The cost off the first shoes

degzs

Hi all ,

We bought our 14 month old to get her first shoes and cost €60. This seems very expensive and i know first shoes are important.

Please let me know what ye think?

jellybear

Recently purchased our little boy's first shoes. They were €55 from Clarks.
It's the one area I don't mind spending the money as properly fitting shoes are very important.

Mantis Toboggan

Recently paid 8 euro from NEXT for our 13 month old. It's like anything there will always be branded and designer products which will be more expensive.

60e seems expensive especially since they'll likely be grown out of them in a few months.

awec

Mantis Toboggan wrote: »

Recently paid 8 euro from NEXT for our 13 month old. It's like anything there will always be branded and designer products which will be more expensive.

60e seems expensive especially since they'll likely be grown out of them in a few months.

Those are the pram shoes / pram sandals things? They are not designed for walking in. They are basically for fashion / keeping feet warm in a buggy.

50-60 quid is about normal for kids shoes unfortunately.

lazygal

Normal price to me.
I wouldn't ever skimp on kids shoes. I used to fit them in a former life and learned first hand the issues caused by badly fitting shoes or the wrong sort of shoes at the wrong age.

Minier81

Only slightly overpriced. I think our first pair was 40ish (38€) in clarkes. They have usually be 40-45 as she moved up in size. Latest pair was 48€. I'd agree you can't really skimp on them as you need them to fit well.

jlm29

I think I paid €49 for first shoes recently. Properly fitting shoes are important. Apparently the price of them has gone up a small bit recently, I can’t remember the reason.

shesty

Seem a little expensive, but Clarks would be about 45-50eur for kid's shoes anyway.

youcancallmeal

It's the whole baby/child tax thing, they overcharge knowing people will pay it. Another example was yesterday I was getting vit d drops for an infant, the drops were €12 and alongside it on the shelf the "adult" vit d drops were €6. With kids shoes there is clearly less material used compared to an adults shoes but they still cost the same, not to mention you'll be back for another pair of kids shoes in less than 6 months. As others have said you just have to grin and bear it because ill fitting shoes on a child can have life lasting effects

Antares35

Is Clarks the only place that does the proper ones? My parents keep telling me to go there for them but I assumed it was just that generation thing of "Clarks is best" like the way they would be about fisher price etc. I know there's a Cripps in Terenure that would be closer to us than city centre. Just wondering if Clarks still have the first shoe kind of monopoly or if there are other options.

awec

Antares35 wrote: »

Is Clarks the only place that does the proper ones? My parents keep telling me to go there for them but I assumed it was just that generation thing of "Clarks is best" like the way they would be about fisher price etc. I know there's a Cripps in Terenure that would be closer to us than city centre. Just wondering if Clarks still have the first shoe kind of monopoly or if there are other options.

No lots of shoe shops do them. We get ours from a local independent kids shoe shop.

lazygal

Antares35 wrote: »

Is Clarks the only place that does the proper ones? My parents keep telling me to go there for them but I assumed it was just that generation thing of "Clarks is best" like the way they would be about fisher price etc. I know there's a Cripps in Terenure that would be closer to us than city centre. Just wondering if Clarks still have the first shoe kind of monopoly or if there are other options.

We go to an independent shop. Clarks don't suit every child.

lazygal

youcancallmeal wrote: »

It's the whole baby/child tax thing, they overcharge knowing people will pay it. Another example was yesterday I was getting vit d drops for an infant, the drops were €12 and alongside it on the shelf the "adult" vit d drops were €6. With kids shoes there is clearly less material used compared to an adults shoes but they still cost the same, not to mention you'll be back for another pair of kids shoes in less than 6 months. As others have said you just have to grin and bear it because ill fitting shoes on a child can have life lasting effects

Making kids shoes is a lot harder than adult ones because the pieces are so small.
There's also totally different medial standards for products for under 3s, under 6s and under 12. And with good reason, dosages, strengths etc are totally different.
Shoes and medicines for kids aren't where I'd be looking for a catch with prices.

Minier81

I go to an independent shop too but they stock clarkes shoes!!
Not all brands do wide and extra wide shoes. Our little one is the wide fit so clarkes suits her. However I don't like their adults shoes at all, just don't fit me well.

lashes34

Clarkes didn't fit my child either, we got first steps for her, think they were €48

bee06

€50 for my sons first pair and he grew out of them in 2 months. Hoping my little girl will fit into them at some stage.

fits

Antares35 wrote: »

Is Clarks the only place that does the proper ones? My parents keep telling me to go there for them but I assumed it was just that generation thing of "Clarks is best" like the way they would be about fisher price etc. I know there's a Cripps in Terenure that would be closer to us than city centre. Just wondering if Clarks still have the first shoe kind of monopoly or if there are other options.

Cripps is a great place to get shoes. We haven’t found Clark’s great for our two. We always seem to end up with superfit brand but very happy with them. They’re 60-70 though.

Millem

Antares35 wrote: »

Is Clarks the only place that does the proper ones? My parents keep telling me to go there for them but I assumed it was just that generation thing of "Clarks is best" like the way they would be about fisher price etc. I know there's a Cripps in Terenure that would be closer to us than city centre. Just wondering if Clarks still have the first shoe kind of monopoly or if there are other options.

Yes Cripps is really good. Park at Lidl and walk around Got my eldest first shoes there....they were startrite “Harry”.
I think they were €30ish?

There is also a shop in goatstown https://sandrasheeran.com/
I am sorry to say I have had a few problems there with fittings
I have a voucher and that will be my last purchase.
You can literally just park outside the door. Cripps would have more stock.

My ultimate favourite one if you are ever in the area is Victor Dwyer’s in drogheda.
I have always found it cheaper too
Their sales are fantastic. Got my middle child’s first shoes there. They were startrite. Can’t remember how much!

It has never failed me. Way way more stock than Cripps.

I have had terrible experiences in Clarke’s in general. My son’s have broad feet and they are huge!!!!

cant26

Not a fan of Clarkes as a brand. Always went with Startrite and Pablosky for my boys when they were younger.

Antares35

lazygal wrote: »

We go to an independent shop. Clarks don't suit every child.

Good to know. I know from looking for my own shoes there that there tends to be very limited options so worried it was the same in children's.

El Gato De Negocios

We pay between 50 and 60 quid for the kids shoes. I have fallen arches and my wife has gammy feet too so good quality footwear is something we absolutely will not scrimp on, especially as they are wearing them pretty much from morning to night.

carleigh

We paid €30 for my sons first pair of shoes in Clark’s, Kildare Village back in December. Managed to get back for a second pair on Stephens Day for a similar price. My son was a late walker (20 months) and he has been to physio a couple of times for overpronation and the physiotherapist advised that he should only wear Clarks due to dropped arches and needing the extra support. We were advised not to put him in any cheaper high street shoes etc until he is much older. I’m sure they don’t suit everyone and there are lots of other options but I wouldn’t scrimp when it comes to his footwear.

Shelli2

Buy a Clarks infant foot measure, must include the width measurements too, and buy online. We also have a local Freecycle, they outgrow the shoes so quickly its great to pass them on.

The Mighty Quinn

Got our daughter her first pair when she was about 11 months old, they were 38eur, Clarks.
Recently got a second pair for her, and they're Clarks also, were about 40 also.

Milly33

Think tis madness paying that price for shoes, especially when they grow out of them so fast.. From all out looking into it they are better off not wearing shoes most of the time... Got most of ours runners from Tesco ten euro bargain, got herself some nice second hand shoes at the baby market and so far that is it.

Neyite

I bought Clarkes once and the quality for the price paid was woeful. I favoured Startrite but a Polish brand I bought once in a local shop were brilliant as well. He's in cheap runners now though as he's too cool for proper shoes :rolleyes:

In another life I was was trained to fit kids shoes so I always check the fitting myself after someone in a reputable shop lied to me and gave him a size bigger because they didn't have his size in stock. He faceplanted on the first outing with the shoes and thanks to that caused permanent damage to his baby tooth and to the adult tooth that hadn't even come up yet. He'll need a crown when he's older. :mad: After that I check the fit of all his shoes myself with the gauge, and my own visual fit. I'm sure they eyeroll at me but meh.

it's fairly easy to do a rudimentary check at home if you are wondering whether they need new shoes or not, just to save you the trip - you loosen the shoe as much as you can, push the foot towards the toe, right to the end, and you should be able to put your finger behind the heel while they are standing with their weight on the foot as your feet spread when you stand on them. For me, I'm smallish so use my middle finger, a man would probably use an index finger or if big-handed, the pinkie. It should be snug but not a squeeze, and if your finger goes in with space to spare, the shoes are too big.

The reason you do it this way is babies tend to curl up their toes when you are feeling around for their toe by pressing the shoe toe. Width wise, they shouldn't be loose, but not squished in either ,unless wearing thicker than usual socks.

The gauge in the shops are usually spot on - but back when I was in the shoe business they were brand specific. Your kid could be one size in a clarkes shoe with a clarkes gauge, and a slightly different size in a startrite shoe with the startrite gauge so if they measure with a branded gauge and the end shoe fitted isn't that brand just double check the fit.

Neyite

Yes, just remembered - toddlers should ideally spend most of their time barefoot where possible so shoes should really only be used outdoors and when they would be needed, so if they are puttering around barefoot on your own decking or patio barefoot it's no harm.

lazygal

My youngest was walking at 11 months, in May. She didn't need shoes until September. We just were careful where she walked.

Milly33

Thanks Neyite good to know, I do remember the trick about putting your finger in the back of the shoe but not how to judge... Just looking at the ones we got second hand and they are polish too Befado is the name, must say they are a lovely light shoe...

shesty

I won't comment on what I paid for shoes for my three in recent weeks.However from experience, the eldest complained when I bought Dunnes runners that they hurt her feet, rubbing the sides of them. She has skinny little ankles too, so many cheaper shoes just fall off her (some Clarks shapes do too).My little guy is a chunky 10.5G, with quite a high arch, and again, having made several shoe mistakes with him in the last year (thanks Covid) so I am resigned to getting him properly measured and fitted when he needs new ones.

It'll be no time before I will be forking out more for brand name ones that are "cool", I suspect, so I will run with Clarks or similar for now while we can.

bee06

Great tips Neyite!

My three year old will only wear runners now if they look like his Daddy’s runners. Jordan or Nike or it’s a total no go.