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Congratulations to TajKai
Brought to you by Nuffnang and Clarks Australia
My poor children… during the last week of
school their shoes were literally hanging onto their feet with the help of
mismatched laces, hot glue and a little bit of electrical tape.
I’m not a complete miser. It’s just that I
couldn’t quite bring myself to fork the dosh out for new shoes at the end of
the school year when I know their feet are going to grow like weeds over the
summer holidays.
Alright, I confess - I have been guilty of putting them in the
wrong size shoes before though. I will never ever forget the mortifying
experience of finding out my poor Marcia
Marcia Marcia middle child’s feet were crammed into shoes that were a size
and a half too small for him.
Nor will I forget the humiliation of coming
THIS CLOSE to annihilating an entire shop full of sales people and customers
when I my boys to get their shoes fitted at the end of a hot day of running
around in sneakers.
I still have nightmares about the suffering
we inflicted on those poor innocent people when my boys removed their shoes and
the stench rose like a fog suffocating anyone in a 10 metre radius.
I have since learned to let them air their
feet in thongs for a good few hours before we go into a shoe shop.
I have also learned that there a few things
to consider when shopping for school shoes to ensure the shoes you send your
kid’s feet to school in, are the perfect fit.
Our precious little rugrat’s feet are not
fully formed until they are in their late teens, and until then they need to
wear properly fitted shoes so that their feet have room to grow as healthily
and happily as the rest of them.
Based on my history of buying shoes for my
kids, a professional shoe fitter I am NOT.
Shoes that don’t fit properly will not only
cause discomfort, but they can also
they can prevent your child’s natural growth and lead to health problems. They
can even adversely affect your child’s walking development and you could end up
spending a fortune on orthotics like ummm someone I *ahem* know had to.
Here’s some information from Clarks Australia about
how to maintain healthy kid’s feet;
Barefoot
is best
There’s nothing better for young feet
than walking barefoot, whenever it’s safe. It helps
muscles develop, allows the skin to
breathe and feeling the ground beneath their feet will
help them learn to walk.
Socks
If your child is wearing socks, they
need to be the right size and made of natural materials
(at least 50% wool or cotton as a
guide). Because young feet are soft and pliable, socks
that are too tight can squeeze the foot
into an unnatural shape and cause permanent
damage.
Socks that are too loose can bunch up
and cause blisters and corns. Make sure that the
sock seams are well finished to avoid
creating pressure points inside the shoe.
Regular
hygiene
Young feet should be washed and dried
thoroughly every day. This is because the spaces
between toes are prone to infections
such as athlete’s foot.
A toddler’s toenails should be trimmed
often using small, sharp scissors. You should always
trim straight across the nail.
It’s important to check little feet
regularly, as nails that are too long can cause pressure points
inside the shoe. Some children’s nails
will curl in, cutting the skin. Regular checks and
trimming will prevent this from
happening.
Did you know that badly fitting shoes
can not only cause discomfort, but they may also lead to unhealthy feet and
even long-term damage to joints and posture.
Feet have their own unique personality and it’s
super important to have the shape and the size of your kid’s feet assessed by someone
who knows what they are doing - a trained shoe fitter.
Clarks shoes have over 170 years of caring
for kids’ feet, during which time they have learned a lot about little feet.
They know all about kid’s feet and how they develop over time.
To make sure your child’s feet are fitted
perfectly, they use their training and experience, as well as a specifically
designed Clarks Foot Gauge which measures the length, width and depth of both feet.
You
can visit any Clarks store to have your children’s feet fitted by Clarks
specialist trained fitters, or alternatively you can do it yourself at home
with Clarks Foot Gauge online here making it easier to check year round whether you should be
updating your kid’s shoes or not.
Now the reason you should go and see those
clever Clarks specialist trained fitters in store is because they carry out a 10 Step
Check, to make sure that the shoes you send your child to school in are the
Perfect Fit for them:
My boy’s feet grow so fast, and I have been
tempted in the past to buy the cheaper shoes you can get from department stores.
The problem is that often these cheaper shoes aren’t made of leather and so I asked
- Why is leather so important when it comes to school shoes?
The answer my friends, (so I’m told) is
that leather qualities have been proven to support and protect feet better than
any other material. It is flexible but strong and it ‘breathes’ allowing
perspiration to pass through, avoiding not only the nasty smells that could be
responsible for wiping out the entire population of a shoe store, but also avoiding
fungal and other gross foot infections.
OK so I get it – kid’s feet need to be
properly fitted and leather is best. But why should we choose Clarks shoes for
our kids?
Because Clarks make SCHOOL PROOF SHOES.
Yep tough, durable, everyday school shoes that include the PerfectFit Daytona, TheMachine Washable Cross Hype and the MightyTuff Sawyer.
And with that 170 years of caring for kid’s
feet under their belt… I trust that they know what they are talking about.
You can search for your closet Clarks store or stockist here
or visit the Clark’s website page here
or follow them over on Facebook.
One of you are going to win a pair of Clarks School Shoes (to the value of $129.95) for your child.
All you need to do to enter is tell me;
Why do you want your children to wear Clarks?
Then follow the prompts in the Rafflecopter widget below to be in with a chance to win.
Competition is open to Australian Residents only and is open now
and closes 5:00 pm AEDST on Tuesday 6 January, 2015
and closes 5:00 pm AEDST on Tuesday 6 January, 2015