S/o European shoes

amother

Saddlebrown

Mon, Aug 31 2015, 11:04 am

I buy European shoes because I know that the guy in the store fits the shoes to my children's feet, and gives them the most supportive shoe for their feet.
So I pay for the expensive shoes twice a year, saying to myself that the extra cost is for the fitting. I also bring them in to the store periodically to check if their shoes are still good.
For all of you who don't do that, how do you know if a shoe fits and is supportive enough for your kids' feet?
Am I different because my kids have flat feet?

Iymnok

Mon, Aug 31 2015, 11:11 am

Have you taken them to a podiatrist? Inserts covered by insurance may be better than spending so much on imported shoes. Are they actually flat? They may have just enough of an arch to be okay.
There are plenty of inexpensive shoes that are made well. Just remove yourself from the price=quality box.

Chayalle

Mon, Aug 31 2015, 11:19 am

Unless your child has an orthopedic issue, you do not need any special fit.

Dr Shanik of Lakewood says you are paying for the gas bringing the shoes from Italy (or wherever) and nothing else, in most cases.

spring13

Mon, Aug 31 2015, 11:23 am

I think people overblow the issues of good fit, supportiveness, etc. It's possible to follow certain basic guidelines in terms of finding the right fit and finding good quality shoes without breaking the bank on either professional help or actual shoe cost. Kids go through shoes pretty quickly anyway: at a certain point you're paying for brand name rather than actual quality - same as with any product, really.

Hashem_Yaazor

Mon, Aug 31 2015, 11:29 am

My son (wearing Geoxes for the second year in a row Wink

) has flat feet. The pediatrician said the only difference it makes is that he shouldn't be a cashier on his feet for too long when he grows up. I think he has higher aspirations than that in any case...he was not concerned with choice of shoes at all.

mommyla

Mon, Aug 31 2015, 11:35 am

I get good shoes and have them expertly fitted for little kids only. My kids have hard to fit feet but once they turn five or six they're usually able to tell me if they fit right, I'm able to tell if they fit right, and I know which brands and styles work for them. I ordered Geox from Zappos this season and Shabbos shoes from Nordstrom - still great quality, not exactly cheap, but I spent a good $30-40 less PER PAIR than I would have in a frum store. Plus, no waiting in crazy shoe stores!

amother

Red

Mon, Aug 31 2015, 11:40 am

I get my child fitted for their shoes, but DS is a toddler and it's hard to figure out his feet and he can't tell me if they fit Smile

. But I don't spend on European shoes- I think his last pair cost about $35 but that was because it was the only pair for his weird width. I just get what fits him best.

seeker

Mon, Aug 31 2015, 11:43 am

I agree with mommyla, I feel a professional fit is extremely helpful for little kids/babies because their feet are little and they can't tell you how they feel, so it's hard for me to figure out for myself what's going on.

amother

Natural

Mon, Aug 31 2015, 11:47 am

Stride rite clearance is my favorite! You can get a fitting for a toddler and pay under $30 (with taxes its usually about $25) for a good, sturdy, nice pair of shoes. Especially for kids with wide feet!

Hashem_Yaazor

Mon, Aug 31 2015, 12:59 pm

Toddlers are harder, but I just buy 5 or 6 pairs from Amazon of the same brand (so I know sizes are different vs buying different brands when the sizes of one may be the same as the others, and I'm not getting a wide range of options to figure out the best fit)...for example, I just bought my 2 year old shoes in the 5-5.5 range in a few widths because I was unsure which pair would be best. I could not get his feet into the 5s, so I knew he needed the 5.5 (he had outgrown 5 of a different brand, but since brands are different as I said, I couldn't be sure that this new brand wasn't larger). The 5.5 M barely closed, but the W did velcro shut. He had room by his toes, he didn't complain (like he did with his old shoes and socks that he also just outgrew), and when he walked (I told him to go show Abba so he would go and try them out) his feet weren't slipping. Presto, I had a pair that fits him. Stride Rite shoes, $18. No gas. No lines. Wink

(He might also have flat feet, but I was told at this age, it's hard to know for sure.)

wiki

Mon, Aug 31 2015, 8:24 pm

When I had a toddler fitted for her first pair by a professional for $60 Italian leather shoes, they gave her shoes that were waaaaaaaaaay too big on her. I questioned them, but they reassured me that this was the proper fit.

It turns out that this was the smallest size that the shoe ran, and they wanted me to buy it. My suspicions were confirmed when it took several months before DD liked to wear the shoes, and they were still fitting with total ease 7 months later.

This fall, I bought amazing sneaker mary janes at Target for $16.99. Incredible arch support, solid construction, cute, and seemingly very comfortable. As far as I can tell, they fit great. DD has been wearing them constantly for a few weeks and pretty much refuses to take them off. She trips over less in them, too. (I'm assuming they're a lot more supportive than the sandals she wore in the summer.)

Anyway, this anecdote is obviously an outlier, but I am over any attachments to European shoes, or to paying for a professional fitting.

Chayalle

Tue, Sep 01 2015, 8:22 am

wiki wrote:

When I had a toddler fitted for her first pair by a professional for $60 Italian leather shoes, they gave her shoes that were waaaaaaaaaay too big on her.

I had a fitting done where toes were being pinched. Lots of crying, went back and they suggested I try a shoe with a more "square-ish" front. No refund on the first, poorly-fitted pair.

mummiedearest

Tue, Sep 01 2015, 9:46 am

I buy good quality orthotics for my kids, they need good arch support. the orthotics cost approx $20/pair (amazon.com, the brand is pedag bambini). my kid's podiatrist was really impressed with them, said he would have made custom ones of similar quality for $200. the podiatrist showed me what kind of sole my kids' shoes should have, and what the general structure of the shoe should be. payless disney princess light up shoes are actually great, according to this podiatrist (who examined a specific pair. they still make it, I just bought a pair for my preschooler). the orthotics are good for two sizes and usually last up to a year. they last longer than the shoes themselves, which my kids tend not to wear out too quickly. we only replace them when they're outgrown, for the most part.

rachelbg

Tue, Sep 01 2015, 11:02 pm

We only buy Stride Rite. I bring the kids to the store, the man in the store always measures them (free of charge, of course), and then he shows me the right type of shoe that I'm looking for. He checks each pair of shoes my kids put on, on their feet. I have never been disappointed. The sneakers (and sandals) always last me as long as I need them. I've even passed a pair or two from one kid to the next a few years down the line! (I'm not into that from a medical perspective, but they still worked fine, and younger daughter didn't mind at all! In fact, we get compliments on her shoes, and people are shocked that they were second-time-arounds!)

Stride Rite all the way.

baltomom

Tue, Sep 01 2015, 11:49 pm

Hashem Yaazor, how'd you find Stride Rites on Amazon for $18? I just did the same thing for my 2 yo (ended up with size 6W) but the ones I got were marked $45, w/ a 20% off coupon $36. It was more than I like to spend, but I didn't see better options in leather. I actually just saw that Target (online) now carries a line of shoes made by Stride Rite for about $20--but they're synthetic, not leather, so I'm hesitant to buy.

zigi

Wed, Sep 02 2015, 12:25 am

stride rite prices vary from day to day. put it in your shopping cart and when it goes down buy it. you have to be lucky sometimes. also its easier to get better pricing on younger kids shoes, once you hit big kid its a lot harder. also stride rite stores in macy's also sometimes have better pricing. also the stride rite online store.