Are these shoes made for walking?
October 22nd, 2009
I’m curious to hear your thoughts. A couple of months ago I bought my son a pair of Converse sneakers. My mum rolled her eyes and told me that the soles were too flat and not good for his feet. But they look so good! She tried to buy him a pair of Clarks sandals but his feet were too wide for them and so she had to return them (which I was secretly glad of because they were soooo old fashioned). Soon I’m going to have to buy him another pair of shoes and while I’d happily buy him another pair of Converse I do wonder if they’re perhaps not the best thing for him. But I want something stylish. I know many Australians love the Walnut brand, which Sara has written about here, but I wonder if they’re too “flat” as well. Another friend has a pair of Birkenstocks for her little boy – but all the ones I’ve seen have been close to $100 each, which seems a lot of money for something that Little C will probably grow out of in 2-3 months. Would love to know what you think — and if you can recommend any cool kids (supportive) shoes.
-Natalie
Entry Filed under: For Kids, Kid's Fashion
13 Comments Add your own
1. Courtney | October 22nd, 2009 at 3:26 pm
We LOVE Converse All-Stars in our family. I think between my two boys and all the various sizes, we have about 10 pairs of them in our shoe cupboard. Not to mention, my husband and I both wear them too.
As far as support, I think it really only matters when they are first walking, when they’re learning to balance and use their feet. Both my boys walked really early, and both of them were wearing Converse by the time they were one.
But, I’m no health expert at all, and I’m sure there is evidence out there that their feet should indeed be supported. ???? (It just didn’t seem to do any harm to my kids…)
xx
2. Julie Reid | October 22nd, 2009 at 3:51 pm
We are big fans of Converse in our house too and between our two boys must certainly have purchased every colourway – there seems to be nothing to match their effortless style — that is, until we discovered that Camper, a favourite brand of mine, has an unrivaled range of cool kids footwear available for purchase on their website. You will not be disappointed – neither will grandma1
3. Michela | October 22nd, 2009 at 7:18 pm
We love them too… but I think they may not be the healthiest of shoes.
I think Camper has a much better insole and the look is good too.
As soon as he grows up he can have two pairs of shoes… converse and a more sensible one.
4. Hiskia | October 22nd, 2009 at 7:20 pm
i read this article in a dutch newspaper: http://www.x-kds.com/kinderschoenen-artikel.php (maybe google-translate can help you with that). conclusion: what mathers is that the shoe fits. so if the sneakers fit well, their perfect for your kid
5. Carol | October 22nd, 2009 at 10:29 pm
I love it as well… but to be honest I think they are not comfortable. They are stylish and good for a short walk.
6. kim | October 23rd, 2009 at 12:40 pm
Also big fan of converse, but have to agree with Michaela, probably not the best shoe to wear for children.
I was brought up with always even well really small having at least 2-3 pairs of shoes as it is not healthy to wear same shoes everyday. My mam would interchange shoes every other day so the shoes that were worn the day before could ‘breath’. So if you do that, your child won’t wear your converse too much and you can still without feeling guilty put on every other day your fashionable converse or campers!
7. melissa | October 23rd, 2009 at 7:45 pm
oh so stylish but there’s no support or padding! we solve it by adding padded inserts to ours (it does help), but i don’t think they make those shoe inserts for children!
8. Carrie | October 23rd, 2009 at 8:25 pm
I like Umi’s for my son – great for wide feet in particular.
9. Natalie | October 24th, 2009 at 1:18 am
Thanks everyone!!! I don’t feel like such a bad mother anymore! I will definitely look into kids campers. And, yes, will probably buy him another pair of Converse and alternate with the pair of Clarks my mum bought him yesterday (she bought a different style – slightly better but definitely not something I would have bought myself).
10. Chozzie | October 26th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
Just wanted to know where you can get Converses from in Sydney? I have a 2 & a half year old?
thanx
11. Esther | October 26th, 2009 at 8:24 pm
My kids wear All Stars too but I do admit they each have something like 3 other pairs of shoes/boots.
I don’t know anything about the health part, but the owner of a well known children’s shoe shop in London told me that All Stars are actually perfect as first shoes, because they have very very flexible soles (apparently the most important thing) and support the ankles (the high top ones of course).
But again, I’m not an expert myself so don’t take my word for it! I just love the look of All Stars…
12. Steph Bond @ Bondville | October 27th, 2009 at 10:31 am
Some other cute shoes that I have found in Australia are ScruffyDog Shoes which are super cool for both boys and girls, designed and made in Australia. I love the support that the OshKosh shoes provide (and the leather uppers), but am not sure if the boys’ styles are cute or not (the girls’ are). I like Walnut too, and See Kai Run has a few cool boys’ shoes. Good luck!
13. Converse Uk | November 2nd, 2009 at 11:51 am
There are five reasons i will recommend Converse!!!
Comfort, Diverse Roots, Customization , Affordable , Personality. Its really worth it.!!
Trackback this post | Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed