|
In an ideal world toddlers would wear nothing on their feet until they have been walking for a good few months, to be honest years if I had my way! Alas in the real world we have the 'pre walker', 'crawler', '1st steps', call it whatever you want.
Old favourites like Start rite's 'Jelly TOT can rarely be beaten as the next step on from the quirky 'Shoo Shoos' or funky 'Star child', these are deep and of varying widths and instil confidence in the customer. Frankly they are very practical as they will survive the washing machine. But with the ever popular fashion for donning the little darlings with footwear as soon as they can pull themselves up on the sides of their cots there are a plethora of new products to choose from. New to the UK market is Tip Toey Joey, developed during 2001 in Brazil and already sold widely in Australia and Canada.
Tip Toey Joey's soft leather baby shoes are beautifully deep and non restrictive for babies feet. They are made on a shoe last and they stay on, aided by a very clever gently stretching heel. In toddler sizes TTJ have thin flexible non slip rubber soles which gives grip. They provide just right amount of protection without weight, allowing children to feel the ground, vital if the foot is to develop muscles naturally. The range is an array of colour and simplicity; they have succeeded in combing style and fit.
Every footwear retailer should read 'Take of your shoes and walk barefoot' if they can get hold of a copy (since it's out of print). The essence of the book is much as the title suggests, if we followed it verbatim we'd all be out of business. But in the knowledge that if it weren't for shoes 99% of us would have perfect feet, please fit all children's shoes with care.
Marilla Elliott-Morris
How do you keep up-to-date with the latest news from the Footwear sector?
