.

Also when at school spend more most on school shoes as they get worn most.

By squashing his feet into old shoes he is damaging soft bones which means they do not form correctly and he will have trouble with his feet when older.

Good fitting shoes with plenty of room for growth are important - I would get feet measured and look at startrite or hushpuppies as a slightly cheaper option than clarks or buy in the sales when good discounts can be had. If you are near any there are also outlet places although be warned they are not always a massive discount

My little one is only 19 months old (and has only been walking for a month!) but I have had Clarks, which I may get again as he gets older. At the moment he mainly has the first walker ones from Asda as he seems to like them and find them comfy. I get the ones that look like Clark's doodles but they're £5. Wide enough for him and comfy, and perfect for nursery as doesn't matter if he trashes them

Have a look at barefoot shoes-there’s a lot of research supporting them and they are inherently softer and more flexible. Try www.happylittlesoles.co.uk. At this time of year let him be actually barefoot whenever possible!

I would never buy cheap or supermarket shoes or from the Internet for my DC

Why would you risk damage to your DC feet?

You need to stop him putting old shoes on IMHO

Save money elsewhere like cheaper broadband, mobile phone package, cancel sky/virgin/tv package etc

You can buy a foot size measuring tool to do at home from clarks and start rite.

As you've mentioned cheaper shoes are a false economy if they hurt/ rub etc and don't get worn or need replacing.

Better to have 1 good pair they wear all the time ( school/ preschool shoes etc) than lots of cheaper ones.

i recall someone telling g me they were given a free pair by Clarks when their child outgrew a recently purchased new pair in a very short space of time ( month or two) because they are supposed to measure and fit them with room to grow a size and clearly hadn't.

Yes and in answer to your last question please do not use the same shoes for your 2nd son

Yes hand me down clothes but not shoes please don't damage your little boys feet to save money.

Also, agree with other posters when they are in the house have them in bare feet all the time

Why on earth wouldn't you hand me down shoes if they're still in good condition? I buy my kids second-hand Clarks shoes off eBay because we are on a tiny budget and they seem to be absolutely fine. Sod paying £40 for a pair of shoes that they will outgrow in a few months.

Thanks everyone - I appreciate the help, I am not trying to hurt my kids feet, I just struggle finding the best shoes AND then getting him to actually wear them. He insists on wearing his minions slippers to nursery one day so I appreciate the help on this as I think if the shoes feel good then he'll be much happier to wear them.

is there a way to recycle shoes or give to charity that does that? - it seems sad to throw them all away.

My nursery are always grateful for spare pairs as they keep a stash in case kids forget them.

I was heavily involved in physiotherapy with DS growing up and getting the right shoes was absolutely essential. We had these leaflet here for guidance. One of the first things it says is that you shouldn't assume a pair if shoes is better just because it's expensive. Even if I got the kids measured, I found i was better at fitting the shoes than most of the "professional fitters".

Over the years I've found shoes that pas physio agreement in supermarkets no problem, including school shoes. Although I found proper kickers hi tops best for school shoes; generally cheaper than Clark's, last longer than most of the supermarkets and are incredibly supportive. Trainers and boots have been absolutely fine from the supermarket. Casual hi top trainers H&m are brilliant for. Ive also picked up a few decent pairs of shoes from charity shops and boot fairs, just check for wear. When they were young more shoes were second hand because most were barely worn.

DD is hard because like your DS she doesn't actually like her shoes when they are the right size and they only feel right when they are too big. She doesn't neccessarily measure a wide fit, but wide fit shoes do tend to fit better. Try kickers hi tops (not the rubbish kickers from sport direct proper kickers kickers) or trainers high tops. If they hold well around the ankle you can get away with a bit more around the foot

My mum was always short of money whilst I was growing up, so I barely got new shoes. From a young age I got bunions, which were so bad that by the time I was 24 I had to have corrective surgery on both bunions.

My young niece who always had very expensive fitted shoes growing up has bunions. In her case it was because her walking was poor and she actually needed physio to correct that.

Yes bad shoes can be bad. But bad shoes can be cheap or expensive, second hand or new, so can good shoes. Shoes work in conjunction with how you walk. Both need to work together for you.

One of the most important checks you can do is watch your child from behind walking, both with and without shoes, ideally when the kid doesn't know your doing it. This obviously isn't possible in a shoe shop so I used to get the kids to do a few laps so they relax into it, nowadays more often than not I order shoes to home so we can do it at home. Both in and out of the shoes the heel should be level, with the ankle, knee hip all stacked. You shouldn't see the foot rolling or turning in or out. On old shoes you should have equal wear on both heels, if they don't it's worth getting the walking checked out. Best private physio because state do nothing these days. After a while you get a sense of what looks right. Try tightening the shoes all the way down not just the top cross over if they are laces before giving up on a pair.