The cost of shoes

[chele]

This has prob been asked/discussed before, so I apologise in advance.

But oh wowweeeeeeeeeeee..

Why on earth are toddler shoes soooooo expensive?

Max's prewalkers were £24 and he's finally grown into the next size and has a pair of startrite shoes that cost me £38. I almost fainted at the cash desk.

How much do you pay? Where do you get your shoes from? How many pairs does LO have? How important is it to get the right width fitting and not just get any old pair in the shoe size not taking width into account? Or do you not bother with widths at all

Thanks x

 

[_Vicky_]

I hear ya!!! x2!!!

We get one pair of shoes at a time - last bill was £56 and considering that was the end of July they probably need a new size soon!!!!

 

[rockstar]

I have just discovered a good website. Shoesforkids.co.uk good quality and cheap!

 

[hellohefalump]

Clarks is good when the sale's on, got Mojo's last pair for £8! Usually £28.

I think width fitting is important so i always go for Clarks. The bones in a toddlers feet aren't entirely hard yet, and it means you can mis-shape their feet for life by putting them in shoes that don't fit properly.

 

[mrsraggle]

I bought a pair of boots for Ellie from mothercare on Saturday. They were £12. I won't put her in them very often just if she's ever going to be walking outdoors in the wet. I'm a bit scared of ruining her feet but at £30+ a pop, Clarks is a bit dear!!

 

[teal]

I agree! So expensive. My son has quite wide feet, he's a 4.5H so I've been getting his from clarkes since I know they'll fit well His last pair of shoes cost £32! More than I spent on my last pair which I got in the sale xx

 

[freckleonear]

We used to use Clarks but since discovering the benefits of barefoot shoes we buy those instead. They cost about £30 from a small local shop, so about the same as Clarks. They only have one pair of proper shoes each, a pair of cheap wellies and sandals in the summer.

 

[letia659]

I just got Zander new shoes paid $32 (which is about what I pay for all his new shoes!) for them he does seem to wear the same size for several months so we're luck on that! he has 4 pair 3 of which are pre-owned or his big brothers that I had kept

 

[slf2010]

I have twins- Spent £64 on 2 pairs of shoes in clarks at the weekend- can't believe they will only last 6-8 weeks it's shocking, just don't understand why something so tiny costs SO much! x

 

[momof2babies]

I spent a fortune on noah's shoes because he needs perfectly fitting shoes on the other end jessica does fine if there a little big as long as there canvas

 

[Snowball]

I always think this! Ozzie's feet are like a 3rd of the size of mine but I pay more for shoes for him than I do myself!

 

[slf2010]

Its hard to rationalise isn't it lol! x

 

[Cattia]

It's incredible how expensive they are! I am always looking longingly at the cheap little boots and shoes in ASDA and places like that but I know that at her age Abigail really needs properly fitted ones so I only buy them in Clarks. Luckily my mum has bought the last two pairs! I really want to get her some boots for the winter but they are about £40! She only has one pair of proper shoes, wellies and sandals, I think sandals and wellies don't need to be fitted in the same way so I will buy them cheap but not her main shoes.

 

[Kate&Lucas]

I couldn't face paying that much on a single pair of shoes. I've never bothered with width, I measured his feet myself and bought his first shoes from Mothercare. The price of Clarks and the like actually make my eyes water.

I'm sure width is important but so is eating

 

[Alena201]

Getting good shoes for your kid is a big task. We always wish to get the best and most importantly something that is more of comfortable.

 

[Tacey]

Like freckleonear, we go for barefoot shoes too. We get them from Happy Little Soles. They're about the same price as Clarks, but the quality is fantastic, and they're so flexible for little developing feet. I don't by many shoes (Alice has a pair of sandals, pair of boots, and wellies) as I'd rather have quality over quantity. Actually, I'd rather have both - a girl can dream!

 

[fairy1984]

we go for one pair of clarks at a time (or start-rite) and then try to have a second pair for going in the garden/getting trashed/occasional use but for nursery and times when shes in shoes all day she will wear her clarks.

i think in alot of ways clarks have the monopoly on kids shoes and can charge what they want because the advise is to get properly fitted shoes or your childrens feet will be damaged so of course loads of us are going to rush to get properly fitted shoes when we hear that. not many places do start-rites and buying over the internet means that you cant guarentee that they'll fit just right.

however, clarks are in all towns so people have no choice really. plus i find clarks ones arent even that nice looking most of the time! i usually umm and arrr over which are the least worst out of my selection (especially when you see the pretty ones in places like Next/Mothercare etc)

sorry...rant over!

 

[baboo]

i have twins as well and left £78 lighter after getting their winter boots, it is expensive but its so important at this age that they fit properly.x