Funny Feet

Updated on July 16, 2008
J.T. asks from Beaver Falls, PA
19 answers

My daughter of almost 13 months, has never worn shoes. part of the reason is that it is so hard to fit them on her feet. I would get horrible comments from people during the winter because she wouldn't have shoes on and usually took her socks off too (thank goodness I have thick skin and quick wits-made some of those ladies laugh!). But since she is starting to walk on her own, and with summer coming up, I tried again to fit her wioth shoes. The tops of her feet are SO big that I can't even fit her foot into the opening of any shoes under a size five, but length wise her feet are too small for the five...more like a 3 or 4 depending on the type and make. I know that it is worse to have bad fitting shoes than no shoes at all, so she is still shoe-less. Both myself and my husband have wide feet, but my daughter's feet aso hump over at the top, kinda like troll feet, which adds to the too-large-to fit problem. I'm not around other babies, and haven't been for a while, so I have no idea if this is a real problem or something that she will soon grow out of. I have NOT seen any chldrens shoes sized wide, either. Any other moms have babies with 'funny feet'? If so, when will I be able to get her shoes? Though I plan to bring it up with her dr., her appointment isn't until June.

1 mom found this helpful

What can I do next?

  • Add yourAnswer own comment
  • Ask your own question Add Question
  • Join the Mamapedia community Mamapedia
  • as inappropriate
  • this with your friends

So What Happened?

I don't have a stride rite near me, but today at target, I got her some sandals. I tried every other shoe there was, but the hump on her feet makes them an impossible fit, no matter how wide the openings are. Thank you all for the suggestions, and as we plan for shoes this winter, I will refer back to the posts before we shop.
Thanks again.

Featured Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

V.S.

answers from Philadelphia on

Hi,
My daughter has pretty chubby feet and I had a hard time finding shoes that fit without it looking like I stuffed sausages into her shoes. I found that Payless has great shoes. A lot of them come in wide width sizes, and many also come with adjustable tops that close with velcro to fit even the chubbiest feet. And the price is right! I think the brand is Tiny Toes.
I hope this helps.
Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.S.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Good luck!!! I have a 6yr old with funny feet and its not funny at all! Thankfully as the years have gone by it has gotten better. I refuse to by extremely expensive shoes for her to wear only a few months! My advise is sandals that adjust around the ankle and the FOOT! I've had great luck at Sears for sandals and dress shoes. As for tennis shoes try something that laces as far to the toes as possible so you can loosen them, Keds Sketchers and New Balance are great!

1 mom found this helpful

More Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

T.C.

answers from Erie on

J.....Stride Rite and a few other companies make wide wide(double wide) shoes and those can accomadate normally. Sandals with little buckles would probably work for summer too. hth....

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

L.W.

answers from Philadelphia on

Have you tried Stride Rite? My girls have the hump at the top of their feet too and I cant always get certain shoes to fit them. Stride Rite has always come through for me. They are an investment, however, if you have time, you can check out their outlet centers and sales. My kids really didnt wear shoes either until they started walking. Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.W.

answers from York on

J.,

As the weather is getting warmer, don't worry about shoes. Let her go barefoot. It is best for the development of your daughter's foot muscles to be bare foot, or if shoes must be worn then the ones with leather soles (very pliable). If she wants to walk on pavement then for the summer there are styles of sandals with velcro closures at ankles and toes. I would trust the advice at Striderite about foot "normality" before that of her pediatrician. Docs aren't used to dealing with foot issues. If you are really worried about it, take her to a podiatrist that has experience with kids. There are also other specialty shoe stores that have knowledgable staff other than StrideRite. Ask about their training. Any discount store clerk is not going to know much if anything.

J.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

H.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I'm surprised you haven't seen children's shoes in wide sizes. My daughter has very narrow feet and we'd always run into the problem of finding shoes sized just in wide. Even regular widths are usually wide for her so there was no way. Anyways, other's mentioned the Robeez/Bubox type shoes. They are great for accomodating all shapes and sizes since they are soft. Plus they are great for foot development. The brand name ones can be pricey, but you can now find them many other places like Target, Walmart, Kohls in off brands that appear to be the same and a bit less expensive. You don't have to buy them as often as other shoes though because since they are soft, the fit is less exact and often goes for 2 sizes. If you want a more traditional shoe, I'd try Stride Rite and get a professional fit.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

L.S.

answers from Allentown on

Hi J....

I would suggest the leather shoes by Robeez or going to Babies R Us or Target to get the knock-off versions (they're much cheaper!!). My son hates shoes and is constantly trying to pull or kick them off, except for the leather ones because they're like a second skin. They're good for little ones learning to walk because they're flexible, but yet they offer good protection.

Hope this helps!

L. S.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.P.

answers from Philadelphia on

Funny Feet are Cute Feet! My son has wide feet and we have been getting his shoes from Stride Rite since he was about a year old. Yes, they are on the expensive side but as you mentioned proper fit is so important. They have up to XX wide sizes too.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.L.

answers from Johnstown on

My son had really big feet to and I just went to stride rite. They have shoes that are all different shapes and sizes for our strange feet kids. My baby now is the same way and has a pretty big hump in the front and he can't wear any name brand shoes but I just went to payless and got him a pair that fits pretty well. You might wanna try there first then Stride rite as they are a bit more expensive. Also I know you want her to look cute but you may want to consider boys shoes as they seem to run a bit wider from what I've seen. Good Luck!

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.W.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Hi J.! I had the exact same problem with my son's feet. He is now almost five and I still have to search for proper-fitting shoes. The only two places that were able to help me with shoes for him were Buster Brown and Stride Rite. They take the time to measure their feet and select the best shoe. I have never had a problem finding shoes for my son there and highly recommend them. I don't have wide feet and have never had to deal with this dilemma before. Their shoes are more expensive than other stores like WalMart, Payless, etc... but it has been well worth the money to know that my son's shoes actually fit! Good Luck, A.
BTW... My son will be 5 in July and wears a size 12 Extra or Extra, Extra Wide depending on the manufacturer.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.E.

answers from Reading on

Target has some really cute leather baby shoes. That's what I had to use for my one daughter because she too had feet that were very large on the top. It drove me nuts until she was in almost a toddler size 6 when we could finally get her feet into a wide shoe. An alternative for the winter I also bought at Target (or maybe even Walmart) were the very thickly knitted baby booties with leather bottoms since they stretched. My sister-in-law said she also had that problem with my neice.

Also, I only ever put her shoes on when we go out to the store or out of the house. The podiatrist I go to says it's better for the foot's development to wear no shoes unless absolutely necessary.

Best of luck and realize that one day she will be in a "normal" shoe size!!! It took my daughter until she was almost 2, but she got there.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

N.

answers from Philadelphia on

Have you tried Robeez? My son lived in them for a long time... basically they're cute leather slippers that they can wear outside and inside. My son had two pairs and wore them for a while after he started walking. You can get them at Stride Rite, Nordstrom, eBay, robeez.com... I've seen them a bunch of places.

Also, Stride Rite definitely has wide shoes for infants/toddlers. The staff there is usually very knowledgeable and could probably help too!

Good luck!
N.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

L.S.

answers from Lancaster on

Have you considered soft soled shoes? I used Pedipeds for my daughter, and will again for my son. They are soft soled, leather, very soft and pliable. They are a little expensive, but they last a LONG time. Actually, she outgrew them before they even looked worn. Go to www.pedipeds.com. I got them for $29 a pair, and there is free shipping if you order 2 or more pairs, you just have to enter the code at checkout. It will be on the website somewhere. I think it's ship4free. My daughter wears a 5 in regular shoes, and she fits into the 18 month size pediped. They run a little big.
Hope this helps. I know I sound like a walking advertisement, but I love these shoes. I wish they had them for us big kids.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.M.

answers from York on

My son had the same problem I had to get him extra wide the only place I could find extra wides were stride rite luckily I have an outlet by my house but if you don't you can either order them online or by them off of ebay and there a little bit cheaper. On stride rites website they have a size chart you can print out that will tell you the siz an width of there foot before you order them. I hope this helps I was always good with the extra wide size and my son has the same hump I think you'll also be pleased with the stride rite shoes they last alot longer I wouldn't buy cheap target shoes anymore because they're a waste of money and really not that much cheaper.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.J.

answers from Allentown on

I have the same problem with my son, who is almost 1 year old. I have no idea how to solve the problem, sorry. My doctor doesn't seem stressed that I don't have shoes for my baby, and neither am I. But, I agree that it would be nice to have something to fit in the summer for playing outside!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

D.M.

answers from Sharon on

A great way to keep feet covered is tights! My son would always take his shoes and socks off too. I put tights on him to solve the problem of bare feet. Of course I used blue! Some thought I was crazy but it kept his feet warm and no more lost socks!

D.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.W.

answers from York on

The more your baby walks and eventually runs, the less chubby her feet will be. Since its summer, leave her go shoeless, it doesnt hurt anything. Or try cute print slippers, maybe she'll leave them on if there is a character she likes on them.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

T.E.

answers from Allentown on

This is a couple of months late, but I just read this, my son has enormous, barney rubble like feet. He is 22 months and I am still waiting for him to outgrow the big feet issue. I know trying to find shoes is incredibly difficult. You said that you don't have a stride rite near by, but if you go on line and check them out or get their phone number from the internet, apparently you can order extra, extra wide. Fortunately, I was able to find one pair of tennis shoes in extra wide at the store that actually did work or I would have done that. Hope this helps. Good luck, T.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.G.

answers from Philadelphia on

Sears has wide baby shoes, so does Marshall's. Sounds like she'd benefit from the soft "crib" shoes if they sell them in her size. I think she needs an appt with the doctor as soon as you can (don't wait until June) just to rule out if there's any developmental problems. But I also read about a man who actually had "bad" feet (flat etc) and went shoeless for a period of time. Not only did he gain an arch, he went down two shoe sizes and had very strong feet. This was in my husband's Mens Health magazine. I guess there are some benefits to going shoeless! :)
Good Luck!

For Updates and Special Promotions
Follow Us

Related Questions

Related Searches