My niece is 15months. She will not wear shoes. She screams when we put them on her. Any ideas?

Question

We bought her many different kinds. I think we have bought her all kinds of shoes made lol. Summer is here and she walks in the grass barefoot. I dont want her to get hurt. Anyone else have this problem?

thanks for all of your answers...however....we have let her pick out her shoes,praised her for wearing them,showed her we wear them, we let her walk in grass and then she walked on stone garden and it did not even bother her,,,as far as telling her she cant go outside unless she wears shoes,she is still too young to understand what we are telling her,,,,all she knows is bye bye baba mama dada kitty doggy lol...very limited...we have talked about putting them on her in her sleep as a joke...but as soon as she sees them on or even comming to her she runs away screams cries and takes them off,,,,oh and we even tried the cowboy boots!,,,,,any more help???? lol

Answer 1

In the grass she could get hurt, but it is unlikely. If you're talking about a family member's back yard, just do the best job you can cleaning up, then let her run around. Shoes are really only *needed* when she walks on hard and/or hot outdoor surfaces.

In the meantime, try to find shoes she will wear. Maybe she needs a special size, or maybe there's something out-of-the-ordinary about her feet. You could take her to a podiatrist to see if she may be in pain from something...

Answer 2

Indulging her whim and acting like it doesn't matter can help. Just give up the struggle for a while, if possible: It may make it seem like a non-issue to her and it will get boring and she may forget about her shoe issues (provided you have made sure the shoes fit well, are comfortable etc.) In other words, if a toddler sees adults are getting upset about something (and paying lots of attention over it), the toddler likes to keep doing it.

If you are not in an area presenting dangers - e.g. if you are in the grass at a nice park or the sidewalk in front of your house, or pushing her in the stroller - let her go without shoes. In the future, when you try putting shoes on again, she may have totally forgotten she cared about it. Raising a toddler is all about picking your battles. Is it SO important to wear shoes (espec. in the summer)? Not really.

But if she has to walk and shoes are a must for safety, try being tough and enforcing consequences. My toddler wants to walk, not sit in the stroller or be carried: But I tell her if she doesn't wear shoes, she simply is not allowed to walk (or she cannot hold Elmo, or go to the park, etc.), and I follow through, even if it is inconvenient. Miraculously, this works really well with many issues we have had.

Also, try to point out positives about shoes: Say that big girls wear shoes because then their feet feel good and they don't get boo-boos if they step on rocks. Point out how they match her clothes, or that they're pretty, and if you wear shoes you get to go to more fun places.
Good luck!

Answer 3

Take her shopping and let her pick what she want to wear. Let her try them on in a store like Target or Walmart where they are all on display and she can see lots of things at once. Get her something like sandals with velcro fasteners that she can put on herself. Or cowboy boots that she can pull on. My son loved the fabric topped flip flops from the time he was really little. Or try the water shoes. Make a big deal out of her shopping for shoes... This is from a woman who leaves her shoes by the door when she walks in and puts them on on her way out!! lol

Answer 4

Well, i dont have the problem because iam still pretty young! :) but i think the reason why is becasue she is so used to having bare feet. Maybe you should let her walk around bare feet and see what it is like to walk barefoot on things that hurt. Don't put her on hard cement just to teach her a lesson but probably just let her roam around and she'll eventually get tired of walking like that and think about shoes. Also, if this isn't enough. TALK to a doctor.

Answer 5

I don't know if this will help, since it's harder to reason with a 15 month old, but my 3 year old HATES shoes, I bought her a bunch of old navy flip flops that she can easily slip on and off, then told her that if she doesn't wear them in stores, outside, and public places, she could step on broken glass and get hurt. She kicks them off in the car and is aloud to be barefoot anywhere else she wants. It works for us. Good Luck!!

Answer 6

all of my kids hated shoes until they were atleast 2 years old they are just used to being in the house barefoot I don't have a problem with that but they know they are not going anywhere without their shoes...They all still keep a pair of shoes in the car to put on when we get somewhere

Answer 7

a common problem....we just our boy that if he doesn't put on his shoes he has to stay inside.....but i see no problem with going barefoot in the grass unless she is allergic to bee stings. tell her she can take them off when she gets to the lawn and when you walk on the sidewalk she will feel how hot it is and realize that she needs shoes quickly...but don't let her stand on the pavement or cement, it could burn her little tootsies!!!!!
she'll grow out of it...especially when she sees all the other kids wearing shoes. good luck, we made it through that phase with Winnie the Pooh shoes, he loves them;)

Answer 8

Make sure they are the correct size and let her help pick out the shoes. If she thinks they are pretty she may decide to wear them. Other wise..be the adult and break the habit. She screams cause she thinks she can get out of it.

Answer 9

Give her a pair of shoes and see what she does with them. It may be that she just wants to put them on herself. If that's not the issue, you might show her your shoes. Kids like to imitate adults. Good luck.

Answer 10

Hot glue them to her foot. It'll only hurt for a few minutes, and they arent coming off.

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duct tape

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You could make a big deal about letting her seeing the parents/siblings put THEIR shoes on, and overly praise them when they do it. That way maybe she will want that kind of praise. "YAY!!!! MOMMIE OUT HER SHOES ON! GOOD JOB MOMMIE!" Say something like "See, now you're the only one without your shoes on!" and when she finally does it, give her lots of praise (but not like a puppy, say stuff like, YAY! YOU DID IT!)