What were your child's first shoes?

[MsMummy]

For when they actually started walking.

My son's been walking for a few weeks, and is getting more confident and wants to walk outside now, so I need to buy him some shoes.

I've looked at Kmart, Target and Myer, and they seem to range between $5 and $80.

Will I ruin his feet, legs, hips etc if I buy the cheapie ones?

He's also got long, wide flipper type feet, which don't seem to fit well into enclosed shoes. He's somewhere between sizes 5 and 6, which I assume is "normal" for his age (15 months), but he's got these wide fronts.

And half the shoes in Target had the Wiggles and other stuff on it, which I'm not keen on as doesn't watch any of those shows. I just want something plain.

Out of desperation I bought a cheapie pair of knock-off target "Crocs" for $15. Are they any good?

I'm in a real tizz over these bloody shoes.:D

I looked at the $80 Clarks one in Myer, but I just couldn't part with that for shoes he won't wear for long.

Anyway, what styles/brands do/did other people buy?

[bambino]

They say to wait until the child has been walking confidently for about 6 weeks before putting shoes on them.

You can also go to the proper kids shoe store (Shoes and Sox??) and get their feet measured and fitted correctly, which I recommend doing.
DS has a wide and fat foot. He's 3 now and in size 7 or 8 - depending on the brand. But when we got him properly fitted, he's actually an 8 and a half.

I think to start you can get those soft soled shoes, then progress into the hard soles like joggers or sandals.

If the shoes are incorrect, you can ruin their stride, posture and the shape of their feet and toes.

I don't think the price is relevant. Just make sure they fit properly.

[Leisa21]

Soft soled are the best. I looked in lots of places and wasn't happy. Pumkin Patch - which I never shop in had the best. They were easy to get on and off, were soft so he wasn't tripping on them and they were a bit cute too. Have a look there :)

[mumma2lilb]

TBH real crocs LOL! I swore I would never but her grandparents bought her some and they are the easiest to get on and off, she walks easily in them and adores them!!!

Too bad they're bright green LOL:laughing:

[kath87]

Hello, I'm not a shoe expert or anything but I think the croc type shoes are a great place to start as there nice and flexable, if your after runners maybe try Payless shoes as they can meassure his foot and should have agood range of widths. Also IMO I would never spend $80 on shoes for a 15month old as they grow out of them so fast and you just don't get the wear out of them. Hope this helps

[Mrs Nietzsche]

This is something I am really fussy about and got DS properly fitted at Clarks ($80 shoes). He doesn't wear them often, I try to have him bare foot as much as possibile. He's just grown out of his first pair and I think they should sell well on ebay as they look totally unworn.


eta - bambino DS is 17 mths and in a 7.5! Oh dear...

[MsMummy]

Leisa - thanks for that. I'll look in PP next week. I was at the shops today but didn't think to check there for shoes. Somebody gave me some soft soled shoes but I had to return them as they were size 4 (his foot didn't fit in) and they didn't have any similiar bigger ones.

Nor could I find bigger soft soled ones at the other stores I went to.

Bambino - the shoes will only be when absolutely necessary. We won't use them at home or send them to daycare or anything. It's more for the shops or on hot concrete or ground.

I'll try and find a decent shoe store that can measure him. I have feet/back issues, and I want to make sure he has the best start. I'll pay however much is necessary, but I'm not keen to pay if not necessary.

Bloody children. I think the honeymoon of him being a cheap baby is over.:D

[MsMummy]

Thanks for your replies.

I was just really lost on the issue.

How much are real crocs? I walk past a crocs shop on my way to work every day, but have never gone inside.

I asked my partner today if I can buy some crocs and wear them with dresses. He shook his head sternly, and said he would take it as a sign that I have given up all hope of living in society.:laughing: Bit dramatic, I thought.:D

[florence]

I bought DD a palin white pair of 'crayons' sandals.
I paid $45.00 for her shoes at Mathers and had her properly fitted at 10 months.
It's not recommended that you buy soft soled shoes for when children start walking as they need proper inner support to prevent an knee/leg/back issues arising.
I couldn't comment about crocs as I am not sure on wether or not they are fully supportive of growing feet.

[mum_I'm_hungry]

If you go down to the Jindalee DFO, there is a great shoe warehouse place in there where you can get Clark's and similar leather shoes for a lot less. I really wouldn't get anything like Crocs, they're just not supportive enough. My kids tend to trip over in their Crocs and we just use them for the beach/pool etc. If you check out Betts Kids at Indooroopilly, they're probably having a sale now as well, but I do buy a lot of shoes at the Jindalee DFO.

[AshleeClaire07]

Thanks for your replies.

I was just really lost on the issue.

How much are real crocs? I walk past a crocs shop on my way to work every day, but have never gone inside.

I asked my partner today if I can buy some crocs and wear them with dresses. He shook his head sternly, and said he would take it as a sign that I have given up all hope of living in society.:laughing: Bit dramatic, I thought.:D

Real crocs are $40 - I bought for DD at DJs..

She loved them and found they were practical for summer as they were nice and cool but enclosed so that they can run around without too much risk of falling over.. (vs thongs or K-mart type shoes)

[naebie]

DD gets around in a pair of $8 sandshoes from Big W. The sole is not too soft, but not too hard either.

[sockstealingpoltergeist]

I got haydens on sale at Clarks.

I bought the soft soled pre walker ones, and was tut tutted by the woman there, because she said the soles would wear out.:rolleyes: I think they were little Osh Kosh or something, I can't quite recall.

I found them to be great and lasted him quite a while, they were nice and soft and flexible on the feet.

[Leisa21]

I bought the soft soled pre walker ones, and was tut tutted by the woman there, because she said the soles would wear out.:rolleyes:
I say up yours woman :laughing:. Seriously who's kid actually wears out shoes at that age?? Aidan grew out of them before they had a chance to wear out.

I should add it depends on the child, DS was so clumsy and it wasn't until he'd been walking for about 4-6 months that I started on hard soled shoes. My friend had her boy in hard sandels before he even walked - not sure why but anyway I never saw him in soft shoes and he did okay.

[MsMummy]

Now I'm completely confused.:D

Maybe I'll get a pair of Clarks, a pair of Crocs and a pair of soft-soled shoes and let him choose which one he likes.

I suspect he'll throw all three off our deck.:laughing:

Mum_I'm_Hungry: I'll check out Jindalee for Clarks on sale. I didn't even think of that.

I'd prefer him just to go shoe-less but there are some places that just aren't suitable.

And we're going to NZ next month, so we'll need something warm for that.

[BabyPaparazzi]

I was told not to put shoes on them while they are establishing walking, once well and truly off they recommend the hard soles (some are labelled walkers) for the support. The soft soles are pre-walkers, and can get slippery, no support etc.

The problem I had with DD was that she was a little size 3 foot and walking, so I had to hunt the stores high and low for a small fitting size 3, ended up finding a couple in Williams shoes, they are Crayola brand. She has had a few crayola brand since and I have found them great. I dont like spending more than $20/25 cause they dont last that long at all.

[SassyMummy]

She had soft leather shoes with soles with very very soft rubber on the bottom (not covering the ENTIRE bottom of the shoe either).

They were about $60 on sale at Betts Kids. I got her 2nd pair from there too - same brand.

After that, I put her into "real" shoes... with proper soles and whatnot, but always leather.

They say barefoot is best, so I did that when we weren't out and about.

[~BEXTER~]

after the soft soled ones Keiara got nike's.

Nike are the only runners I wear because they are comfy so her uncle brought her her first pair then I kept buying them.

Now i buy cheap ones as she thrashes her shoes in a day.

[chrysalis]

I talked to a physiotherapist about shoes for my kids (18mths old) a couple of months ago.

She said they should always wear shoes once they are walking as they need the support on their insteps/ankles. The weight can cause their ankles to collapse in if they aren't wearing shoes. The shoes need to be quite hard around the heel and instep. She stressed that they need to be extra firm here. When you pinch the heel, it shouldn't have any flexibility.

Unfortunately, most shoes like that are expensive - like you said, up to $80. I got the same as florence did, the crayon brand from mathers and paid about $30 on sale. You won't find any shoes like this in target, big w etc. I looked everywhere.

The physio specifically said to avoid crocs. She said they may be ok in some contexts, e.g. walking from the car to a river or beach. But not for everyday wear.

She also told me to put DD2 in shoes even though she isn't walking yet, whenever I am walking her or she is standing up. This is to align her feet/ankles correctly. Later on, wearing shoes is not as important.

[Mrs Nietzsche]

tutti frutti... but humans have gone barefoot for thousands of years without their ankles collapsing in? :confused:

(just found that a bit strange)

[chrysalis]

yeah, it is a bit strange I suppose :confused: I don't think she meant fully collapsed, just not completely straight. Mine have this problem slightly, I think its pretty common

i felt really guilty and rushed out straight away for some

maybe it was specifically for my kids and not generally? although she seemed to be talking more generally. She was fanatical about shoes.

I suppose if your kid is standing up and their feet and ankles are aligned ok it may not be such an issue. But she did say these type of shoes should be used for the first few years at least, and that the trend for softer shoes was not great in terms of posture etc.

[chrysalis]

of course my kids have hardly worn the shoes since :laughing:

[missie_mack]

They were either nikes or weeboks can't remember which came first. The weeboks were the best buy they lasted ages (which is good as DS has big feet for his size) and we got them on sale.

I would however strongly recommend stocking up on the osh kosh shoes as they are on sale at the mo and you can get leather runners for boys for $30. I really don't think crocs are worth the $$ when there are so many good imitations out there now that are exactly the same. Ds has been wearing osh kosh ones for quite a bit and the sole hasn't worn out yet where the crocs wore out in maybe 3 months. My FIL is a great lover (and well known complainer in general) of the rubber shoes and firmly says the crocs aren't any better than the cheap ones at all.

[EvangelinaOne]

My daughters first shoes were a pair of Clarkes first walkers. Try and get a pair on sale. They come in different widths for wide feet. Size 5 or 6 seems big to me for a first pair of shoes. You can look up the clarkes website and they will have a list of places where there are people trained to fit the shoes properly. Don't go to DJ's or Myer for this because I found they weren't very good with fitting. A specialist childrens shoe shop is the best place to go. You can always go back to the big shop if they have a sale once you know what size to buy. Clarkes also come in different widths. Get them to fit a pair of shoes for him and if you don't want to part with the dollars you will at least know what to look for in other shops. Childrens shoes are way to expensive but I always believe in buying the best quality shoe I can afford. If you don't want to spend the money try and find some shoes that have good support. You can also try buying some pre-loved shoes that are still in good condition.

[leajones22]

Just after xmas we got ds his first pair of proper shoes before this he was in pre-walkers (soft soled shoes). We went into a store called shoes & sox as they were having a sale on sandles and had him fitted and got a good pair for $29.95. When they fit your child they will give you a size that is usually half a size bigger than your childs biggest foot to allow for spreading and room for growth. The sandles we bought can adjust both around the ankle and across the toes to allow for a narrow or wider foot and also the intial spreading that his feet will do now that he is a full time walker. Shop around as you will find something good and usually on sale.

As for you wearing crocs, go in the store and have a look at the different styles they have as you can get ballet flats, mary janes and others all in the same croc light weight material.

[mum_I'm_hungry]

tutti frutti... but humans have gone barefoot for thousands of years without their ankles collapsing in? :confused:

(just found that a bit strange)


That is weird. We've had several OTs tell us the exact opposite -- that they're much better off in the playground and at home in bare feet. Whenever you can, really.

[MsMummy]

Tuttifrutti: that's interesting about the arch support.

It's something I'm mindful of as I have completely flat feet. It's awful.

I have orthodics for my exercise shoes, but need to go back to the podiatrist to get orthodics for my every day shoes (and buy sensible shoes to match them).

I hope my son hasn't inherited my awful feet.

[chrysalis]

I have flat feet also :o and was fitted for the instep supports (which I never use ...)

I think this is what she meant about having firmness in the shoe around the instep, heel and ankle. When you stand up, the weight can be distributed on the inner part of the foot which makes it flat, instead of the outer part of the foot. So the ankle support pushes the weight back to the outer section. If this isn't done at an early age, it is harder to fix later on. The person in the shoe shop said the same thing.

I'm not really sure about different schools of thought re barefeet and shoes. I personally prefer no shoes. Maybe there are different perspectives on it, I'm not trying to argue that what the physio told me is the only correct opinion. I didn't question her much about it at the time, I will ask her next time I see her about why it is recommended barefeet and no shoes.

like everything else to do with kids, the issue can be confusing :laughing:

[sockstealingpoltergeist]

tutti frutti... but humans have gone barefoot for thousands of years without their ankles collapsing in? :confused:

(just found that a bit strange)

I agree and research I have read has stated the opposite, that children should be barefoot when possible and wearing soft soled shoes as long as possible so as to not damage their growing feet.

[chrysalis]

ok, i really didn't mean to turn this into a debate on shoes vs no shoes, I only answered the OP with info given to me by a physio recently

I'm not claiming any expertise on it, or even any knowledge of the research you refer to re soft soled shoes

I suppose I should point out that the physio made no reference to the soles of the shoes at all. The hardness of the soles were not an issue. What was an issue was the hardness around the heel and instep. This was meant to be very rigid, with no flexibility to give maximum stability to the ankle. So the ankle can't move or roll around or inwards.

And the ankle rolling in is what can cause the arch flattening, a common problem which I think many humans of the neanderthal age would have had. I don't think humans of the past had perfect feet, simply because they didn't wear shoes. Flat feet aren't really hugely noticeable and don't cause major problems.

Kids shoes, especially sandals, often have the instep cut out. So it's hard to find the one's exactly as she described - for summer anyway. But good luck with the choice you make with the first shoes and I hope your little boy loves them.