School Shoe Buying

• Try to avoid shoe shopping if your child is unwell, tired, irritable or hungry, try to shop at the best time of day for your child? Do they struggle in the mornings and are generally grumpy? Then rather go in the afternoon. Do they get tired easily in the afternoons? Then rather go first thing in the morning.
• The later you leave it don’t forget that stock disappears so the selection of styles and fittings diminishes in the back to school rush.
• Shops tend to be quieter in the early morning or late afternoon – weekdays are also quieter as a rule as are sunny days because you want to do things when the weather is nice.
• If your child has been running around and their feet are hot and swollen, this is probably not the best time to have shoes fitted as this may affect the size of their new shoes slightly. If they have been wearing shoes or socks which are too small for them immediately prior to fitting, this can also affect the size of their feet.

• Children spend 30 plus hours per week at school, plus the time going to and from the school so it’s important that they wear shoes that are properly fitted and ideally made from a quality breathable material such as leather.
• Make sure you purchase good quality shoes that are manufactured with the health of your child’s feet in mind. When running around and moving it’s important your children have good shoes on will help the development of their feet.

• This is probably one of the most important tips when buying school shoes for your child. Poor fitting shoes worn on a regular basis can lead to a number of foot health problems. Not to mention the fact they’ll be quite uncomfortable for your child - ALL our staff are trained fitters!!
• One of the most important yet most abused parts of the human body is our feet. They are designed to take body weight and give mobility.  Feet are often crammed into unsuitably shaped & fitted shoes and the only time feet are given a thought is when they hurt.
• Your children can be professionally fitted at our store.

• Blisters are a fact of life and seldom the fault of the fitted shoe.
• We don’t recommend wearing new shoes all day from new, let the kids wear them intermittently at first, this will give their feet a chance to get used to them.  During summer children often wear fabric, open or soft footwear which can make the feet ‘flaccid’ (soft) and spread. This means that when they put their feet into a more structured new shoe, they will feel them harder and perhaps slightly constricted for a while and prone to blistering. Wearing them for short periods will get their feet & shoes used to each other and can help avoid the inevitability of blisters.
• Bring good quality socks with fine seams which are the same as the child will wear the shoes – bulky seams which rest on toes are often the cause of blisters and old worn socks are much thinner than new ones and will materially change how a shoe fits.
• Never let your child wear a new shoe without socks, blisters are virtually guaranteed!

• Shoes that have a Velcro/Rip tape fastening are more suited for younger children as this makes them easy to fasten. Better brands get the fastenings in the right place which means the fit is normally excellent. This type of fastening is far better than any slip on shoe as the fastenings (like laces) allow for adjustments which make sure the shoe is securely and comfortably fastened. This leads to reduced incidence of problems associated with movement inside the shoe. Once your kids have learned to tie their laces (well enough to do it quickly in the morning rush!) you will have the flexibility of buying any kind of shoe which either fits best or you like most.

“BACK TO  SCHOOL BLISTERS?  It is quite normal and usually not the fault of the ‘fit’, or the shoes!  How can that be?  Well unless you bought shoes at the start of the holidays and your child has put on a growth spurt, they are still likely to fit.  None of our members would fit a shoe without socks, but chances are the child was wearing old, thin socks and will have gone back to school in lovely new fluffy socks.  The extra volume in the shoes may make a difference.”

Quote from the Society of Shoe Fitters.