It’s time to start getting organized and preparing for the kids to go back to school. When you’ve got children who are growing out of clothes all the time, getting the school uniform and shoes organized can be troublesome. Mine certainly doesn’t like being measured, standing still, or going from shop to shop trying to find the right fit and style for him!
Luckily when it comes to shoes we only have to go to one shop and I know I’m going to find something perfect for him. Start-Rite Shoes are a brand that have been around since I was in school myself, and have a reputation for excellent quality. That’s so important to me, as I don’t want to be buying another pair of shoes a month into the school year! I want something that will last until he grows out of them.
Something new to me is measuring at home. Over the pandemic I think my mindset switched a lot from things that absolutely needed to be done in shops to things that we could easily do at home. Shops can be quite overwhelming for children, and William isn’t that keen on having his feet touched by a stranger either, so measuring can be very stressful. I absolutely adore the Start-Rite Foot Measure. This means I can easily see at home when he needs a new size, and this will last us all through primary school hopefully! If you have multiple kids the time saved here is huge. Having a measure at home means I can be confident about ordering the right size shoes online, getting rid of a shop visit completely if you don’t have one local or don’t have the time to shop in person.
For the start of Year 1 in September, William will be wearing “Strike“. I received this pair of shoes as a complimentary gift to review from Start-Rite. As William is only five and heading into Year 1, the school uniform is fairly relaxed and I wanted something that was both smart and casual at the same time – if that makes sense! Something a five year old would be happy and comfortable wearing every day in school. Strike have some detailing on them reminiscent of a football pattern, which is enough to get a football mad five year old interested and keen to put on his shoes in the morning, meaning less stress for me!
Start-Rite have a really big range of shoes suitable for children of all ages, from easy velcro slip ons for younger children, to smart black patent shoes for teenagers. I’ll definitely be going back year after year.
They feel really good quality. Very strong black leather, thick protected fronts where kids often kick or scuff their shoes. As William is five I went for a pair with velcro as he can’t do laces up yet. The double velcro is strong, but easy to do for little fingers so they can be independent and put their own shoes on. There’s also a little tab on the back of the shoe to help get the heel in if needed. The quality feels superb.
We’ve cracked the shoes but I still can’t get him to smile properly for a photo! If anyone has any tips on that please let me know, I’m getting desperate…
Putting the shoes to the test with a little bit of climbing on our rockery!
And the final test… playing football, in the trampoline. You might want to keep school shoes just for school hours, but the fact is they’re going to go out at break and lunch and afterschool, they’re going to climb and play football and do all the things that kids do. You want them to be comfortable and not come home with blisters or complaining about their feet. After this William reported back that the shoes were very comfortable and he was really happy with them.
I’m very impressed with Start-Rite shoes. The whole process of measuring and ordering was completely stress-free. The range of shoes on the website was impressive – it was actually quite hard to choose as there were lots of pairs that would be suitable. I love that they do different widths as William has wide feet, and this guarantees a good comfortable fit, and finally, the quality feels superb. Most importantly, the five year old loves them and is happy to wear them with no drama every day. Perfect!
I’d like to thank Start-Rite shoes who sent me one pair of shoes to review. I was not otherwise compensated, and my review is my own (and William’s!)
No Comments