Feet And Co Children’s Shoe Shop

Feet And Co Children’s Shoe Shop

Feet And Co Children’s Shoes is a newly opened childrens shoe shop in Drumcondra, Dublin. At Feet and Co they stock  quality brands for kids shoes including, Pablosky, Geox, Startrite, Lelli Kelly, Dubarry, Primigi, Ricosta and Garvalin. There mission is to provide a professional fitting service offering a broad selection of styles and brands at competitive prices.

Feet & Co. Opening Times

Monday to Friday: 10.00 – 17:30

Saturday: 9:00 – 18:00

Sunday:  CLOSED

Bank Holidays CLOSED

Feet And Co Directions

Feet & Co are located at 6 Lower Drumcondra Road opposite St. Patrick’s Teacher Training College with ample on- street parking on Drumcondra Road, Richmond Road and to the side of the local Tesco store in Clonturk Park.

Feet & Co. Children’s Shoes Information

• When Does A Toddler Need Shoes

The answer to this really depends on the individual child and what type of shoes you’re talking about. It’s also important to leave the child barefoot as they get lots of sensation from their feet which this helps with the development of balance, posture and coordination. So barefoot is good, but whenever you do choose shoes it’s really important that they fit well. Even tight socks, sleep suits and bed covers can be damaging to a child’s feet. It’s also important that once they have graduated to shoes that you check the fit every 6-8 weeks. At Feet & Co they pay close attention to fit and will always be happy to check the fit to let you know if you do or don’t need new shoes.

• Crib/Pram Shoes

The first kind of shoes on the market are crib or pram shoes. These are really soft and flexible and are not designed for the walking child. They’re like socks – good for warmth and also useful for keeping socks on!! They usually come in standard 0-6; 6-12 and 12-18 month sizes, although some manufacturers have more range in size.

For the sock staying on problem they found a really nice product called Sock-Ons – these are put on over socks and anchor them in place. Tried them out …. not personally … but on our own ‘crawler’ and they do work!!

• Prewalker

The next type of shoe is a prewalker. These are designed for babies who are moving past the crawling phase to being able to stand up, cruise along furniture / walk with support and then take those magical first steps. At this stage the feet are really soft, flexible and padded with fat. It’s often hard to fit shoes so the prewalker is particularly soft, cusioned and flexible and is really there to protect the soft vulnerable feet. Some manufacturers use materials that are machine washable. The Prewalker will last for the first months of being a toddler and getting to grips with walking.

• First Shoes

Shoes for walking are really only necessary once the toddler has been walking for a couple of months and is confident on their feet. These shoes are more structured with more support for the ankle and a firmer, but still flexible flat sole. Feet are still chubby at this stage, so the shoes should have rounded toes with plenty of room for the tootsies. Adjustable straps and laces ensure a secure fastening so that the shoe doesn’t slip and fits correctly. Many children have very broad feet at this age so not all styles and brands will suit , so once the foot is measured it’s a case of trying on different ones in Feet and Co. to ensure a good fit. For this reason some shoe brands like StartRite come in a range of UK half size and width fittings, while others like Pablosky, Ricosta, Primigi, Garvalin, Biomechanics. Lelli Kelly and Geox come in european sizes with standard widths.

Know Your Feet Size

Shoes come in both UK and European sizes and the following table gives a guide to conversion for length fittings. There are also different width fittings ranging from D to H, with F and G being the most common.

However, it is important to remember that are differences in sizing between manufacturers, and less than a third of children have ‘average’ feet. In fact most people have two different size feet, so fitting the shoe is the only reliable way to ensure a proper fit allowing for growing room and healthy foot development.

Up to 4-5 years of age children’s feet grow up to two sizes each year, but this occurs intermittently with growth spurts. Toddlers and young children up to 5 therefore need to have their feet measured atleast every 2 months.

The growth of children’s feet slows after this age, to about one size each year, so for school going children a check every 3-4 months is advised and then as required until they outgrow the shoes.