Best value for toddler shoes?

Cat Melodeon

So my wee man at 14 months has managed to do what the monkeys haven't and is now upright and walking. We've had him in soft-soled pre-walkers or barefoot up until now, but he has outgrown the largest size of pre-walkers available and it's getting too cold for him to go barefoot. I had a quick look in a well-known big-brand shoe shop and was pretty shocked at the price of some of the baby shoes in there.

So what's the crack with standard kids' shoes from places like Dunnes or Lidl? Are they okay for babies just starting out or are the bigger brands really better? I don't want to mess up his little feet before they've even had a chance to get going, but equally don't want to spend heaps of cash on shoes that he'll be out of in a couple of weeks if there is no real benefit to them.

Grawns

The cost is shocking alright. The trick is getting the right size so you need to get him measured and then buy in the sales. I bought my daughter's winter shoes for €20 in the summer sales, she was a 5 then so I chanced a 5 1/2 which looked huge but fit her very well now. I also bought some crocs on amazon last spring for €10 and wellies in selfridges for £3 so you don't always have to spend a fortune. Once you know the size you can experiment.

Socks or bare feet at all times at home is the best way for their feet to develop properly

metrovelvet

I would be very careful with the cheap shoes. It's not something I like to chance. I scrimp on clothes but wont take chances on developing feet. You want a good footbed and support and breathable material.

You need to get the child measured but at that age I would not do guestimates of what size they will be and different shoe companies have different constructs.

When my son started walking he was a lot chubbier than he was now and could fit into a wider fitting or normal shoe because he has so much baby fat. But now he has a very very narrow foot and it is not just brand I have to go on but I have to have him try on different models within that brand. And it can be a challenge.

Also he went through a growth spurt and I had to buy two pair of shoes in 3 months and then seemed to stabilise then for six or seven months and now have to get him some more shoes coming up.

But yeah... they are not cheap.

crazy cat lady

Next seem to have lovely shoes that don't seem too expensive.

We have just bought Megan her first pair of proper shoes and we had her feet measured and the shoes we got were quite expensive, but she is just starting to walk so I was happy letting my husband (:D) pay the extra because at least we know that at this important time when she is learning this new skill, that her feet are in the right sized shoe and her ankles are well supported.

It was recommended that while she is still so young that we should bring her back every 8 weeks to be measured.

I won't be buying from the expensive place every time, however I will be bringing her to get measured and then going elsewhere... probably Next as they are my favourite place for baby clothes

lynski

Have used all sorts on the children because when you think about it they spend so little time in them. It is only now that my son is in montessori that he wears shoes for any stretch of time - and then only 3 hrs.
I think you need to avoid synthetic materials, narrow fits and fiddly bits.
I bought some sandals in penneys for my daugther this year and the were great because they were so wide and you could not tell the difference between them and the clarks ones my son had 2 yrs ago.
Have been lucky in the outlet store in kildare, also crocs are the business and socks at home.

Cat Melodeon

Thanks folks. I got some lovely extra thick socks for him in H&M which will be great for going round the house in, and a pair of sandals from Lidl, also for indoors. He spends a lot of time with me outside too though, so I'm going to get him a decent pair of properly measured shoes for that (probably Clarks) and see how we go with that lot.

Sleepy

It's the one item of clothing I've not gotten from Dunnes or Penneys for Rory tbh. All her shoes since she's started walking have come from Clarks.

gowayouttadat

Our little man, who is also 14 months, isn't walking yet but is a super fast cruiser and completely obsessed with being outside. I wanted to get him a proper pair of prewalkers for when we're outside for the exact same reasons as you had above Cat. It's too cold for socks and barefeet outside.
The shop said he's too big for prewalkers now and they don't do them in his size. He couldn't get the normal shoes because he's not walking yet and they'd be bad for him. Grrrrrr.

freida

here's a website might be of use, some savings to be made, but you'd need to really know your sizes, we had to go back to kildare retail outlet recently and the double trip outdid any savings made. http://www.shoesforkids.co.uk/

lynski

gowayouttadat wrote: »

Our little man, who is also 14 months, isn't walking yet but is a super fast cruiser and completely obsessed with being outside. I wanted to get him a proper pair of prewalkers for when we're outside for the exact same reasons as you had above Cat. It's too cold for socks and barefeet outside.
The shop said he's too big for prewalkers now and they don't do them in his size. He couldn't get the normal shoes because he's not walking yet and they'd be bad for him. Grrrrrr.

you can get shoobees or footzees (http://www.taraleathers.ie/footzees.ie/testsbackup/old_default.htm) go up to quite large sizes and are pre-walkers and lovely and soft and durable

gowayouttadat

lynski wrote: »

you can get shoobees or footzees (http://www.taraleathers.ie/footzees.ie/testsbackup/old_default.htm) go up to quite large sizes and are pre-walkers and lovely and soft and durable

They look really cute! That's exactly what I want. Can you order them online do you know? Couldn't see anything on that link?

lynski

I think there is contact details there, if not then there are lots of companies that do this type of shoes:
http://www.shoobees.ie/
http://www.thenaturalbabyresource.co.uk/Baby-Clothes-Shoes/LARGE
http://www.greenbaby.com/Green+Baby+Products/new+mums/baby/baby+clothes/baby+shoes++accessories/list.htm

Greystoner

Bit cheeky this one, but if you have relatives in the UK, may be it's worth a try...

Pop into Clarks, get measured and find a style that fits the child well, take a photo with a phone and send it to your friend/relative in UK to source for you!!! Not sure about cost of postage though, but you should still save money on overall cost for good shoes. Also, could look on internet at a Clarks seller.

I paid £18 for toddler shoes in UK 2 months ago, the same pair over here is E48!!!!!

metrovelvet

Greystoner wrote: »

Bit cheeky this one, but if you have relatives in the UK, may be it's worth a try...

Pop into Clarks, get measured and find a style that fits the child well, take a photo with a phone and send it to your friend/relative in UK to source for you!!! Not sure about cost of postage though, but you should still save money on overall cost for good shoes. Also, could look on internet at a Clarks seller.

I paid £18 for toddler shoes in UK 2 months ago, the same pair over here is E48!!!!!

Wow. That is retail sin.

Kimono-Girl

metrovelvet wrote: »

Wow. That is retail sin.

i agree...on clarks uk's site These... cost £28 i paid €49 in a shop here for them

and op if i were you i would just shell out the extra on the proper footwear, but i know with my daughter we've gone for a color/style that would go with everything she wears because every 4-6 weeks her feet are re-sized and a new pair bought! if she needs shoes to go with a particular outfit i find knowing her size isn't much help, in penny's i picked up a pair of size 3 dolly shoes for her that were bigger then the size 4 converse my sister bought for her in the same shop! dunnes have similar size issues between runners/shoes/sandles for pre walkers so you will have to try them on and size check yourself!

metrovelvet

I used the Robeez for a long time before buying the pre walker shoes, because they are the closest you can get to barefoot while protecting the feet. I found the leather on a lot of prewalkers very stiff. I know its hard when you are outdoors, but we are heading into winter now and you probably wont be outdoors that much.

But I wouldnt go for cheap shoes. I'd buy everything else in Penneys or Dunnes, skimp on the clothes and save for the shoes.

cbyrd

Just bought Ben his first pair of pre-walkers yesterday.. €27.. but he's like his big sister and need a wide fitting shoe.

She's 11 and it's only in the last year or so that i can get the dunnes or penney's shoes. She has consistantly had one foot a half size bigger than the other and is a G.

My youngest girl has narrow long feet and i could get away with cheaper shoes for her from about 4. I wouldn't go cheap for the first 2-3 years.
It's a pain shelling out the money but when they have a pair of ill-fitting shoes it's just not worth the bother of blisters and sore toes:)

Moonbeam

Clarks uk website -

http://www.clarks.co.uk/first-shoes/walking

magentas

crazy cat lady wrote: »

Next seem to have lovely shoes that don't seem too expensive.

We have just bought Megan her first pair of proper shoes and we had her feet measured and the shoes we got were quite expensive, but she is just starting to walk so I was happy letting my husband (:D) pay the extra because at least we know that at this important time when she is learning this new skill, that her feet are in the right sized shoe and her ankles are well supported.

It was recommended that while she is still so young that we should bring her back every 8 weeks to be measured.

I won't be buying from the expensive place every time, however I will be bringing her to get measured and then going elsewhere... probably Next as they are my favourite place for baby clothes

the shop you get her measured in will most likely be different to other shops
different companies have different measuring systems and sizes

for example there is half a size difference between startrite and clarkes so if you get measured for one and go to buy the other the sizes won't correspond. also there's a variety of widths

so when that's the case with the "bigger brands" you can only imagine the difference with "cheap shoes"
no more than I'm a size 4 but sometimes a 3 and sometimes a 5 depending on where I buy!

It's so important for the first few years at least for proper support of the foot especially ankles, arches etc. and the right fit for comfort

ted1

clarks have am outlet shop in kildare village. Half the price of there regular stores.

Cat Melodeon

It's only a month since I started this thread and my lad has already outgrown the first batch of shoes - by two sizes! I just can't keep up! So I'm sticking to the Clarks for good outdoor wear, but found some good cheap soft-soled slippers in Dunnes that are grand for inside - at €3 you can't go wrong. Heading to the UK for Christmas, might just stock up on the next 4 sizes up from Clarks then!

wolfpawnat

All of my sons shoes have been Clarks. That said, it was ALWAYS other family members that bought them for him. His nan, his godparents. I bought him a pair of runners by Puma recently (they were on offer and I had a voucher) but they are still worth a small fortune.

Feet are the most important. You can go cheap on t-shirts, vesties, pants and the like, but shoes are a different kettle of fish, IMO.

annetted

hiya
get your child measured in Clarks - see what the prices are like. I have been lucky and have hit a sale both time. So paid 20 euro which is great - the Clarks in Arnotts is the best one for kids shoes. The girl there said they get the shoes back from all the other Clark shops as well at sale time. Just give them a ring to find out if there are any offers on..

Moonbeam

We are 6 months in our 2nd pair of shoes,have got her feet measured plenty of times and they still fit her!!got 3 months out of the 1st pair.I bet we prob get 2 weeks out of the next pair!!!
Sticking with Clarkes too now.