shoes

[buzzing bee]

Hi All

Just wanted to ask some advice on first shoes. My bub is crawling and standing and I am sure soon to be walking. I would like some shoes for her to wear at the park on grass, bark etc.

Could anyone recommend a good pair of first shoes?

Thanks:)

[CJJHRA]

I got the first walker range from K-mart, they are nice and soft and light. The soles arent hard like normal shoes though, so you would have to be careful with twigs, but my DD was fine at the park etc with them.

[OceBel]

the best shoes for babies who are learning to stand and/or walk are shoes that are closed in, with good soles and hard, this helps with the walking and standing process. those soft shoes are no good at all, they are no good for a baby whos learning at all

[InSaneOne]

the best shoes for babies who are learning to stand and/or walk are shoes that are closed in, with good soles and hard, this helps with the walking and standing process. those soft shoes are no good at all, they are no good for a baby whos learning at all

if a child is walking 90% of the time these shoes would be good. but if a child is just starting to walk and still crawls a fair bit then soft soled shoes that don't so above the ankle are what they should wear. if you put a child who is still crawling in hard soled shoes and the shoes go above the ankle you can damage their feet. i believe a child should go without shoes as much as possible (especially at home) becuase if the shoes aren't fitted correctly it can damage their growth and shape of the foot.

[CJJHRA]

I thought that for the first few months while toddlers are still learning to walk and balance and still developing, soft soled shoes are best as it doesnt restrict movement as much as the hard soled ones do. Once they have been walking for a good 4-6 months, then progress to the harder soled ones.

[FiveInTheBed]

the "Robeez" range or something similar with a leather sole and elastic ankle is what I would reccomend. I used to fit childrens shoes and mucking around with laces velcro or buckles at that age is too fiddly not to mention not supportive of a growing foot which is still mainly cartlidge til around 18months. If you can find something that looks like a leather "sock" then stick with that til your little one has walking under control, the senses in the bottom of the foot need to feel what they are doing to maintain balance, grip etc otherwise you notice they develop a bit of a 'plodding'type of walk.
Make sure their little toes have enough room to wriggle, but not too much that the shoe will make them trip.

I love putting shoes and socks an my little man, he gets excited and points his toes up!!! (a hint its easier to get shoes on with them sitting on your lap facing away from you)

[kymmy]

Robeez are ok
TipToeyJoey are the best
My baby has heaps of them and they are stylish and very practical
they have non slip rubber on the bottom
and are made of leather

When buying shoes go for leather or canvas because they allow air
and breathe
also try bending the shoe in half
it should be flexible

It is very important to buy good quality shoes for your child
You might want to go to a shoe fitter
They have a wealth of information

I used to buy lots of plastic shoes just from dept stores
but now i prefer to buy my kids one or two good quality pairs

[LucyE]

I also have to disagree with OceBel and say that soft sole shoes are the most appropriate for children just learning to walk. They need to be walking properly on their own for approx 9 weeks before moving them to firmer soled shoes. Even then I would be looking for soft, flexible soles.

I'm a big fan of Robeez (www.robeeze.com.au) because they are very well made. They are all leather which allows the foot to breathe, the soles are non slip sueded, and the ankles are gently elasticised which keeps the shoe on comfortably. Basically, they are just a leather sock which gives enough protection to delicate feet but are also completely flexible. I have tried the BabyPaws brand (Australian) but it is not up to the same standard as Robeez (Canadian). The other great thing about the Robeez is that they are machine washable and come up just like brand new if you follow the simple instructions.

[Nemmy]

Hi ... I originally bought some cheaper soft soled shoes from Kmart and Target for my little girl, but they didn't have water proof soles. Plus I was finding she was constantly able to undo the velcro strips and pull them off. So last week I spent a little bit more and bought a pair of Clarks pre-walkers. They were a little more expensive (about $40) but they are leather upper and have a soft rubber sole as well as plastic buckles which she can't undo. I'm hoping they'll see her through until she needs her first pair of shoes when she starts walking.

[OceBel]

thats fine ppl will disagree, we have different parenting ways, i just feel soft shoes have no stability to them at all. and i mean shoes that are under the ankle not above the ankle. but we all have our own ways, but thats fine. :D

[kymmy]

shoes need to be flexible
unless you like to wear hard shoes
If you like to wear them
then your child might

[buzzing bee]

Thanks for all the replies

I was going for a soft pair and had seen a couple on ebay, one pair I think is made by a mum and seem similar to baby paws and robeez.

The only problem with buying over the net is you don't get to touch and feel them, I think I will go with some soft ones to begin with and then buy more as she gets older.

DD is almost walking, she stands and climbs all the time and I have her in grip socks inside so the shoes would only be used occasionally at the park.

[jessgray]

i have all soft soled shoes for my DS they have grip bits on the bottom so i guess they help him ballance and walk better. he isnt ready to move up to the harder soled shoes yet they are too heavy for him :laughing:

[k15s]

When my first was learning to walk he spent a lot of time crawling so ended up ruining two pairs on the toes by burning them through on concrete, gravel, etc. Ended up buying the Clarks First Walkers for about $40. Wasn't too happy with having to spend that much but thought I'd give them a try. Best thing I did! I still have them and since they have a rubber sole which comes up over the toes, they didn't wear through. In fact, My second is starting to wear them now and they still look brand new. Forget the cheap ones from Big W and KMart with the fabric toes - you'll end up just replacing them as they get holes in the toes.

[buzzing bee]

Hi All

Just wondering where is the best place to buy shoes now that I have some idea on what to get.
Baby shop
shoe shop
Kmart/ target

Thanks

[O&GMUM]

Have you looked in Payless Shoes? I just bought some cute soft soled shoes in there for my two and they where $9.95 and if you buy two pairs the seond is half price!!

[buzzing bee]

Thats a bargain, I will look there