First shoes

Just wondering what everyone else has done when getting their baby/toddler their first pair of proper shoes? Kynan has just been getting about in little padded slipper/sock type things when we go out but as he is walking now we are thinking of getting him some proper shoes in a few weeks. Does everyone wait the recommended 6w after starting to walk before putting them in shoes? What brand of shoes are best and I've heard it's best to get them properly fitted, is that right??

When Zander started to walk we got him Robeez shoes because they're said to be the closest thing to barefeet & easy to walk in at first. Now he wears anything!

Another Robeez fan here too........Olivia was in them until 6 weeks after she started walking and then I took her to be fitted at Myers for a pair of Clarks......(I always buy Clarks......my grandpa used to work for them, I have an idea that they are a good brand?)

With Charlie, he was in Robeez from our trip to the UK (from a weather perspective) at 9 months, and recently I had him fitted at Myers for a pair of Clarks pre-walkers, as whilst he isn't walking yet, he is cruising everywhere and standing up all the time.....or bum shuffling and grazing his poor bare toes..........

I have always used the Clarks pre-walkers on my three and they are a brilliant shoe. Most of the shoes they have ever worn have been Clarks. They are a great fit for wider feet too.

Huge Robeez fan here too, though not so much when he's outdoors with rough ground!
We bought him a pair of little Adidas sneaker this year, and they were REALLY good for him. It was actually quite amazing to see how his confidence and balance with running/climbing increased because he had good shoes. We tried to choose ones that specifically were flexible/soft, with a fairly flexible sole.

Alex's first pair was Clarks but now he has a pair of trainers from K-Mart as i found getting his feet in to shoes very hard as he bends his feet as you try and put shoes on.

We just got Hendy his first pair of proper shoes. Before he was also in Robeez, now he is in a pair of Clarks sandals. They fit him really well and he seems to be comfortable.
HTH

Maggie's first pair was a pair of Clarkes, we went to Betts Kids and had them properly fitted. Not cheap though. We only waited the 6 weeks by chance as she walked at 10 1/2 months, but we didn't get her shoes until she hit 12 months. We have had to buy a cheap pair of sneakers though just for Childcare (1 day per week), we do not want them to lose the good shoes.

We had Robeez before he could walk, but now he is in Clarks sandals. They seem to offer good support and comfort and style.
But I think its still important that they get as much barefoot time as possible while getting used to walking.
We bought him his first pair of gumboots the other day, they are essential items in the wet weather here.

We never had Jackson fitted, I just measured him myself and with each pair of shoes you buy, it is important to try them on them anyway because different styles and brands do fit differently. Jackson started wearing shoes @ 12 months, just the prewalkers with the rubber soles, now he has a lil' pair of chuck taylors which he wears all the time and I have just bought him a pair of sandals and a pair of beachy sort of sandles for summer. All his shoes has relatively flexible soles, but still a certain amount of give so they support his arches.

Dont buy velcro if your child has busy fingers! We lose socks and shoes everywhere ;)
Jenna's first shoes were clarks prewalkers from Myers. They were a great pair of shoes - they come in a little box with a window on them. I didn't know they were prewalkers until I got her fitted for her first proper pair of shoes about 3 months later.
Jenna is onto her next round of shoes - I just bought her sandles, new runners and a pair of maryjanes and they will do us until she goes up a size I hope!

xander got his first shoes when he started to walk.
til then he wore socks

Brooke, the books say wait till six weeks after walking to wait for fitted shoes to allow a babies feet to shape properly..........I am not sure it is 100% definate......

Robeez shoes are available online (do a Google)....they are a Canadain company who now have a distribution in Australia......you can also buy them in some specialist shoe shops too, but their online service is very good. They are adorable and they STAY ON......(the initial pair I bought for Olivia served her for 6 months, then Charlie for another 6, so whilst they seem a bit exy, well worth it in my book.......) You can also sometimes get them new on Ebay.....

Thanks guys! I'll have to suss out where we can get Clarks from. Our nearest Myer is about 2 hours away I think so I'm not driving that far just for a pair of shoes LOL. And our nearest stockist for the Robeez is over 3h away LOL. I'll have to make sure I measure Kynan's feet well myself as all the shoe stores around here seem to be staffed by teenage girls so I don't fancy our chances of getting a proper fitting done!

I used to like Clarke's but I've noticed the quality isn't as good as it used to be 10 years ago when I started buying shoes for my DD. I'm pretty fussy though. When I was in my first mother's group we had a podiatrist come and talk to us and he said that one of the most important aspects of buying shoes for toddlers is that the sole be very flexible: you should be able to bend it easily with one hand. And yes lace ups are much more supportive than slip ons. I also prefer fully leather lined (as well as leather outer) shoes... they breathe easier keeping moisture/bacteria levels down.

So what I usually do is have 5 pairs of shoes at any given time: a good leather pair, a leather pair that it doesn't matter if they scuff, and a pair of canvas sandshoes or joggers, slippers and gumboots.

If you can buy a good fitting pair of Italian shoes like Bimbi or a pair of little Doc Martens (you can get tiny ones too!) you'll find that the quality of the leather will allow you to use a bit of polish and restore the scuff to almost new. Keep an eye out for these on special. I also like GroShu as a brand for play shoes as they are fully leather lined etc but very reasonably priced and well made (pretty much like how Clarkes used to be). My biggest issue with Clarkes is that the lining is often made of a synthetic fabric/textile that often comes loose inside the shoe and holds the dirt and smells etc. But I guess this isn't such a problem with first shoes.

Anyhow I've rambled on a bit... bit of a pet topic... feet are so important... good thread :)

ETA: Oooh I've just been to the Robeez site... there's some fantastic new designs!

ETA #2: I've just been to Ebay (Australia) and there are quite a few Robeez there too.... mostly going for around $15.

Aidyn has had 2 pairs of Robeez, and they have lasted the distance. His current pair are sized for 18-24 months I believe, but they still fit him fine, and have a few more months in left in them (and he has big feet for his age too!) - I think maybe they have stretched over time? But great value for money.. he wears them to daycare, and to the creche at the gym.

I actually took Jackson's two pairs of cheapo sandals back to the store today. I didn't think after getting them home and having a good look at them that they were flexible enough. I went to Myer and looked at Clarks, but thought $49-$69 was a bit riduculous for a 16 month old's shoes that he will outgrow by the time he is 2 anyway. I ended up getting a pair of crosby's which were $25, they are buckle and velcro, open toe, closed heel, suede leather upper, and leather inner with a very flexible but thick durable rubber sole. They are gorgeous, very trendy looking and he was running down the hall in them 1st go. They were from payless.

My bigest problem with shoes at the moment is Zander's fat feet!! That's sounds really bad I know. But the problem is size 5 sandles fits him lengthwise, but his feet are too chubby to do them up, but size 6 ones even though they do up are too long :S

Sarah, there are some brands that are nice and wide like Osh Kosh (they make great little canvas shoes, Wade is wearing a pair ATM)... for summer there are those Crocs shoes which are kinda like Birkenstocks (also a nice broad style shoe)... I can't think of any others off the top of my head but a good store to try is Betts Shoes for Kids. I've found them to have to best quality and range for unusual sizings.

Sarah, Matilda has issues with width in shoes. We found the Crocs to work but we had to get the Big W ones as they were wide enough LOL. We have gotten shoes from Vans that fit her width & we order online. I find Kmart & Target shoes to be way too thin for her feet which is sad because I went a bit nuts last year & bought some shoes that were way too big for her & now that they should fit they are too thin.

Hehe glad I'm not the only one with a chubby footed bubba! I will definately look into Crocs & Betts. I really need to find something soon as his pair of joggers have died and he can't be wearing his gym boots for much longer because it's so hot.

Kaitlyn has two pairs of clarkes pre-walkers and she loves them so much she hunts me down so I will put them on her!. Very comfy soft soles .

I hunted high and low for a pair of shoes to fit DS. He has a high instep, so the only shoe we could get on his feet were a pair of nike sneakers. They are so soft, and light. He has had no problems walking in them...He loves wearing them too