Baby is walking but don't want to get shoes yet!

[SoupDragon]

My DD started walking yesterday ! She's only 8.5 months but very tall and strong, and even though its just a handful of steps, she's very steady on her feet. She's obviously still preferring to crawl over greater distances or if she wants to get somewhere in a hurry, but she likes practicing her walking lots too!

I know she shouldn't have shoes until she's been walking for about 6 weeks, and I don't want to rush her into shoes she's not going to wear much, as we'll be going to Clarks and they're not cheap!

Buuut it's summer and she's going to be outside, and she's going to want to walk outside in the garden at home and at other people's houses. I don't want her hurting her feet but I don't want to stop her walking. What should I do? Should I get her some cruisers or something? I really don't want to be putting her into walking shoes right now as it's so much better for them to be barefoot while getting to grips with walking!

TIA for any insights!

 

[Teri7489]

Isabella walked at 9 months but we didn't buy her first shoes until she was a year old. They cost £35 from clarks and only lasted 8 weeks. We preferred her to be barefoot but if she was outside walking (which was only a handful of times as was winter time almost) we put big socks with anti slip bottoms on. Now she runs about outside without shoes but we use those padded floor mats for her to play on. Xxx

 

[SoupDragon]

Thank you Teri, I hadn't thought of something like slipper socks - genius! I know where I can get some of those that would be just the thing for outside - more like socks, and grippy, with thick enough soles to protect her feet from stones etc, but not 'shoes' as such. Awesome

 

[catty]

ehat about moccs (moccasians) there really cute and soft but gives a little extra protection

 

[calm]

Could I ask why you say this about shoes? I was never told this before X

 

[SoupDragon]

about not having them straight away? it's to allow them to find their balance by being able to feel the floor against their bare foot, and the more they go barefoot the better their foot structure will be, as if they're enclosed in shoes all the time while they're this soft the bones could be compressed (if the shoes are badly fitting or getting too small) and the muscles don't get a proper workout. Obviously for walking outdoors they need them, but the advice is to let them be barefoot inside as much as possible, and not to get shoes fitted within the first 6 weeks of walking if at all possible.

 

[SurpriseBub]

I have been told that you should have babies in flexible shoes for the first few months of walking so the foot shape and gait aren't affected by the shape of any firm shoes. Have a look at Robeez Dotty Fish are very similar and cheaper on Amazon's UK site.

 

[Cattia]

I put mine in those little soft leather slippers from eBay, they were only about a fiver a pair and protected their feet outside until I got them cruisers. In fact my DS neverHaddon cruisers at all as his feet weret too big for the biggest size.

 

[x__amour]

DS has been walking for about a month now and we just got him his first pair of shoes from PediPed. They're leather shoes that are designed to be like walking barefoot. He loves them.

 

[CaptainMummy]

My dd2 walked at 9 months, and stopped crawling completely before she turned 10 months. She got her first pair of shoes at 10.5 months. She only wore them when we were walking outside, and I always took them off once she was in the buggy again. Before that, I just put two pairs of socks on her as long as it was dry and the ground wasnt going to hurt her feet

 

[minties]

Thomas was either bare foot, in socks or those very soft leather bottomed shoes. Sophie was the same.

We like being barefooted in our family. My kids were about 2.5 before they wore firm soled shoes.

 

[SoupDragon]

Thanks for all the input!

I've got her a pair of soft leather-soled slippers/moccs, to see what they're like. Her feet are huge (she's in age 1-2 socks and is a 4.5F already!) and the Robeez brand does a 12-18m size which is for shoe size 4.5-6, so I thought that will have sufficient growing room for a few weeks use before we go to Clarks for her first proper shoes. She is starting childcare in August so will need firm-ish soled shoes then as she will be going out in the garden with the other children, and hopefully she'll be pretty steady on her feet and not crawling much by then, too.

Argh, my baby girl is growing up too fast!

 

[MindUtopia]

If she's going to be outside lots, I would get a pair of cruisers from Clark's (actually they recommend them even if your LO is walking independently, not just crusing, as they shouldn't go into real shoes when they are just walking) and then I'd only use them for being outside. When she's inside or on soft grass, let her be barefoot. Our daughter started to walk about this time last year, we got her some cruisers, as we were leaving a few days later for a 9 day camping trip and would be outside all the time. When we were at home or when she was at nursery, inside, she went barefoot. She was walking confidently (not crawling anymore at all) within about 6 weeks, and those first shoes lasted us maybe 4 months, so was a good investment.