Kids' shoes

[Hula Hoop]

Just wondering what you do about kids' shoes.  My kids wear a ton of handmedowns and second hand stuff but I find with shoes that it's hard to find the right size and shoes tend to wear out quickly so there are fewer second hand ones around. 

Our approach has been to have a new pair of sneakers for each kid in each size. These serve as all purpose shoes.  But it's been raining a lot lately and I notice that a lot of kids also have boots.  How many pairs of shoes do your kids have and where do you get them?

[joonifloofeefloo]

My kid always has two sets:
*all-weather boots (waterproof and good to minus 40 degrees)
*runners

For the first 10 years I always got them at thrift shops -there were plenty in his sizes. But after that, two things happened:
*thrifts had none in his size
*a foot specialist said the used shoes were providing too little support

He requires custom orthothics in supportive footwear.

So, now I spend a lot of money on his feet every year (as he's still growing). It's definitely one of my bigger annual costs, and a financial priority. I compensate by spending outrageously little on the rest of our clothing.

[Mustache ride]

My kid always has two sets:
*all-weather boots (waterproof and good to minus 40 degrees)
*runners

For the first 10 years I always got them at thrift shops -there were plenty in his sizes. But after that, two things happened:
*thrifts had none in his size
*a foot specialist said the used shoes were providing too little support

He requires custom orthothics in supportive footwear.

So, now I spend a lot of money on his feet every year (as he's still growing). It's definitely one of my bigger annual costs, and a financial priority. I compensate by spending outrageously little on the rest of our clothing.

Do you think the used shoes he was wearing for all those years caused that problem?

[soccerluvof4]

^ Dont spend a fortune but dont be to cheap with shoes either. If you get shoes at a thrift store look at the heals and see how there worn. If you walk on the inside of your feet and pick up a pair of shoes that someone walks on the outside you can hurt yourself. I have bought shoes for our kids at thrift stores or rummage sales if there basically new. I speak from experience as I tore the tendon on the inside of my ankle because I wore my sons shoes. The doctor said basically it would never happened but the minute I put those shoes on it was like taking the tendon and stretching it like a tight rubber band. Couple minutes into running when I turned my foot I snapped it. It was bad. Shoes you gotta be careful imho.

[joonifloofeefloo]

Do you think the used shoes he was wearing for all those years caused that problem?

I don't believe so, no.

His whole genetic family has super flat feet. There are several schools of thought about how to approach those (bare foot, etc) but the structural doctor wanted to see him in full supports, and I went with that.

[Hula Hoop]

I've gotten some great shoes second hand recently for my younger kid (almost 6).  The shoes were almost new, hardly worn at all and a good brand that fit well.  Older daughter (9) is very tall and is now wearing adult women's sizes and the pickins are slim.

[joonifloofeefloo]

I think when they're little, there's more selection at thrifts because lots of kids outgrow them faster than they outwear them. When they're 9+, that reverses.

The shoes we found at the thrifts when my kid was smaller seemed excellent. We did find one pair last year that was everything the doctor wanted; doc was impressed. Someone got a colour or type they didn't like and donated vs returned them, I guess.

I've always worn my shoes to the ground; doc begged me not to do that.

I've also had success looking in the women's section of the thrifts for my 12 year old boy. Nothing in the kids' section for him anymore, and the men's were too big, but women's had some selection.

[bogart]

Oh, argh, shoes.  Our elementary-school aged son generally has one pair of reasonably inexpensive (~$40) sneakers that are what he mostly wears, a pair of soccer cleats, a pair of basketball shoes, a pair of decent boots and a pair of water shoes or sandals.  And he uses all of them and has opinions about why they matter.  Honestly, I've just embraced it -- I'm glad he's active and outdoors, and we can afford them, so I just go with it.  Any that don't get worn out before they're outgrown, we donate, but many of them do get worn out (always, the sneakers), which as I say, I embrace as a good sign...

His grandmother often gives him a good pair of boots as a Christmas gift, so at least there's that.

[Acorns]

I would buy second hand rain boots if they were in good condition, I would not buy everyday shoes for my kids. I have pretty much resigned myself that kids shoes will be a major expense for the foreseeable future. My kids have wide feet, and one of tham has SUPER wide feet, like off the charts. Before school started this year I had him try 5 different brands/styles of shoes that were well reviewed for width, of course the most expensive one fit best (he didn't know how much each one cost). But since he started wearing them some of the toenail problems he had have gone away, I figure buying good shoes that fit is cheaper than going to the doctor for ingrown toenails.

[kanga1622]

We buy only brand new shoes as wearing shoes that have molded to another foot can cause issues. DH and I both had to have podiatrist appointments as kids because we didn’t walk correctly so we aren’t tempting fate.

Our kids get a pair of tennis shoes in the appropriate size. Than they get winter boots during that season when they are school aged. We have boys so no pressure to have “fancy” shoes or dressier shoes. We get their feet sized every couple of months when we visit the town that has our favorite shoes store. We love their staff (family run business), they are great with our kids, and they are honest about when the kids still have growing room left. My oldest had his last pair of shoes for an entire year (August-August) and they were so great when we kept stopping in to check. We were sure he would need shoes mid-year but he just didn’t have much growth and everything fit fine. They are always gracious and we never get the feeling that we are “wasting their time” stopping in for a quick size check.

We pay about $50 for a pair of shoes and about $80 for snow boots (Bogs). We are happy to support a good family business and willing to pay for their expertise.

[Chesleygirl]

I shop at Once Upon a Child, its a second hand store. They have tons of shoes in bins, organized by size and gender. I also go to consignment sales when they have 75% off days.

Even buying new shoes at places like Target seems too much for me.

[tweezers]

See Kai Run are a brand that somehow fit our kids for longer than any other shoe, and don't wear out.  They're pricey depending on where you get them, but I've managed to get them on Amazon for around $20/pair.  The shoes we've gotten at Carters/Osh Gosh, Target, etc all seem to fall apart within a month of wearing.

[formerlydivorcedmom]

I always buy shoes new - we have a family history of foot problems, and I don't want to cause my kids future grief.

Note: we live in an area where 50F is considered "freezing".

My son (8) has two pairs of shoes -1 pair each of tennis shoes and sandals.  I have to hide the sandals on cold days because he loves them so much.

My oldest daughter (12) generally has 3-5 pairs of shoes - 1 pr tennis shoes, 1 pr slip-on shoes (loafers or the equivalent of Keds), 1 pair sandals, 1 pair dress shoes, and, most winters, 1 pair of cowboy boots.  I am really hoping her feet have stopped growing; her feet are already 3 sizes bigger than mine.

My middle child (10) has a craptastic ton of shoes, most purchased by her bio mother and grandmother.  I gave up asking how many of them actually fit her.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

I get boots second hand and I sometimes get "backup" shoes second hand if I see a good pair. I like to have extra shoes because I coparent and everything always seems to be at Dad's house.

The best deal on brand-new shoes, at least for little kids, that I know of is when Stride Rite has $19.99 sales. You can sign up through email. They last MUCH longer than Target shoes. (If you need shoes for, like, tomorrow, Walmart shoes are a better deal than Target IME.)