Shoe shopping for children

My daughter is size 5 1/2 with a C fitting. She needs new school shoes. I have had no luck at all with Clarks, Gordon Scotts or John Lewis. I have discovered a range at M&S called "footglove" that seem narrower - but there isn't a style that is okay for her for school wear. (She actually wants sensible, boyish shoes, not the ballet shoe type). Any ideas where and how to get narrower shoes?

My daughter is a 9.5C try finding those anywhere. Impossible unless you pay through the nose for european brand shoes as they are in general narrower. Startrite start at a C and you can download a fitting guide on their website.

Should have added - European Sole online site may be helpful, they stock several brands of fairly narrow kids' shoes.

Quite agree. As an AA fitting adult (C as a child...they don't even make c fittings any more!) with two e-fitting children, it's a nightmare and every time I go to John Lewis I hear other people having problems with their children's narrow feet. There's quite a market out there but we're caught in a vicious circle of 'making do' with something a little wider stuffed with insoles because there's nothing narrow enough either made or simply not in stock, then manufacturers drop the little choice available because "nobody buys them"! At least there are online retailers for adult narrow fittings. Regarding someone's search for school plimsolls, we tried dozens and found the narrowest fit to be Clarks' (their more expensive style). Black leather ballet shoes may be acceptable to your school if you child's feet are really too slim for plimsolls - they come in narrow fittings which makes it a bit easier.

Our daughter is at the opposite extreme and needs a wide H fitting. We continually have exactly the same difficulty at Clarks and I have to say Start Rite have been no better either. Both companies market the importance of fit but clearly demonstrate no commitment to helping parents get shoes to fit properly. Clarks operate an ‘online order to store' system to overcome the obvious difficulties of stocking every shop with every style in every size and fit. Problem is the warehouses haven't got any stock either. Every shop will confirm H fittings fly out of their doors when they appear but seem unable to feed this back to get more and therefore sell more. In our experience Clarks shops will let us walk out of the door loosing sale after sale of two or three pairs because they simply cannot supply or even order the fitting we need. Contacting their head office in Street just confirms the issue but offers no resolution whatsoever. Business must be too good! Come on Clarks book up and help us out!

Let kids run around barefoot. Look what they do in the third world. It must be natural. Harden their soles the natural way. Stop them from becoming Softies. Soft feet equals a soft attitude to life.

where oh where can we buy kids shoes in narrow fittings? Surely in this day and age we could have a bit more choice

Lucy, your views are shared in Ireland too. We have the benefit of being in a border county so we are able to take advantage of North or South, but I have had the same experience of Clarks in UK and IE. Your comments came up in a search after I was advised by McElhinneys Ballybofey, a department store in the Republic that always used to stock the E fitting, that they no longer carried stock in this width AS POLICY. Their rep. recommended I source shoes on order direct from manufacturers. It's all due to stock control in the recession, as I had started to suspect. I'm with Lord Smithers, and will be sending out my butler next time.

I know exactly what you mean about the winter boots....my 5 year old daughter has H width feet and I cannot find boots or nice party shoes for her anywhere...its so frustrating! If anyone has any suggestions I would be so so grateful!

I have the opposite problem my daughters feet are too wide and they don't go higher than a H which already rub her feet and she is only 21 months old, and even if I do buy a H they never have any shoes in stock in width h it does my head in, I find it stressful enough having to buy shoes for myself as I also have wide feet let a lone having to explain to a 21 month old why she can't have new shoes because they don't stock her width!! Surely companies must realise that feet come in all shapes and sizes and that they should at least stock some range in the narrow and wider sizes.....grrr does my head in. Also wanted some nice winter boots for my daughter only to be told the winter boots are only made up to width F....oh right so my daughter doesnt get the luxury of nice warm boots because she has wider feet...thanks alot!¬¬¬

I have just had the same experience with Clarks, my son was measured at a size 8 D fitting which apparently there are only 2 types made !!!

The staff in the shop could not even be bothered to order them for me - I certainly would not be shopping there again.

I am a boy age 11 going on 12 and I have width D feet
:-(
so embarising- boys arent suppose to have narrow feet are they