Five Top Tips For First School Shoes!

As many of you know my little girl is starting school in September. SOB. So this summer has been spent getting everything ready for the big day. We already have her school uniform sorted and we just needed to get her school shoes. I always find shoe shopping a bit stressful. I wanted a different experience to me shouting at my kids whilst they run around like loons trying on hot pink stilettos. So this week we popped into children's specialist shoe shop Chooshoo, based in Kings Heath, Birmingham. And whilst we were there we picked up a few tips to help you ease the stress of shoe shopping for tiny feet!

Cute designs all around Cooshoo!

When To Buy?
Part of you wants to leave buying school shoes to the very last minute to ensure that you have the best size to last the longest. But the last few days before term starts mean that the shops are full of sweaty Mums trying to shoe horn their kids feet into different styles. Anna Swift, Director at Chooshoo, believes it's best to aim for early to mid August to get the shoes. Most children of school age are not likely to grow out of a pair of shoes brought three weeks before the school term starts.

Where To Buy?
Make sure you choose a shop that you know will measure your children's feet properly and not rush you. Maybe ask your friends where they get their kids shoes from. Try and pick somewhere like Cooshoo that is used to families (and stroppy children!) and has a variety of toys on offer to amuse the kids whilst they wait.

My girl getting her feet measured

Make Sure They're Measured!
On average children take between 10,000 and 16,000 steps per day. They get far more and different types of wear than your average adults shoes do. They skip, run, kick, climb, skid, slide, splash and do emergency stops! Good fitting shoes will absorb the impact of activity and provide support and protection for growing feet.

Compromise On Style
My girl is VERY opinionated with her style. When I started the blog the first posts I wrote were all about how she wouldn't let me choose her clothes. 18 months later? It's still the same. So Anna at Cooshoo got down lots of different pairs for us to look at. I eliminated a few that I really wasn't keen on and then let my daughter have the final say. It may be worth having a quiet word with the sales assistant to ensure she doesn't bring any down your really don't like.

Try and let your little one choose their favourite style (I KNOW IT'S HARD!)

Protection
I had never really heard of a buffer toe before this was an option on some of the shoes and is perfect for those kids that love to climb or kick a ball all day. This is something I would definitely consider for my son when he goes in two years (DOUBLE SOB) but my girl is more into singing and dancing. So we just opted to have the chosen pair sprayed with a protector. She will be wearing these shoes day in day out for a good while so I want to make them last!

If you live in the Midlands why not pop into Cooshoo, Kings Heath to get your child's first school shoes sorted. A lovely atmosphere and perfect for kids my two loved looking at the cartoons on the walls and playing in the little toy area. To check out what styles are on offer, or to buy online visit the shop here and they currently run a fab loyalty scheme here.

Play areas stop those moments where they try to make you buy hot pink stilettos

A lovely little child friendly shop!

We were given a pair of shoes from Coosho.