Jump to content

Recommended Posts

My 15-month-old son has just started walking. He was really wobbly last week but in a week has come on loads and is quite stable now and walking rather than crawling most of the time. I just wondered when you're supposed to buy them proper fitted shoes like Clarkes as I've heard conflicting things from people.

Friends have said you have to leave it until they've been walking at least 6 weeks to buy them proper shoes otherwise they don't learn to balance properly as they're too heavy. But my son's childminder says he's ready for shoes. I keep him barefoot at home but don't want to risk that when he's toddling round outside or in a playground so the poor boy is still in Robeez elasticated leather bootees. I don't want to do the wrong thing and impede his walking plus there's the expense so happy to delay proper shoes for as long as possible!

Also, can anyone recommend a good place locally to go for fitting?

Oh good question! I have the same dilema although Little Damzel is not quite walking on her own yet, but oh so close. She's 16 months and still in those leather things - my childminder thinks they are really inappropriate and keeps hassling me to buy shoes but I've been to John Barnetts twice now and they won't sell me any until she is walking properly. I want to do the right thing but it's awkward when she's outside and wants to walk around pushing whatever she can to balance.


I just crumbled this week and bought some cheap pretend shoes from Adams which has satisfied my CM but I'm not sure it was the right thing to do...


Bishberro - I would recommend going to John Barnetts and having a chat with one of the assistants there. You definitely won't get the hard sell!

I waited a couple of months until my daughter was going for proper walks in the park or playing standing up for some length of time before getting feet measured and buying clarks.Ijust bought soft shoes from Mothercare while she was still just "pottering"around in the house and occasionally getting out of buggy plus wellies for when theground was wet
Great thread as my 10 month old son started his first unaided steps 2 weeks ago and will gladly walk around holding on to everything! Have got some startrites but a bit big so waiting to fit. In the meantime he is wearing thicker soled sandals, and the trusty crocs when outdoors. Not sure if any good for his feet?

I was told (by a clarks fitter) they have to be walking for a month in order for their feet to flatten and the shoes to fit properly.


John Barnetts have always been very good at fitting my kids shoes. I have had a very bad experience with start-rite shoes fitted at the sports shop in West Dulwich.

When my oldest started walking she was exactly 12 months old. As I recall she got her first shoes after about a month, and I was amazed by what a difference it made to her. The shoes seemed to help her balance massively and she was off like a shot.


I'm not sure what the general advice is, but I don't think it is a huge issue when you get them....on the grounds that I went to Kings for an outpatient appointment with my 9 month old about a month ago - she has one foot that turns in just slightly and they were talking about referring her to have special shoes made with a reverse camber to help the foot straighten. The physio said she could refer her right away (as she is now standing and cruising), or we could wait and do it in September which is what I have decided to do.


I can't imagine they would have offered/discussed this with me unless it was OK to do so.


Molly

i bought my daughter some cruising shoes from clarkes as she is at the in between stage. We have to go back in 4-6 weeks to get her feet measured again. I think as soon as your child is walking then you should get some proper fitted shoes from somewhere like clarkes as they make sure they fit correctly and help to support your childs feet when they are walking
Podiatrists recommend that a child is able to walk unsupported across a room and back before they are put in shoes. It is very important that they are able to feel the ground when they are first walking. Even when they are sturdy walkers it is important that they still spend as much time as possible bare foot (not even socks) unless they have a particular problem that needs correcting. The same goes for all of us.
mine just started standing (not unaided) and i got her first shoes (she's 12 months) in Dulwich village, lovely kid's shop. Shoes are great, soft but with proper support. They said (and this is what i was intending to do anyway) to put them on if she wants to walk outside while we are holding her, but keep her barefoot at home so that she can still learn to grip properly. Need to get back in 6-8 weeks, but they said these would last her a long time and they are washable in the washing machine.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • I would disagree that the tables outside the Blue Brick bothered nobody. They were not within the cafe's curtilage (one table was even placed on the other side of the road!) but on a narrow public footpath where pedestrians have a "public right of way". Added to that, some customers rearranged the tables so the footpath was blocked completely. 
    • Walking last Friday early evening anywhere near where the bottom end of Lordship Lane meets the Goose Green roundabout, one would have been directly confronted - as I was - with this scene: Outside the East Dulwich Tavern an impenetrable phalanx of pushing yobs, shouty louts and selfish yahoos pressed outward from the open doors of this establishment, past the curtilage (the land in front of and owned by the business), all across the public right of way, to the kerbside. This was the situation all the way along, end to end. I watched as passersby, old people, children, parents with buggies, people just going about their business, were forced by these booze-sucking bellowing scumbags onto the road - where, at that hour, traffic rushed endlessly off the roundabout. We have, I realised, somehow become so used to this revolting spectacles as to believe it to be inevitable. It is not. This is why I'm dropping this post. Enough really is enough. This roiling boozy blockade represents a total failure by all the responsible authorities - the licencing authority, for example - but most of all (yet once more, again, as ever), by Southwark Council. Two very different comparisons to give you some perspective: 1. The Kings Head pub on the corner of Albermarle and Stafford Streets, London SW1. Here too, patrons like to drink and chat outside on a warm evening - why should they not. But here, on the latter side a line marks the curtilage on the pavement. Drinkers remain, respectfully, in good order, within the line, watched, quietly and carefully, by a security guard. I wager good money this arrangement is a condition of this pub's licence. 2. The Blue Brick is a cafe in the quiet backstreets of East Dulwich, on the corners of Fellbrigg and Shawbury Roads. Until a few months ago, about half its covers were tables out on the pavement. They bothered nobody. Oh! But they extended all of several centimetres too far into the footpath, so into fearless action swang Southwark Council officers - and now these tables are gone. Result, eh? "Well you see," some wiseacre said to me, "There needs to be a complaint." Not actually true, but for sure this is all too often how local authorities get pushed to do what they should be doing. Hard to think why a complaint trumps, say (and god forbid!) a child being injured on the road. In which circumstance, of course!, Southwark would swing into noisy, virtue-signalling, belated action. But in any case let this post be considered a big, very definite COMPLAINT about this prolonged abuse of our public right of way. I invite readers who agree with me to add their voices. Oh, and all those wee local ward councillors might get off their chufties, defy their party managers, and actually help sort this scandal out. Thanks for reading, Lee Scoresby
    • Hi there, I saw that Google lists the park opening time as 7:30am, but I was wondering if it might actually open earlier than that - maybe anyone who’s out running early or passing by has noticed?  
    • We are thrilled to announce that Little Stars Creche in Dulwich will be opening its doors on 28th April and we would love to invite you and your little ones to an open day. Parents, carers and children aged 18 month to 5 years can meet our team and visit our wonderful setting.  Little Stars is a fun creative space for children aged 2 to 4 years to enjoy whilst parents and carers get some well needed time to catch up on life! We are so excited to bring this much-needed service to the community, and we want to thank all the wonderful parents and carers for participating in our recent survey. Your feedback was invaluable in shaping Little Stars and ensuring it meets the needs of local families. For full information about Little Stars and a detailed schedule please visit our webpage here: Little Stars Crèche We can’t wait to meet you and your little stars soon!
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...