Fat feet! Can someone help me find shoes for my baby!

RustyFlange

Hi all, Just wondering if anyone can point me in the direction to a shoe maker or a shoe shop that does baby shoes for wide feet?

My daughter is 16 months old, she is now walking properly and had her feet measured a few weeks back and she was a size 3H (clarks didn't have any shoes) However Russel and Bromley had some startrites shoes in stock which were perfect (still had a fairly flexible sole.) We took her back in yesterday and had them measured and Clarks said she is a size 3.5 I and didn't stock them so wide. Russel and Bromley still said she is a 3.5 H so went away with a pair of startrites in this size from R&B.

However I am starting to worry as I suffer from broad feet myself and tend to live in flip flops for as many months of the year as possible. I know when I was young I also suffered. Basically I have been told her feet will possibly get broader as she grows which means we will not be able to find shoes on the general high street.
So can anyone suggest anywhere we may be able to get some for future reference? cost isn't an issue as babys/childrens feet are so important to have proper fitting shoes.
Thanks in advance,
Tams

bunbun2

RustyFlange wrote: »

Hi all, Just wondering if anyone can point me in the direction to a shoe maker or a shoe shop that does baby shoes for wide feet?

My daughter is 16 months old, she is now walking properly and had her feet measured a few weeks back and she was a size 3H (clarks didn't have any shoes) However Russel and Bromley had some startrites shoes in stock which were perfect (still had a fairly flexible sole.) We took her back in yesterday and had them measured and Clarks said she is a size 3.5 I and didn't stock them so wide. Russel and Bromley still said she is a 3.5 H so went away with a pair of startrites in this size from R&B.

However I am starting to worry as I suffer from broad feet myself and tend to live in flip flops for as many months of the year as possible. I know when I was young I also suffered. Basically I have been told her feet will possibly get broader as she grows which means we will not be able to find shoes on the general high street.
So can anyone suggest anywhere we may be able to get some for future reference? cost isn't an issue as babys/childrens feet are so important to have proper fitting shoes.
Thanks in advance,
Tams

my ds2 is also an H fitting and buying shoes is a nightmare. sorry i don't really have a solution as I have never found one. We are very limited to which shoes we can buy as most shoe shops don't go up to an H fitting (ridiculous if you ask me). Even velcro sandals are often too narrow. I don't really know what size his feet are as he always has do go up a size at least to get the width. As for school plimsols - forget it! I agree that good fitting shoes are important and it makes me so cross - I always leave shoe shops SO angry!
sorry I haven't been much help but i understand how you feel.

Krystaltips

Would love to help but I have completely the opposite problem, DD has long skinny feet (think sideshow bob) It takes an awful lot of fitting to get her shoes that fit adequately and our local clarks were quite frankly naff... We go to Friary shoes in Lichfield which stocks heaps of shoes and are quite willing to keep going in and out the back until they find a pair that fits...

RustyFlange

bunbun2 wrote: »

my ds2 is also an H fitting and buying shoes is a nightmare. sorry i don't really have a solution as I have never found one. We are very limited to which shoes we can buy as most shoe shops don't go up to an H fitting (ridiculous if you ask me). Even velcro sandals are often too narrow. I don't really know what size his feet are as he always has do go up a size at least to get the width. As for school plimsols - forget it! I agree that good fitting shoes are important and it makes me so cross - I always leave shoe shops SO angry!
sorry I haven't been much help but i understand how you feel.

Its unreal as surely there are loads of people who have broad feet! I think I will suffer with the same problems in a few years when she starts school. Clarks and startrites go upto a H fitting, but as you said we have to go up a size to try and get the width. Wasn't too bad yesterday but last time she was 2.5H and had to have a 3H. I like you always feel so angry. Clarks offered me a pair of shoes yesterday which looked awful and I was so angry that I refused and went elsewhere. Why does no one do pretty shoes in bigger sizes!

Maybe we should ask Martin to find us somewhere who sell shoes for broad feet! lets start a campaign! :rotfl:

RustyFlange

Krystaltips wrote: »

Would love to help but I have completely the opposite problem, DD has long skinny feet (think sideshow bob) It takes an awful lot of fitting to get her shoes that fit adequately and our local clarks were quite frankly naff... We go to Friary shoes in Lichfield which stocks heaps of shoes and are quite willing to keep going in and out the back until they find a pair that fits...

Do you know if they sell wider feet aswell? I mean shoes :rotfl: My mum lives in Tamworth so it would be worth a visit to see her if it meant we could find some nice shoes!

Pink_Eyes

Krystaltips wrote: »

Would love to help but I have completely the opposite problem, DD has long skinny feet (think sideshow bob) It takes an awful lot of fitting to get her shoes that fit adequately and our local clarks were quite frankly naff... We go to Friary shoes in Lichfield which stocks heaps of shoes and are quite willing to keep going in and out the back until they find a pair that fits...

I have the same problem. If I buy the size that I am, they're far too wide. (even when done up tightly)

My mum has wide feet and just gets the next size (or two) up.

heather38

also don't forget that clarkes and startrite shoes are not the same size. clarkes tend to be slightly bigger than startrite, as much as a whole size difference.
i would always use an independent shop rather than a shop that sells just one brand to get the most choice.

RustyFlange

heather38 wrote: »

also don't forget that clarkes and startrite shoes are not the same size. clarkes tend to be slightly bigger than startrite, as much as a whole size difference.
i would always use an independent shop rather than a shop that sells just one brand to get the most choice.

Both Russel and Bromley and clarks in the metro centre use the same clarks foot guage, yet both give different sizes. We have found that startrites are a better fit on little missy than the clarks? startrites seem to be a bit more forgiving on the width?

Russel and Bromley is an independant shop which sells both clarks and startrites and many other makes. But the main problem is that her feet are going to get wider and I can see we are going to struggle with shoes!

savingholmes

My children have H fittings, we use Clarks or Hush Puppies for school shoes - but for most other things (ie cheaper stuff) we go up a half size or more for the width. Sometimes we have to do that anyway in practice - so I sympathise but my kids feet are still developing normally. Even now at Brantanos I can usually on fit 2 or 3 pairs for the width. Length wise I'm about a 7 but have to get 8s for width - I now even own a size nine Hush Puppy pair as I was desperate and they were the only ones comfortable enough that I thought would last long enough!

ailuro2

My DD is a G fitting, always has been , from the walking shoes she had at 9 months through to the school shoes she has now at 9yo. As your little one's feet grow wider, they will grow longer too - so she will probably still be an H fitting, which is at least available in some places.:D

heather38

i have taken dd to russell and bromley in manchester and they were very good at measuring her for her 1st shoes, seems like ages ago but was only last christmas eve!
we have a local independant shop so tend to go there and they both use a clarkes guide, but my dd is a 41/2G in startrite and a 5G in clarkes at the moment. i think that startrite are far better for tiny feet than clarkes, they give better support along the whole foot.