Childrens shoes...

Nicki

I would never buy shoes second hand, as they change shape very quickly depending on the shape of the child's foot and how they walk. So if you buy a pair which have been worn by another child even just for a couple of months, they could be quite subtly distorted and cause problems for your own child. I am another one who buys Clarks shoes and always has them fitted in the store. If they don't have anything which is a perfect fit, I will leave them and go to another Clarks store with a bigger selection.

My DH has horrible feet which I am sure was caused by not wearing properly fitted shoes as a child. His little toe crosses over the fourth toe on both feet and his toes all look crooked. My mum was anal about shoes too when I was a child and while I hated not having high fashion shoes until I was an older teenager, I am now pleased as I have lovely straight toes and have never had a moments trouble with my feet.

gunsandbanjos

I wouldnt scrimp on shoes either, my daughter wears Start rite if i can get them or if none fit her (she has very narrow and shallow feet and skinny ankles) i will try her in Clarks, prefer Start rite though. Last time she got school shoes we had to try on 11 pairs before we found ones that fitted.

Plus buying 2nd hand they would be moulded to another childs foot surely?

Bella56

Nicki, that's exactly what my osteopath told me. He said that parents spend money on the wrong things, and that if they invest in the best shoes, they will help their children have better joints and mobility when they are old.

Having said that, Clarks, Ecco etc. are soooooooooooooooooo expensive!!!!! And by the time you've got sandals, shoes, boots..... :eek:

babymt

I think far too many parents buy really expensive shoes then make them last as long as possible to get their moneys worth and thats where the problems with feet are caused.

I personally think its much better to buy new (to you) shoes in every half size secondhand (but in excellent condition) than to buy one size and make it last for 6months or more. I tend to spend about £5/£6 per pair of 2nd hand Clarks off ebay so I can get 5 or 6 pairs for the price of 1 new from clarks.

I do however have to buy new sandals and boots for my daughter as shes got really narrow ankles and falls over if doesn't have proper fitted shoes. Shes 5. But I really resent paying £42 for a pair of boots.

I also stock up on next sizes up in the Clarks 70% off sale. Mainly school shoes and trainers as they are needed all year round unlike sandals which you'd have to guess the right size for that season.

toffifee

We buy from John Lewis, where they have Clarks, Start-Rite and other brands (and usually better stock levels than our local Clarks). They almost always have a rail with reduced shoes and we've had several bargains e.g. £10 for Lelly Kellys - the only pair my we've ever bought (and ever will unless we see another pair at a similar price)!
My DD (7) wanted boots this year and I was really shocked at the prices in Clarks. I ordered some from M&S and they are great (leather upper) and about half the price. Sizing is variable though. She's in a 1.5 shoe. The brown 1s were too small and the 2s were huge. The black 1s were too small and the 2s were just a bit big.

peachyprice

babymt wrote: »

I personally think its much better to buy new (to you) shoes in every half size secondhand (but in excellent condition) than to buy one size and make it last for 6months or more. I tend to spend about £5/£6 per pair of 2nd hand Clarks off ebay so I can get 5 or 6 pairs for the price of 1 new from clarks.

Sorry, but I think buying second hand childrens shoes is a really bad idea. They will have moulded to the shape of the previous owners feet and the soles worn to the previous owners gait, they can be just as damaging as off the shelf non-fitted shoes.

dueyb

My children's great nan buys their shoes for Christmas and birthdays, my little one has just had her very early Christmas pair as she needed some new ones!! Think it's important to get good shoes my youngest feet are too wide at the moment for clarks and Start-rite even going half a size bigger, so like to get them fitted properly!

babymt

peachyprice wrote: »

Sorry, but I think buying second hand childrens shoes is a really bad idea. They will have moulded to the shape of the previous owners feet and the soles worn to the previous owners gait, they can be just as damaging as off the shelf non-fitted shoes.

Well we can agree to disagree:)

Have you ever bought 2nd hand shoes? Little kids shoes tend to be so hardly worn that you couldn't see any wear. I do admit some have turned up and they don't meet my exacting standard so go down the charity shop without being worn by my kids but generally they are like new.

Kaz2904

When DD was little we found it impossible to get her shoes in clarks. They just didn't have any wide enough for her. We ended up with a 2 year old in school shoes as that was all we could get to fit her. For a good 2 years we could only get barbie branded shoes as they fitted her really well. She's 10 next week and is easier to buy for now as she won't wear uncomfortable shoes and (to a certain extent) has given up whinging for high fashion shoes which will wreck her feet.
DS we are struggling with now. He's 8 in 5 weeks and has sized 3F feet with a high instep and high arch. Clarks have the most diabolical selection in the entire world. None of the shoes in their range fit him at the moment as they are all the same. We ended up getting him shoes from sports direct for school this year and the sole is coming off them already. I will be taking them back as I expect to get more than a few weeks out of a pair of shoes.
Now we have the fun task of trying to find him a pair of shoes which fit him . I strongly suspect that he will have to go to school in black trainers until something suitable turns up. At least we can get trainers to fit him.

pinkclouds

I always buy the main pair of shoes from Clarks. Additional shoes, that are worn for short periods of time, such as wellies or party shoes (as my daughter likes to play "dress up") usually come from Sainsbury's.