Children's shoes con

cyclingyorkie

My 3 kids all had their feet measured regularly and all had to have Startrite (I did too so it's my fault!) i'm glad I did though....

At about 15 they just begged to be able to get their own shoes - and the bank manager was a bit happier too - youngest wore M&S school shoes for the last 3 years of uniform - bought on 3 for the price of 2 - it was about £30 for 3 pairs - she's still wearing the last pair at 18 and in the 6th form!

I found a shoe shop I liked where I trusted the staff ( all mature and bee there for years) and I got good service. Thankfully the kids feet seem OK.

Nara

I get my DD's feet measured at Clarke's then go onto Ebay and buy Clarke's shoes in that size for a fiver :-)

catch_me_if_you_can

My daughter nicks my shoes anyway, as we're both a 7.
I HAD umpteen pairs of shoes. I don't now as she's worn them to her dad's and "will bring them back"

I did hear once (no idea if it's true) that for younger children, it's best to get the cheapie shoes from the shops and not Clark's as some parents say "you have to get the wear out of them they cost £xx" whereas if you only pay £7 (for example) you're more likely to buy a new pair that fits and so will do less damage to growing feet.

jellyhead

Are there really parents who would really make a child wear shoes that were too small simply to 'get the wear out of them'? Surely not!

Bella56

jellyhead wrote: »

Are there really parents who would really make a child wear shoes that were too small simply to 'get the wear out of them'? Surely not!

I once heard a posh mum at the park bragging to her friends that she'd got her son's shoes in the sale, that she'd had to force his feet in and they were technically too small but would work for the summer...despite these mums wearing gucci sunglasses they thought that was really clever, getting expensive shoes for cheaper, nevermind the actual fit for the child

fluffnutter

Sure, kids' shoes are expensive but then good shoes should be. Children only need one or two pairs though; just buy the best you can afford and wear them until they're too small. Who cares what they look like? I reckon you could get away with paying less than a hundred quid a year. I pay that for a single pair for myself (and I've got more than one or two :D)

jellyhead

fluffnutter wrote: »

Sure, kids' shoes are expensive but then good shoes should be. Children only need one or two pairs though; just buy the best you can afford and wear them until they're too small. Who cares what they look like? I reckon you could get away with paying less than a hundred quid a year. I pay that for a single pair for myself (and I've got more than one or two :D)

I don't buy more shoes than necessary but it probably cost a bit more than a hundred for youngest because he still needs 2 or 3 pairs of school shoes per year (he's a giant and he grows fast - it used to be 4 pairs per year).

3 pairs of school shoes would be around £110. His plimsolls for school are from Clarks, around £11 but they have lasted a year, thankfully. His clarks sandals were bought in the half price sale so they were only £15 but the pair before that were £30.

Then they need a pair of wellies, and most kids have a pair of trainers.

Lunar_Eclipse

jellyhead wrote: »

I don't buy more shoes than necessary but it probably cost a bit more than a hundred for youngest because he still needs 2 or 3 pairs of school shoes per year (he's a giant and he grows fast - it used to be 4 pairs per year).

3 pairs of school shoes would be around £110. His plimsolls for school are from Clarks, around £11 but they have lasted a year, thankfully. His clarks sandals were bought in the half price sale so they were only £15 but the pair before that were £30.

Then they need a pair of wellies, and most kids have a pair of trainers.

Or at least 3 pairs (as required by school) if they live here!

Youngest also has funky trainers for out of school. They don't always have wellies though. If they have a pair of walking boots or snow boots that fit (if we've been on a walking/snow holiday for example), I won't buy wellies too, unless they're mandatory for a school trip.

It's therefore obvious that I also spend more than £100/year on shoes for both my children, but I probably didn't before they started school, when they had no need for multiple pairs. I can also remember back to one pair of shoes being the norm, when I was a child.