Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Firsts.

"Front Feet, Back Feet, Red Feet Black Feet," 
(The Foot Book, by Dr Seuss)


This week I forked over a boatload on shoes.

Not for me, for the kids. For us, it's a bit like "Fat feet, thin feet, wide feet, flat feet," because for the first time I spent way more money than I'm used to buying shoes from Stride Rite.

Luke is flat-footed for the time being, and now he is starting to walk on his toes. Paul always cries when we put shoes on him, and takes his shoes off whenever he gets the chance. They both have wide (tall is more accurate) feet and seem to be really bothered by their shoes lately. I've always been able to squeeze their feet into at least one pair of shoes from Kohl's or Target, but now I'm trying a different approach to see if a high-quality pair of sneakers will make a difference.

My boys typically aren't picky about clothing or shoes, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that our new shoes are money well spent. If anyone has their own suggestions on stable, supportive, wide-width footwear, I'm all ears....and feet.


8 comments:

Theresa said...

I think shoes are worth it. Really. A good pair aids in good posture, proper walking, etc. Think of it this way, chances are you use hand-me-downs since you do have 3 boys. What you don't spend on clothing for each child, you spend on decent shoes. The end.

Mallory said...

Yes, yes, that's what I've heard. I honestly don't spend much AT ALL on clothing for the boys. It seems like they rarely *need* anything. So, yes, I hope that a very good shoe will help BOTH of them with their current funky feet issues. Thanks for the reinforcement!

Abby said...

Ah, as the mother of two chubby-footed children, I hear your story and nod with that "I totally get it" face. Stride Rite, See Kai Run, and pediped (the originals for the little babes just beginning to stumble on their feet) have been our favorites. Stride Rite is great because of the W and XW sizes.. See Kai Run run a little wider, so my kids are happy.. the leather pedipeds are fantastic and easy to get on. Both kids LOVED them. :) Just think - if their pants are a little short or their shirts are a little stained and worn, it won't hinder their development. If their shoes fit wrong, it can lead to actual issues. Good work, Mama Mal! :)

Erin said...

No help from me, my girls have raccoon feet, just like their mama!

Anonymous said...

stride rite has some great sales..leah encountered with caden though that the nearest one was in the cities i think..she eventually got the hang of the size and could order online and would wait until the "buy one get one 50% off sale"...my aunt has blessed my girls with school shoes/tennis shoes yearly from stride rite, and it was crazy at first b/c of how fast they would grow..but then again, with 4 girls, many of the shoes were reworn b/c they weren't worn down that much..though sounds like all 3 of your boys are so different..you could resell them on ebay..we did that a few times with some other items..just a thought! esp if the shoes aren't worn down too much bc of the quickly growing foot that needed a new pair..just a thought!!
maria

mark said...

Maria, yes, I finally took the plunge after I got an email for Buy-one-get one 1/2 off. Because yes, we are SEVERAL house from a store. But, the shoes are here, the boys love them, and I seemed to have gotten the right size. Phew! Hopefully the mail order system works this easily every time.

I haven't sold much of the boys' stuff, I guess because Luke isn't that old yet and there are two behind him. Now, after having three boys, some of the baby clothes are downright ready for the trash. I think three is the limit!

mark said...

Not really "Mark" btw ;-)

Detta said...

Love the incorporation of Dr. S! I found this post/comments VERY helpful as we have to boys with two very different pairs of feet and are just starting to shop for Fall/Winter shoes.

This Summer I shopped E-bay for lightly used Keens (they run narrow/wide/etc) and found 2 pair for around $20 each (including the shipping). My boys LIVED in them all Summer with no complaints. They wore them in the water, dirt, mud, and everything else mischievous little boys get into AND they also wore them to mass every Sunday (they cleaned up that well!). After one season of wear they still look brand new. I would definitely recommend them and plan on buying them every Summer!

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