European first walker shoes

amother

Holly ↓

Sun, Oct 20 2024, 8:12 am

How do you know if they fit right when buying from a website?

We always got first walkers professionally fitted the first couple of times but I have a new walker now and can't afford the prices at the stores that fit well.

amother

↑ OP

Sun, Oct 20 2024, 10:26 am

I don't know of they will fit right, but there are no places that do proper fitting where I live, so I have no choice. I really like the booties on londonkidsshoes but I don't see anything in the right size/gender/season that I need lol.

Any more website ideas similar to that one?

amother

Mustard ↓

Sun, Oct 20 2024, 12:12 pm

amother Holly wrote:

m
I never really understood the obsession with that. Do the shoe store employees have real hardcore training in proper fitting? Or they just measure with that device thing?

amother

↑ Holly ↓

Sun, Oct 20 2024, 12:19 pm

Where I used to go they definitely had more I don't know if it's training or experience but they could really tell which shoes would be right for which feet. I could tell the difference when I experimented on my own. Currently I tried stride rite shoes from Amazon, one size was clearly too small and the next size he's tripping over so apparently we need to start over with a different shoe altogether, at a store this would have been 5 minutes instead of back and forth online. I had one kid who needed orthotic help and the shoe store recommended it when she was about 18 months old, it would have taken years for me to notice on my own and who knows where she would have been by then.

Now I'm a little stuck though because I'm sure I used to get stride rite and pediped shoes at Tescher or Schwartz's but now the fitting stores I see around me don't carry anything under $80 and most way more. So I ordered another round of things to try from Amazon and I hope I'll know the right one when I see it. The store fitters have enough experience to say whether the toddler is walking funny because they're a toddler in their first shoes or if they're walking funny because the shoes are wrong.

amother

↑ Mustard

Sun, Oct 20 2024, 12:21 pm

amother Holly wrote:

Ok I hear what you’re saying

lucky14 ↓

Sun, Oct 20 2024, 12:28 pm

amother Mustard wrote:

m
I never really understood the obsession with that. Do the shoe store employees have real hardcore training in proper fitting? Or they just measure with that device thing?

Sometimes kids may need wider or more narrow shoes. My son did so the store employees were able to recommend certain styles that would have a better fit. We would have had to order and return a ton of shoes to try to figure it out on our own.

amother

Chartreuse ↓

Sun, Oct 20 2024, 12:36 pm

amother Holly wrote:

It’s not what’s asked but I have to say it.

Actual Europeans don’t do this whole first shoe fitting thing.
First shoes for walking indoors are soft leather shoes. Same for outside if it’s warm out. If you want a regular type of shoe just buy a reputable brand like Naturino, Primigi, Geox etc. without special fitting.

amother

↑ Holly ↓

Sun, Oct 20 2024, 12:39 pm

amother Chartreuse wrote:

I go barefoot rather than soft leather. I'm up to the next step now especially as winter is coming and the bare feet will be cold. There's no way reputable brands will fit all kids equally; my last kid had super skinny feet and wore primigi and naturino while my current toddler's feet are practically square. Not gonna happen.

amother

↑ Chartreuse

Sun, Oct 20 2024, 12:51 pm

amother Holly wrote:

Okay
But that can be done through trial and error while ordering oonline on sale

amother

↑ Holly

Sun, Oct 20 2024, 12:55 pm

amother Chartreuse wrote:

Okay
But that can be done through trial and error while ordering oonline on sale

That's what I'm doing but it's annoying and also I'm left with the question of is my toddler staggering because he doesn't know how to use shoes or because they're not the right shoes. The latest shipment I concluded is not the right shoes but it took a few tries and a lot of observation to make that judgement call. The professionals would have done it in 60 seconds and also would pick out the ideal next thing to try based on that. I feel it's worth paying store prices for that but that's when they offered $50 stride rite type shoes as opposed to paying $25 for the same shoes online on sale. Now they're only offering $80-150 shoes in store and I am drawing the line but it's an ordeal so far. Stride rite used to have their own chain stores but that doesn't seem to be a thing anymore.