shoes

**Olive** · November 21st, 2007, 11:39 AM

i know this had probably been discussed in the past, but wanting to know now that DD is walking, what are the best shoes to get her!! im anal about getting the best shoes due to having flat feet myself, are clarkes still the way to go or is there a better brand available???
TIA

**Phteven** · November 21st, 2007, 12:06 PM

Liz posted a website ages ago with heaps of great info about children's feet.
BellyBelly Forums ~ Pregnancy, Birth & Baby
The best shoes are no shoes whenever it's practical.
Other than that Puma shoes often have a very flexible sole and I just found some fantastic nikes that have really flexible soles and are very wide as well.

**widdly** · November 21st, 2007, 06:55 PM

thanks so much for that link, i just read all the ifo and learnt a great deal, i have always been a 'shoe nazy' myself and have just spent $100 on 2 pairs of good quality shoes for Archie. thankfully i used my commonsense and made sure those shoes were wide and flexible, but after reading al that info i can't imagine he will get a lot of wear out of them anymore, he will bo a bare foot boy from now on!

**Astrid** · November 21st, 2007, 07:17 PM

I find what shoe is best depends on the child. We just got Maggie fitted for a new pair of sandals, rather than going for the cute pair, we went for the pair that fit her feet the best, they were still cute but not our first choice. Go to a store where they measure the feet and really look at how the shoe fits. They will be able to recommend the best style for their foot type.

I would love Maggie to go barefoot more often, but once she has shoes on she hates taking them off.

**Bathsheba** · November 21st, 2007, 07:25 PM

If shoes must be worn then I have a few favourite brands... Clarkes are ok but for 1st walkers i like Tip Toey Joey and Robeez. Soft leather is the way to go. I personally avoid synthetics as much as possible with all shoes for my children and myself.

**blizz** · November 21st, 2007, 07:34 PM

hi My daughter at 16mths has recently discovered the joy of walking (now crawling is no longer acceptable in her eyes it seems) I found a pair of baby crocs in a size 4 which she seems to be coping well in. There is a lot of flexibility in the soles and they have a soft neoprene strap aroumd the ankle and are really light on her feet,as well as being soooo cute also cool on her feet for summer

**Olive** · November 22nd, 2007, 12:09 PM

thanks guys,
BATH she has one pair of tip toe joey's and i love them, i was just worried about them not having enough support, do you get your online??

**Bathsheba** · November 22nd, 2007, 12:20 PM

AJP, a few local children's boutiques stock the TTJ shoes thankfully. I don't believe (I could be wrong) that toddlers require support with shoes. I think the ideal is to keep things as natural as possible in the first year of walking. I do know that when a child reaches school age that support does become an important issue. If you are looking for a good supportive school shoe I'd recommend Airflex. Regarding flat feet... my DH has them too. So far fortunately our children have not inherited them though! My feet are normal. I haven't really done anything extra to ensure my children develop normal feet except buy the best quality shoes... and of a variety of brands.... I also take my children to reputable fitters and I go for fit, comfort and quality over fashion every time.

A good but cheap brand of shoe is GroShu I have noticed that they have actually increased in quality whereas most have fallen. They are usually all leather too.

**widdly** · November 22nd, 2007, 12:31 PM

Archie has had his first "barefoot" day today, he loves it and seems to have better balance and co-ordination too. the boots and sandals i recently bought Archie aren't the cutest either, but they do fit his big wide feet really well, the brand is....ont he inside of the shoes it says "Surefit - Pawz" but ir emember on the shoebox they were called "Hopping mouse" i think, they are leather, Australian made, look nice and comfy.

**Olive** · November 22nd, 2007, 01:04 PM

bath does the shoe shop in ivanhoe sell them???

**Bathsheba** · November 22nd, 2007, 01:09 PM

No, not Mortens (is that their name?) but the Flying Squirrel does (near the Plaza) So does the boutique on Station St. Fairfield and Baby Bunting on Bourke Rd. There used to be a boutique in Heidelburg too but they closed down recently. Also there's another good shoe shop on Bourke road that sells them, run by a woman called Betty i think she really knows her stuff when it comes to shoes, i think she's been doing it for 40 years. Where are you?