Am I old fashioned or just sensible when it comes to kids shoes?

Question

I am going to feel like an old lady here but here goes....

My son got his first shoes just after his first birthday once he had been on his feet for a while. We went to a wee independant kids shoe speciallist and actually got sent away with nothing the first time we went as they said he wasn't walking enough. I was pleased they were looking out for his feet other than just beinginterested in getting sales.

Anyway, he has had a few pairs of shoes now. Everytime we take him he gets properly sized, gets a few pairs to try on and they check his feet several times to make sure they are fitting properly. They cost between £30 and £40 but I don't care, when it comes to his feet it doesn't matter, they need to fit properly.

Am I alone in thinking like this?

Why then do I see legions of kids between 1 and 3 in cheap nasty looking trainers picked up in the local supermaket? No one checks how these things fit, they don't come in different widths and are made of a nasty plastic.

It is a bit steep but they are the only shoes he has! He doesn't need a collection of cheap shoes for different occassions! He gets 1 pair of good shoes and has a pair of wellies for in the garden!

I'm not trying to sound snobbish at all. I buy clothes for him of Ebay, out of Asda, Tesco etc but the one area I won't comprimise is on properly fitting shoes.

Answer 1

I used to work for Clarks for a number of years and they have a fantastic collection of first shoes for less than 40 pounds a pair. They offer the same service as what you have and all staff have to go on a shoe fitting course before they are allowed to even fit children's shoes. I have sent away many families for not needng shoes for their child just yet.

It is mandatory to buy your son good fitting shoes and get them fitted by a specialist. However I don't think you need to buy such expensive shoes because what you get at Clarks is exactly the same and you pay much less for excellent quality service and shoes.

The cheaper shoes from the supermarket etc will not provide the correct support and will most definitely not be as comfortable as the better quality shoes. Parents who get these shoes for their children will see that they will not last very long, their child will complain about how they feel and they could start to see nasty rubbing marks or even bones growing in awkward angles.

A regular shoe check must be carried out every 6-8 weeks at your childs shoe shop. Most likely the childs feet will have grown so be prepared to keep buying new sets after 6-8 weeks.

You are right to take care of your child's feet and supermarkets and cheaper brands should definitely be a no-no. Unfortunatly it comes at a price but it will be worth it when they have beautiful healthy feet at an older age.

If you can find a Clarks near you, have a browse and see what you think- I can guaruntee cheaper shoes and excellent service!

All the best.
xx

Answer 2

i totally agree with you. i always fit my children properly for shoes and try to buy good quality wherever possible. you only get one pair of feet and bad shoes will impact their entire body for the rest of their lives. I never buy shoes unless they are there to try them on and then I get final say as to which ones they get. Usually end up spending around $30-$40 AUS on a pair of shoes unless they are backyard thongs.

I actually saw a mother at the shopping centre a few months ago. the youngest had no shoes, a little girl probably about 4 had horrible sandles on far too small with huge noticeable blisters and the older boys toes were poking through his sneakers. And the best bit was they were all eating mcdonalds and had a trolley full of junk food from the supermarket! You wonder where the mothers priorities are hey??? I would rather buy good food and no takeaway and make sure my kids are at least wearing shoes that fit even if they aren't the most expensive ones. Some many places have end of season sales and mark downs that you don't have to pay a lot of money for a decent pair of shoes.

Answer 3

some people dont have that kind of money to buy shoes so they buy the next best thing they do there best ...
im lucky my nan worked in clarks so i get discount on all my daughters shoes but i stilll buy her ones from asda or shoefare her feet are measured in any shoe shop i go to the width depends on the shoe you choose same with clarks some shoes are not made in a certain width i pick the shoes that fit properly no matter where i shop

also if you were sent away with nothing the first time the shoe shop you went to cant be that great... clarks do crawlers and walkers that help aid a child with there walking and helps there feet

Answer 4

I just got my daughter a new pair of shoes from Clark's yesterday and up until now i always have been to Clark's but they just don't have a wide enough selection.
I don't think there is any need for them being so expensive. If they made them a bit cheaper then maybe the people who buy their children's shoes from the supermarket could afford properly fitting shoes. Why should a child perhaps suffer later on in life because his/her parents were unable to afford Clark's shoes. it's not very fair.
£40 is a lot of money for something that is only going to last a couple of months.
Perhaps you should think about the parents not being able to afford the shoes other than thinking they don't care about the development of their child's feet!

Answer 5

Price doesn't guarantee a good fit...the comfortablest and best shoes I ever wore were a $10 pair of dunlops, and they lasted me a long time too.

I agree kids should wear the best fit possible, that's why my five (well four actually, the fifth isn't old enough for shoes) only have two pairs each, a good sneaker, and a good dress shoe (plus a warm boot for wet days). That way I can afford good shoes for them. Besides they only have shoes on when it's cold or when we are out in public, at home they go barefoot, the best thing for their feet.

Answer 6

i totally agree with you my daughter is five and since she started to walk i have always taken her to a proper shoe shop had her feet sized and a pair of shoes properly fitted. my daughter gets one pair of school shoes when going back to school at start of term and they last her a whole year until the school term ends and yes they do cost £30 to £40 but its worth it as she has them on 8 hours a day and there is nothing worse than walking about in shoes that don't fit properly if you buy cheap shoes i guarantee that you will need to go through about 3-4 pairs a year costing just as much as 1 properly fitted pair.

Answer 7

Hi,

I do agree with you on some level that children should be in properly fitted shoes as they still developing and well fitted shoes are better for their feet.

On the other hand not all families can afford to pay out 30 or 40 pounds so these 'cheap nasty looking' trainers are a Godsend to some.

Each to their own I suppose ... every one has different views on how to bring up their kids. Many women may feel 30 or 40 pounds too much to spend each time you buy shoes as it a waste of money as they grow out of them but having the cheaper trainers means you not wasting too much cash... who knows?!

Oh and by the way I have no kids of my own yet! Missed miscarriage at 18 weeks in 2004 with my son Matthew.

Lx

Answer 8

Yes, I think you're right. When my mum was a kid, she wore shoes that didn't fit her properly and now she's got corns and other foot problems. On the other hand, she used to bring my brother and I to a Clark's shop and we never had any foot problems.

Perhaps though the people whose kids have cheap trainers don't have the money to get better shoes. £40 is a lot of money to pay for shoes that won't last very long.

Answer 9

Nothing wrong with this i have 3 kids and i am the same but i am a single mum so what i do is get the children feet measured first then buy them from brantonos (in the uk) but i save through summer for school shoes tho as that is about £80 for 3 kids and plimsols. but for trainers or sandals or wellies i might buy them from asda/tesco as they are good quality and you use your common sense dont buy cheap crap or things that are not going to support their feet.

Answer 10

Completely 100% agree, yes it is steep but as you say there is no need for him to have several pairs of shoes at his age. No you are not being old fashioned - it is vital to have correctly fitted shoes as the damage can be irrepairable. I know of a boy who had permanently curled in toes and was in pain because of ill fitting shoes.
My children always had proper fitted shoes, measured everytime and fitted properly even if it meant I went without or they had to compromise on something else.
Well done for sticking to your guns you are indeed doing it for the right reasons - as did the shop assistant who sent you away - they will now benefit from your business because you can trust them.