First Shoes Question - Sizing and shops

[susan_1981]

My son has recently started walking. I haven't bought him any proper shoes yet as he still likes to do his bum shuffle (he never crawled) so I don't want to buy him proper shoes until he chooses walking as his main form of getting around. But I popped into Clarks today anyway and had his feet measured. He's a 4G. I hate the pricing in there. £38 for a pair of shoes that he'll probably outgrow in a couple of months is ridiculously expensive so I may go via ebay anyway. But my question is as their feet grow, do they generally keep the same width fitting or is that very likely to change as well? This is the first time he's been measured and I have to say that I'm tempted to buy a 5G (or 4.5 if they do it) so that he'll get a little bit longer out of them. And obviously this is Clarks' sizing guide. Is it pretty much the same sizing in other children's shoe shops?

Also, are there any other shops that sell good children's first shoes? I don't even like the ones in Clarks but my health visitor said it is important that he has good supportive first shoes.

 

[Lina]

HV is absolutely right, you cannot afford to scrimp on well fitting shoes. I get his from trotters, as they fit best and are most stylish.

 

[izzlesnizzle]

I heard the width stays the same. My LO started off with 4F shoes early aug and they still fit so its about 8 weeks since she got them. I agree £38 is a lot for every 8-10 wks. She walks well in them but as a comparison she has some from next and always falls over in them and she falls a lot in her wellies too so its easier to get good fitting shoes that will stabilise his feet better. I too don't like the shoes they have in clarks at the moment. All the kids are in the same and I don't like that, I like to be a little bit different so im looking for another option to clarks aswell.

Just to add, I just looked at the clarks website and they have a lot more options than the shop nearest to me has and theyre around £30, still fairly expensive but best to have good support for their little soft feet. Especially as my LO wants to walk everywhere now rather than sit in the buggy.

 

[isabellastar]

My lg has always been a H fitting and shes on her 4th pair from Clark's she has chunky feet, but I agree Clark's are defo the best, compared to other cheaper shops my lg will wear hers nearly everyday and they barely show any sign of wear compared to her shoes from next which are trashed within a week so would defo say its worth the extra money

 

[RaspberryK]

I don't agree that clarkes are good though!
Xx

 

[Aoifesmum12]

Funny this thread came up... I just took my lo for new shoes yesterday, her first 'proper' pair (as in with harder soles rather than 1st walkers) and they were really expensive (49.00�&#56881. Last time my lo had new shoes 4 months ago (her feet didn't grow for ages) she measured at a 4g whereas. Yesterday they had actually gone smaller in width and gone down to an F.

The lady at the shop was telling me that apparently when childrens feet grow, they tend to grow 'out' first and then grow in length. So say if they were to notice a child's feet had gone very wide, then they are likely to grow in length very soon.

You could always buy a measurer off ebay, they sell the clarks ones on there.

I too agree, it's really important to have properly fitting shoes for toddlers. My lo's had bobux and babybotte shoes and they've been beautiful and they're really well made x

 

[Loui1001]

I buy my LO startrite shoes after a podiatrist at work recommended them instead of Clark's, they last really well and are a bit nicer than Clark's x

 

[Rose_red]

I get my son's shoes from brantano, think they just UK. They measure and are a lot cheaper.

 

[susan_1981]

Thanks everyone. I have a Brantano near me actually so I'll pop in there and I'll try startrite x

 

[geordiemoo]

I always take dd to charles clinkard for her shoes. They have a much better range and 3 out of 4 times ive managed to get sale shoes, even if the sale is finished, check if they have anything left. Alternatively is there a clarks outlet anywhere near you. I really think shoes are the one area you shouldnt scrimp on so am willing to pay for a good pair. I personally dont think the clarks staff fit shoes as well as charles clinkard, where a superviser checks them before you leave.

I know £30 or £40 is a lot of money but my dd has only needed shoes every 3/4 months so its really only a tenner a month.

 

[SassyLou]

Remember that when they measure its only a guide, we took DD for shoes a couple of weeks ago (clarks in Sainsburys as dh is obsessed with getting nectar points lol) the girl brought 5 different pairs out in DDs size and even though they were the right size the girl wasn't happy with the fit of 2 pairs! I know if you buy from clarks website they'll check the fit in store.

 

[LuckyYem]

Personally I buy startrite because I prefer them to clarks. I have found with both girls' that their feet don't grow as much as I thought they would tbh. I'm a little bit obsessed with getting their feet measured but probably only have to buy a bigger size every 4-6 months

 

[Buttercup84]

I prefer Startrite to Clarks but honestly i'd go for shoes that are well fitted rather than those that look the nicest at this stage. Somewhere like John Lewis, Brantano or an independent shoe shop which stocks several brands is a good idea I think as you can try a wide range of styles to get a good fit

 

[jensonsmummy]

I think the quality of Clark's has went downhill from I had my first LO. I have switched to startrite and they seem so much better

 

[kmumtobe]

My LO has always been a g, he's a 6.5 now, gone up from a 4.5 in 14 months when he first started walking.

 

[CaptainMummy]

At 11mths, paige was a 4G. Now she is a 6E so has went from wider feet to narrow feet. She tends to stay at one size for quite a while (since she has only went up 2 sizes in 32 mths) so her shoes last her a good bit

 

[hayz_baby]

I used to work as a fitter at Clarks. Feet can change in width, like a pp said they can grow long then width. And width and length are in proportion iykwim so if they grow length wise and not width wise then effectively in the next size up they can b a width smaller. Also all shoes are designed differently, as all measurements are a guide, like a good starting point. If u have a show that is particularly "deep" then that can affect the width that is fitted. So the style of shoe can affect what size is fitted too. Also with second hand shoes they mold to the child's foot (feel inside your shoes) and so can create fiction on the foot as it is not the correct foot. Have a main pair of shoes that are properly fitted and bulk it up with additional shoes. Usually they main shoes are usually the school shoes. There are also other options such as Charles clinkard and brantano (can't speak for all brantanos but the one where we live isn't the greatest) I do agree they are expensive

Eta also as babies loose their baby fat, that also goes on the feet which also can affect width. Also I fitted so many teenage boys with narrow feet, even when mum has said he was always so wide teenage boys quite regurally have narrow feet!

 

[candyem]

I just bought my son his third pair of Clark's shoes this morning.

I got his first pair at 10months to keep his feet warm. Pram shoes would never stay in as I had to get them so big as his feet were really wide.

At 12 months when he was walking he measured as a 4g and I got him a pair if canvas shoes and they were perfect for the summer. They lasted him four months. I took him to be re-measured several times but they kept seeing me away saying he had plenty if room.

I got him a pair of converse that he has been wearing since, and had to get a 5 mainly due to the width. They were ok, but were quite tricky to get on. As they had laces I kept them fairly loose.

His new shoe/boots today fit like a glove and will keep his feet warm. He is walking brilliantly in them and they are really soft and flexible. I got him a pair in next last week and after watching him clomping around and fall over several times I took them back. This pair may cost twice as much but it is worth it for a good fitting pair of shoes.

Ps - I am a bit of a shoe snob and only found one style that I really liked, luckily they had his size so I didn't have to compromise!

 

[Charlee]

I go to Clarkes, but thats only because he has wide feet so most shops are a tight fit. He is currently a 5F and was a 4G last time. He walks brill in them too and I started them as soon as he started cruising to get him used to them. I only paid £30 and they are trainer type but soft genuine leather. They aren't soft bottoms but not completely hard, he loves them.

 

[Rósa]

I slightly went off Clarks when I went one day to Cardiff (who have 3 Clarks there) and each shop she came out a different size.