Buying shoes for kids

[Bini]

When did you start buying quality shoes for your kids? Let me clarify. My daughter is just under 2-years old and has been walking for about 7 months. Currently, I save a lot of money on footwear at places like Target, buying generic brand shoes. I figure that she's just going to quickly grow out of more expensive purchases. So when's a good time to invest in better quality footwear? When she starts school? I think the age she's at now, she can get away with wearing cheap shoes but I do know that "good quality" shoes, make a huge difference in foot care and comfort later on.. So what did you do with your kids?

[Guest]

Right now she's growing so fast anyway. I doubt she'd wear a pair of shoes long enough to wear them out.

I think school is probably a good time to invest in better footwear. (Keen is a great brand and they happen to be having a sale on them at zulily.com, if anyone is looking.)

[Guest DeborahC]

Answer: When they were old enough to work and raise the money themselves to buy "quality" shoes.

[Wingnut]

My older daughter is in Pre-K, and will be 5 in April. I just bought her a new pair of sneakers that are the first ones in over two years that I didn't buy at a thrift shop. They're also the first ones that I deliberately bought bigger, so she could grow into them. When she was your daughter's age, I was buying new shoes every fall and every spring -- soooooo not worth putting money into. On the other hand, I have a friend who has a daughter about 6 months younger than mine, and two summers ago I saw that little girl wearing Keens in the river. $50 shoes for a two-year-old.

[Dravin]

My vote would be when their feet stabilize enough to justify the additional life-span of such shoes (which may not be until adulthood and you are no longer buying shoes for them). If they need new shoes every X months it doesn't make sense to spend more to ensure their shoes last 2X months.

[Guest]

I have 4 daughters, so it makes sense to buy shoes that will last through 4 daughters. Circo and Walmart brand often barely last a school year, sometimes not even that.

But I'm also really good at finding good sales, and I hold out until I do. I'm also not above thrifting or looking on Craigslist to find the quality and price I want.

[BadWolf]

Wow.

I take the opposite view of most people, I guess.

My feeling is that growing bones/tendons/ligaments need the BEST in way of quality & support.

Later, once they stop growing so fast, then the cheap / no support stuff doesn't matter as much. Until then..

Foot bone's connected to the knee bone, knee bone's connected to the hip bone, hip bone's connected to the back bone...

(yep I really DID take all my premed and anthropology A&P and osteology courses, I promise!!!)

... I want as little unnecessary stress, torsion, impact, etc. on growing skeletomuscular systems.

It means only owning 2 pairs of shoes at a time (instead of the closet full o'shoes one can buy with cheap ones on the same budget), but to me, the trade off is worth it.

[Vort]

Wow.

I take the opposite view of most people, I guess.

My feeling is that growing bones/tendons/ligaments need the BEST in way of quality & support.

Later, once they stop growing so fast, then the cheap / no support stuff doesn't matter as much. Until then..

Foot bone's connected to the knee bone, knee bone's connected to the hip bone, hip bone's connected to the back bone...

(yep I really DID take all my premed and anthropology A&P and osteology courses, I promise!!!)

... I want as little unnecessary stress, torsion, impact, etc. on growing skeletomuscular systems.

It means only owning 2 pairs of shoes at a time (instead of the closet full o'shoes one can buy with cheap ones on the same budget), but to me, the trade off is worth it.

I agree in principle. In practice, NO shoes is the healthiest choice for feet, unless you're walking on tacks and/or pathogens all the time.

In former times, our ancestors wore shoes that consisted of leather bags stuffed with straw. They were amazingly comfortable, and our ancestors did not suffer from many of the foot- and back-related problems we have. (They had lots of other problems to more than make up for it, of course.)

Shoes are a very mixed blessing. If your kids aren't wearing shoes very much during the day, such as if they're indoors or outside in a controlled environment (yard), then shoes simply are not very important. In my view, it's ridiculous to spend $100 on a pair of shoes for a two-year-old.

[Bini]

You know, before I had my daughter, I was a real shopper snob. Even when I was pregnant, I had all these ideas that I was going to buy brand new, and nothing used or generic brand. I'm so glad I have a sensible mum (and MIL) that have shown me how you can save your bucks and find quality items that last. Sometimes, it does take some leg work and looking around but overall, the payoff (saving money and not paying full retail on something that you may otherwise do so) is worth it and it's a good feeling too -- you know, to reduce, reuse, and recycle things. Though it's been a while, I like D.I's advert that reads something like: Give things a second chance. So true, so true.

Now, I'm trying to convince two ladies in my life that are first time expectant mothers, to save their money and purchase second hand, or consider some generic brands versus name brands. I remember this past winter (well I guess we're still in winter technically.. lol), I wanted to buy my daughter a pair of her own Minnetonka boots, and thought that toddler shoes would be reasonably priced -- wrong! They're still around $50, depending on style, and of course size. Even on eBay, preowned children Minnetonka's and UGG's are a bit pricey, they still want $30 for them.

[applepansy]

Kids do not wear their shoes out until they get into school and even then they don't wear out Sunday shoes or even snow boots. Saving money on children's shoes is a good plan.

Now having said that I would like to make an important point because my husband who is now 56 has had to have surgery on his feet. The reason was because he wore hand me down shoes or cheap shoes which didn't fit. His parents didn't make sure the shoes fit correctly because they didn't know how important it is for children to have shoes that fit.

Children's bones are soft (which is good or they would break a bone every time they fell down while learning to walk). If their shoes don't fit correctly then as they grow their bones conform to the shoes and sometimes that's not a good thing.

Make sure her toes do not hit the end of the shoe and make sure they are wide enough but not too wide. Too big is just as bad as incorrect fit.

Payless shoes, Walmart, Target, Shopko, Famous Footwear ... you can find shoes that fit and not break the bank doing it.

(Hand me down shoes are not a bad idea...just make sure they fit correctly. Thank heaven for my sisters and the hand me downs for my grandson, and thank heaven most of the shoes have fit.)

EDIT: I'm thankful my mother was a nurse who worked for an Orthopedic doctor. She insisted we have shoes that FIT! It was an obsession with her and still is. I thought it was nuts until my husband had to have surgery.

Edited January 18, 2013 by applepansy

[Iggy]

Buying shoes from a thrift store or garage sale, make sure you CLEAN them and disinfect the inside. Even children get athletes feet!! I wear Crocs now. Wish I had worn them when I was younger- my feet hurt me all the time!

I would put her in Croc's - measure her foot according to their directions, then purchase the shoes. I only order online, and I have never had to send any back. I love them!!!

[pam]

I never spent much on my kids shoes. Usually purchased them at Payless Shoes. They grew so fast, I just couldn't see spending that much money on them.

[dahlia]

My mother insisted on StrideRite shoes for my son. I don't know if it is still the case, but these were considered good quality children's shoes. I was a law student with 0$ and had to buy $35 shoes for a baby or "he will never learn how to walk correctly." : ) Meanwhile, I was walking around in 7$ shoes from PayLess.

I think you buy the shoes you can afford when they are young. Once they are in school and running around all day, they need a better shoe. At the risk of sounding like my mother, a tennis shoe is not a 'better shoe.' You should also go at least once to have their feet properly measured.

As I type this I realize I'm sounding very old fashioned compared to the young women in my ward who just go to Walmart for their kids shoes. If I had to do it over again, I would buy 'good' school shoes from a full service shoe retailer or department store, and less expensive tennis and casual shoes from wherever.

[pam]

Unfortunately I was one of those kids that my mom had to spend more money on for shoes growing up. I have such a high instep, it's difficult for me to find shoes that work well for me.

[Bini]

Buying shoes from a thrift store or garage sale, make sure you CLEAN them and disinfect the inside. Even children get athletes feet!! I wear Crocs now. Wish I had worn them when I was younger- my feet hurt me all the time!

I would put her in Croc's - measure her foot according to their directions, then purchase the shoes. I only order online, and I have never had to send any back. I love them!!!

Her priciest shoes are two pairs of Crocs. Summer and winter. They're nice cos they tend to be roomier shoes, so she can wear them for several months.

[Iggy]

Her priciest shoes are two pairs of Crocs. Summer and winter. They're nice cos they tend to be roomier shoes, so she can wear them for several months.

My Dad had serious foot problems - and he always blamed having to wear his brother's hand me down shoes/boots (cowboy boots, this is in SD farm/ranch country in 1915- 1925, when he was growing up.

So, for all of his children(7 of us), we never wore hand me down shoes. Mom sold homemade bread & cinnamon rolls, and Grandma made & sold aprons to get the money for new shoes for all of us.

When I was first diagnosed with Diabetes, my Primary Care sent me to a Podiatrist and he put me into Crocs. There was only two years in my entire life when I wore 'Pretty'shoes, and they killed my feet, which killed my hips, back, neck & head. Head Aches!! I was so used to wearing ugly shoes that were supportive and comfortable, that Crocs were like coming home! Though they do have cute shoes and I own several pairs.

My husband was cramming his feet into a size 10.5 shoe. He actually walked with mincing steps. He had callouses on the tips of his toes and all across the tops of his feet from his shoes being too small. He went to my Podiatrist to have a plantar wart removed and the Dr. told him he was walking on the sides of his feet, on his ankles actually. He recommended a particular shoe - one that cost nearly $200.00.

I printed off the fitting chart from Croc's and lo and behold, Hubby should be wearing a size 12!

He still walks on the side of his feet - he really requires surgery on his ankles to correct decades of improper fitting shoes. But since he has been wearing his Croc's, the Chiropractor no longer has to readjust his hips by pulling his legs.

[Guest DeborahC]

I love these responses. I have to retract my answer because I was reading "designer" shoes instead of "quality" shoes.

I agree that children's feet need good support.

But my feeling is that, more than good support, they need to be encouraged to go barefoot as often as possible. I don't believe our feet are designed to be encased in shoes. The nerve endings in the feet go all the way to the brain and I read recently that studies have shown one reason old people lose their balance is from having their feet in shoes - I'll have to find that and repost the information. It was pretty convincing.

But if there must be shoes, let them fit! ::laughing::

[dahlia]

Do Crocs make your feet sweat? If you wear socks with them, do you look like an old Berkeley hippie with socks and Birkenstocks?

For people with feet issues, there is Massey and Foot Care. Both have catalogs and online sites. For women, Easy Spirit has sturdy, nice looking shoes, and a ton of sizes. They can be pricey, so if you don't have money to spare, catch them when they have a sale. Foot Care is expensive, but depending on your problem, it may be one of the few places you can get shoes. I buy accessories from them, but can usually find the same shoes cheaper from another provider.

You wouldn't think you could buy shoes online, but once you know what manufacturer you like (I'm partial to Easy Spirit and Grasshoppers), you can generally order without problem. Other than a pair of slippers from Walmart, I can't think when I last went into a shoe store. Plus, if you are a regular customer, you get all kinds of special sales.

[Bini]

Do Crocs make your feet sweat? If you wear socks with them, do you look like an old Berkeley hippie with socks and Birkenstocks?

My daughter wears sometimes wears socks with her Crocs and she's cute as a button!

[Iggy]

Do Crocs make your feet sweat? If you wear socks with them, do you look like an old Berkeley hippie with socks and Birkenstocks?

For people with feet issues, there is Massey and Foot Care. Both have catalogs and online sites.

No, Croc's don't make your feet sweat, with or without socks. They have nubbies on the inside, so socks tend to twist around.

I wear Rx - they have stuff inbedded in them to counter athletes foot. But I also spray my feet before I get out of the shower with Listerine. Kills athletes foot.

My podiatrist put me into Croc's- I am diabetic, so the roomier shoe is best for me. Also the support is fantastic.

Croc's are a far cry from looking like Birkenstock's. CrocsRxâ„¢ Ultimate Cloud | Medical Shoes | Crocs, Inc. I wear these with the strap across the top of the foot.

Crocs™ Grace Flat | Comfortable Women’s Work Shoes | Crocs Official Site This is what I wear to church, and I also have a wedge that they no longer make.

[pam]

Crocs did make my feet sweat. A lot.