As our little tots take their first steps it’s time to think about taking a trip to the shoe shop – not that we need an excuse! And it’s totally guilt free as it’s those all important first shoes for what was not so long ago our little new born.
Although there may be some seriously cute mini-me styles across the high street babywear departments we all know they should just be for ‘weekends’ and investing in a pair of professionally fitted, specially designed first shoes is a must. Here’s why:
- Between the ages of 1 to 4 your child’s feet will grow up to two shoe sizes every year, then by age 5 their bones start to close together and will continue to grow for at least ten more years.
- When your baby is at the cruising stage you should get their feet measured regularly as they can grow up to three whole sizes in the first year.
- Once your tot moves on from wobbly steps on their own to becoming a confident walker they’ll start to learn to jump and run; needing special support. Not to mention the breathability required for sweaty little feet that are always on the move!
You will probably get the all important first shoes at the crawling or cruising stage, when shoes need to be lightweight and flexible but also stable to protect little toes. Then, once walking is confident the shoes need to become sturdier.
Our story
We took Coco Lily to the classic go-to for children’s shoes, Clarks where we were talked through all of the above by a trained fitter and shown our choices for the stage she was at (cruising-come-wobbly walker!). We chose the Ida Chic style (pictured below). Coco Lily isn’t one for girly girly flowers but this dark pink goes with most of her wardrobe and the flower design was quite simple. Also, the dark sole seemed the most practical. The raised sole at the front means if she does crawl in them her toes are protected and the inside is the softest leather I’ve ever felt.
Sitting comfortably, her feet were measured for length and width and we were given her size of 4 1/2 with a F width fitting. Out came the chosen shoes and once they were on the fitter took some photos (after much persuasion to try walking in them, to no avail, we settled for a sitting down pose!) and they were printed and placed in a pack for us to take home. The pack also contained a height chart and a card with the date and size measured and a recommendation for the next fitting, in 6-8 weeks. Yes, SIX to EIGHT weeks. If only someone could tell us we need more shoes with the same regularity as roots being retouched!
And if you’re approaching that landmark purchase here’s the best of the rest from Clarks First Shoes this season:
If you’ve already had a fitting and know the size you can buy online here
And to be fair to Coco Lily, after showing off her first shoes to the world, here’s her mama in hers…
I know I am just being joyless, but I have an idea that despite what those helpful chaps at Clarks say and sell, shoes aren’t actually recommended for small feet. I think that people used to think they were necessary to support the foot, but now it’s recognised that little feet need to feel the ground beneath them, and to flex and develop muscles and flexibilty. I *think* therefore that the recommendation is to just use soft-soled shoes (like those sueded soled ones, not like ‘crawlers’) for as long as you can, and only buy shoes with solid soles once your child is walking outside a lot, and otherwise their feet would get wet or scratched.
I think you’re right, Rachel. We stuck with soft slipper types until Coco Lily was ready and wanting to take steps outside which is when we went to get her fitted for something a bit more substantial but even now she only wears them if she’s going to be out of the buggy, in the park for example, when it’s probably best she can’t feel the floor quite so much! The shoes we bought are still really flexible but I know exactly what you mean. Thank you for taking the time to post a comment 🙂 And if you can recommend any great suede or slipper type shoes for crawlers do post links and let us know! We love Mocci’s.
When she gets a bit older Geox are an excellent alternative to Clarks, they can be a bit pricey but I got some lovely purple patent boots for my daughter in the sale! They have breathable bottoms that let out moisture and air with out letting water in (they also do fab grown up shoes for mummies too if your budget can stretch that far!) We got them when she was about 17 months old and she is still wearing them now at 21 months as they are so well made and have plenty of room for her little feet to grow and are great for her when getting up to mischief outdoors! Will definitely be getting her some again come autumn!
They sound fantastic, thank you for the tip! Maybe worth a feature in their own right! Thanks for your comment x