Baby Shoes

Question: Baby shoes - are they damaging for your little one's feet if you use them too early?

(Posted by: LoveMyLisiate on 2010-01-19 10:16:13)

Hi everyone! I& #039;m just doing some last minute shopping and I really wanted to get some baby shoes. I would only use the soft sole baby shoes until my little one starts walking properly, but I& #039;m not sure what size to buy? I don& #039;t quite think there is any reason to buy shoes for a baby younger than 5- 6 months old, would this be too early for them to be wearing soft- sole baby shoes? Also, what size was your baby wearing when they were roughly 6 months old? UK/ AU sizing please :) Thanks in advance :)

Posted by: Katrina P on 2010-01-19, 15:52:15

My friend is a podiatrist and has 2 little boys, she only had her first one in very soft and flexible shoes until about 2 then went a bit more sturdy, basically they need to freedom to move their feet as if they had no shoes on, too rigid can cause problems later on. I did put my daughter in shoes early on but only for special occasions. She 's 13mths now, not walking yet and I still very rarely put shoes on her. They are so hard to get on and she always pulls them off just to want them back on again. When she is walking I 'll make sure she always has shoes but probably still soft ones for a little while yet. When they do get into proper harder shoes you need to make sure they are still flexible around the ball of the foot so it is easy for them to walk in. I hope this helps.

Posted by: ✮Elodie's Mummy✮has 6 Angels on 2010-01-19, 10:19:41

My little girl is 7 weeks and has a few pairs of soft soled shoes, but hardly ever wears them because she just kicks them off lol. You can buy some if you like, but your LO will most likely kick them off within 10 minutes of wearing them. x

Posted by: Rae's Momma on 2010-01-19, 10:25:45

I agree. My aunt bought my LO some shoes and she just kicks them off. I almost bought her 1st pair of Pumas a while ago but now I 'm glad I didn 't because it would have been a waste of $40.

Posted by: LGM on 2010-01-19, 10:30:23

I started my daughter on shoes once she started to become mobile, about six months of age. The shoes I used were soft soled, leather shoes, which adapt very nicely to the child 's foot. Bobux or Robeez are brands that have good websites for information. There are also cheaper brands without website. These shoes are frequently sold labeled by age or just small/ medium/ large. Small would work fine on a five months old foot. I found both Bobux and Robeez shoes stay on very well, other less flexible shoes fall off more easily. There are also socks with non-slip soles that work well inside the house.

Posted by: Mommy of 5 on 2010-01-19, 10:30:54

I do not know uk/ au sizes. But I think putting shoes on babies before they are even trying to walk is pointless. They kick them off or pull them off. No one can really tell you what size to buy. My oldest daughter was born wearing a 2 (american) and by the time she was walking was in the biggest baby size they had. She has big feet. If you want a happy medium they have those baby socks that make it look like your child is wearing shoes. They are really cool too. Some of them have it like laces on the top but not real laces, some of them look like little girl dress shoes with straps. I really like those socks.

Posted by: .pokey. on 2010-01-19, 10:30:59

If they 're not yet walking or attempting to walk then shoes are fine. The biggest issue is going to be the baby trying to pull them off. Once they start walking, shoes can be more of an inconvenience. Any shoe with very hard soles or shoes that constrict the ankles can prevent the baby from walking efficiently. But shoes that are softer and close to the natural shape of the foot are okay. I find that my son 's croc 's are perfect, they dont constrict his feet and he walks great in them. I forego other shoes, though, if he is going to be walking.

Posted by: frogfairy on 2010-01-19, 10:50:39

I personally love the soft-soled shoes, Robeez and Bobux are good ones. I found that they were the only shoes that didn 't get kicked off, and they also helped keep socks on, which was important in cool or cold weather. For some reasons baby socks always fall off, and those shoes have elasticized ankles so they stay on well without being too tight. I bought them right away and just moved up to flexible soled shoes a few months ago with my 18 month old. 3 of my 4 kiddos had Robeez starting at the 0-6 month age and wore them as soon as their feet were able to fit good in them- around 2 months. Before them I just used footed sleepers as baby socks are a pain!! lol

Posted by: mommy to Heath on 2010-01-19, 13:44:12

My son is almost 6months and still just kicks his shoes off and would rather eat them then wear them haha, although they are so cute for the 5secs he has them on haha. i dont think 5months is too early, as long as there soft and fit correctly. at the moment my son is wearing size 2 (au), but there getting a bit small.

Posted by: lucyali P on 2010-01-19, 15:54:30

The only benefit BEFORE they walk is keeping bub 's feet warm, really. It won 't damage his/ her feet, but they might find them annoying. The benefits once they start walking is it protects his/ her feet outside, if there 's sharp things on the ground that might cut their feet.