Just Walking - Shoes???

[Madham]

Ok Hamish turned one about 3 weeks ago, he has been taking steps for awhile now but is walking all the time now. I have not bought him shoes yet as i was told not too until he is walking properly.He wears the leather no sole shoes atm, but mainly just to keep his socks on. So my question is do i buy him soft ish shoes, the ones i have looked at seem very hard and i think they would hurt his feet. I think with DD i got her fitted correctly when she was around 2 but i dont remember what i put on her before that.
Any ideas?

[Indadhanu]

I just want to subscribe because Jazz is cruising and letting go, not walking yet, but we are wondering the same thing, when do you get shoes and what sort?

[Madham]

[Mum2SweetCs]

Hi Abb34,

I put DD in leather shoes but i made sure they were light with a hard sole. The brand is Apple Pie.

They were very hard to find as I found most shoes were soooo heavy and the pre-walkers didnt seem to provide much protection at the sole.

[{sarah}]

Soft soled shoes like Robeez or Cheeky Little Soles are perfect for beginner walkers. They protect their feet but also move with them because the soles are leather. Speaking of I really need to get miss J some soon.....

[Arimeh]

We didn't get DS shoes until he was walking properly - AND - his feet had gotten more flat. He has the chunkiest feet and its still hard to get shoes to fit his fat little feet into.. lol.. so I think he was about 18 months?

[kirsty_lee]

I put dd in these little slippers (which is great for this time of year cause it's cold) and then she went on to like grosby sandals etc. My only advice would be soft shoes that aren't heavy for them because shoes take alot of getting use to.

[MantaRay]

From what I understand, you shouldn't put them in shoes too early - I think ideally it's about 3 - 6 months after they start walking. Flexible-soled shoes are best and they need to be fitted properly. They also shouldn't wear the shoes all the time - the sensory learning they get from having bare feet is an important part of their development.

[Madham]

Thanks girls, i think i will leave it a bit longer then as he has only been walking properly a few weeks.
MR - i was told to wait atleast 3 months but i thought it was maybe a bit longer. I did a bit of reading this afternoon and found an article that stated if they are in shoes too early or shoes that dont fit correctly it can affect there feet for later in life.
Probably a thing we take too lightly really.

[MantaRay]

I think you're right Abb - it seems to be a cultural thing to put them in shoes early and often. And as proper fitting shoes are really expensive, it is really common to just pick a pair up from Kmart or something. I personally have felt that it is not something that can be skimped on, so both boys have always been fitted for their shoes.

[KatieRabbit]

I also waited until DD was walking properly and then only put them on her when we were on unknown grass (pr!ckles, glass etc) or hot surfaces etc If she was in the pram and not getting out or the sling, around home etc I didn't put shoes on her. I got Clarks in DJs- Myer have them too and they fit you properly for them and they also have soft soled ones...

[nic]

I got DS some skeenies. more because we were having trouble finding socks with the grip on the bottom and we have no carpet and the floorboards are cold. He doesnt wear them all the time though, as we found a couple of pairs of socks. I ordered them from the Skeenies website and just picked out 2 pairs that were on sale, so i got a good price

[Indadhanu]

So when the time comes where would I go to get Jazz fitted for some shoes?

[kirsty_lee]

it is really common to just pick a pair up from Kmart or something. I personally have felt that it is not something that can be skimped on, so both boys have always been fitted for their shoes.

Totally agreed Manta!!! The cheapest pair that Ava own are like 35 bucks.. and that even includes her first pair. But she had been walking since she was 10 months and wasn't wearing her first pair until like 12.5 months

[{sarah}]

You know what though, sometimes when they start walking they need shoes before that three months. Juliette has been walking for almost a month. It's cold but we still go to the park & there is no way I'd want to put her on the ground in this weather with no shoes on......

[Janie]

I was told, by numerous people, to wait until they've been walking (properly) for 6 weeks???? Anyway, that's what we did, although he didn't wear them all the time at first, only when outside etc. Mind you, DS was over 16 months when he started walking, so was 18 months before he had proper shoes. I also prefer to have my DS fitted for his shoes, although expensive (the shoes, not the fitting) I feel his feet are just too important. You can get pre-walkers in good brands like Clarks, and they are quite handy for when you're going outside etc, until they're ready for proper shoes.

Leash, in Melbourne all the big shopping centres have kids shoe shops. I just took DS to one of them. I know my local Myer does it as well.

[Tinks]

I waited a few mths before getting shoes on advice from the shoe sales person.

All my kids had Clarkes boots as their first shoes. I had them fitted at a kids shoe shop in Knox but I don't think it's there anymore. Myer stock Clarkes, and fit them too. My youngest has a very small narrow foot so I had to get her shoes from a specialist shoe shop in Ringwood as no one stocked her size.

[MantaRay]

Leasha, the Myer shoe department will have a fitter, and there are also specialist kids shoe shops that will also. Ironically, the smaller the shoe the more expensive they seem to be, but it is important to have a well-fitting shoe.