Buying Baby’s First Shoes| Hopscotch Shoes Review

Buying Baby's First Shoes

This week the time came to buy B's first shoes. I know the title says baby's first shoes. And, yes, I know the fact he is walking technically qualifies him as a toddler. But I am struggling to accept it,  and so baby he shall be!

The run up to B's first shoes

As a new parent, you have so many questions about what, when and where and that's kind of where this blog was born: So, I could share some of the things I've learned and take you along on my journey.

So, how do you know when baby is ready for shoes? For us we waited a while. Because baby's feet are so precious and delicate we had preferred not to get shoes too early. That may or may not have been because a Google search and well-meaning cautionary tales produced the necessary horror stories to tell us that shoes aren't necessary until baby is really on the move and taking their first steps. Before then, it's recommended that babies practice their skills with bare feet. 

B was an early crawler and started at around 5.5 months! So, we were bracing ourselves for early walking, too. But,  though he could stand and cruise, he just seemed to prefer crawling. Probably because he could crawl so very (very) fast! We knew he was getting there, it was more a question of when he would decide to showcase his full walking skills. By 10-11 months he was getting braver, which is when we decided to get the gorgeous, flexible leather pre-walkers.

Then almost as soon as we got on the homeward straight to one, he just got up and started walking. Literally! Then, we went from a couple of steps, followed by a crawl,  to walking the entire length of the house  - in only a couple of days!

So,  now was definitely time for the next steps.

Pram shoes and Pre walkers and first walkers? Oh my! 

Until I had a baby, I never even knew such thing as pre-walkers existed. Booties and just plain ole shoes are what I knew. But, the choices  of all baby/toddler/children's shoes are plentiful (too plentiful at times!) and all in a  bid to protect  and support tiny toes at each step in their development.

So, this is what I understand: Pram shoes are for looking cute in the pram and that's it. Pre-walkers are for babies just getting to grips with being upright and moving, they're like proper shoes, but more flexible. First walkers are for the next stage, but looking around, they are often the same as pre-walkers! Find out more: Baby Shoes Guide.

We knew we had outgrown the lightweight Mothercare shoes, so we were ready to get the big boy shoes. At the time, B was literally still finding his feet, so we were advised that a more robust  pre-walker style was OK for now. To be honest, they look like the big boy shoes, but they have the much-needed extra flexibility, too. Perfect!

B was measured at size 3 (same as me!) and although the range was (understandably) limited at that size compared to the online range, the choice overall at Hopscotch Shoes is really good, right up to teens. They even sell Joules, which if you're a regular reader or follower of our YouTube channel, you'll know is another favourite of ours!

Hopscotch Shoes Review

After the recommendations, I'd given the Hopscotch Shoes Facebook page a like and had a quick scroll through the website, which were both full of useful tips and tricks and photos of lots of happy customers of all ages, so we were expecting good things!

The shop we chose was easily accessible and easy to find and we were greeted with a warm welcome and immediately felt at ease. We were right to - the staff were fantastic - very friendly and knowledgable and helped make the experience special. The lovely lady who helped us was happy to answer all my (plentiful) questions!

The range in there was smaller at our size, but covered a vast range of sizes, styles and ages overall. Having looked around, I can already feel a toddler shoe obsession coming and trumping my own!

We chose the Startrite Tots shoes in the end, with the red Startrite ones, coming a close second. We actually said afterwards, that it was funny that the shoes we chose would not have been our first choice had we seen them online. But, once they were on and we saw them in action, we knew we made the right choice. They are super quality and have a broad toe, but work well with B's narrow ankles.

As, I mentioned, the sales assistant was wonderful and so much so that B actually didn't want to leave. He practically ran around the shop picking up shoes and generally entertaining everyone there. The new shoes were on and good to go immediately. Not a tear was shed by him, but there may have been a little one from me.

What was lovely is that we also go a Polaroid (it took a few attempts!) to keep as a memento. It came personalised with the date, size and style of first shoe, which is such a thoughtful touch.

What happened next?

Big changes were afoot (sorry!) immediately, because these shoes have actually stayed firmly on B's feet from day one. We could never get B to keep socks on, but, shoes is a different matter all together. He loves them!

Forward to one week  later and  B was walking and even running more confidently everyday. So much so we even had a couple of little strolls to the shops, some romps through the park, and a  meander around the aquarium. He is clearly loving his new-found independence and his excitement just melts my heart!

We loved the experience of getting the shoes at Hopscotch and wouldn't have wanted it any other way, and even though I'll venture to buying the next ones online, we'll definitely be back to Hopscotch Shoes.

The score

We could only give 5 stars. Happy B = happy me!

"Did you know that the bones in children's feet don't fully harden (ossify) until the age of 18. This is why it's important to continue to have their feet measured and shoes fitted throughout their growning years. Pop in anytime and we'll happily do a quick check to make sure their shoes are fitting well".  - Hopscotch shoes Facebook page