1. Get in early. Don't leave it to the last few days before school starts to come in and buy school shoes. It's our busiest time of year, so you want to get in early to avoid the crowds and to have a choice of styles in your child's size.
2. Wear them in. Have your child wear their school shoes around home a little before sending them off to their first day at school. Any shoes take time to soften, so be kind to your little one's feet and spend a few hours a day wearing in their new shoes.
3. Talcum powder or candle wax. We have several tricks in our trade, and to help soften leather rims around boney ankles, we'll rub talcum powder or a candle along the edges of shoes. A little top up at home won't hurt.
4. Learn to tie laces. Pick up our free tie trainer card in store and start practicing. We'll post more on that later.
5. Always undo the shoes. Whether its laces, velcro or buckles they all need to be undone correctly when taking off shoes. This will help prolong the life and correct fit of the shoes.
6. Get shoe labels. When everyone in the class has the same shoes, it's very easy to get them mixed up. Shoe labels to the rescue!
7. Polish and preserve. Teach your children how to clean their shoes - there's a wide range of easy to use polishes that with a little supervision can make 'painting' their shoes fun and fuss free. A great activity to do with Dad!
8. Don't forget socks. Ill fitting socks are uncomfortable and can cramp children's toes. More labels or a fabric pen will help ensure your socks stay put in the change rooms (can't promise that for the washing machine...)
9. Check for sand. We all know that sand collects in kids shoes, but if the shoe has a removable insole you should pull this out regularly and check for sand jammed in the tip of the shoe. This happens most often in runners/sneakers.
10. Rotate shoes. If at all possible, try not to wear the same shoes every day. Feet sweat and shoes absorb that moisture. Most proper school shoes have leather uppers and linings and are designed for everyday wear. However runners/sneakers are particularly bad as they are made of largely synthetic and rubber. At the very least, give them a good airing overnight.
Looking forward to helping you getting your 'back to school' sorted.
Warm regards,
Ann & the team
