T he tiny feet grow by half an inch and refuse to slip into that favourite footwear. If the fit is right (read tight) then the regular hopping, skipping and running take a toll. And even if these two hurdles have been crossed, you can be faced with the biggest obstacle ? your child outgrows the footwear simply because the latest fashion trend has taken a different tot turn. The bottomline: children change shoes more often than the K-serials change the faces of their characters.

Finding a footwear for your little one that he or she will fancy is quite a tough task, especially if it is to be in step with your taste as well.

“Shoes for children should be a fine balance of utility, safety and trends,” says Shabnam Agarwal, chief physiotherapist at Belle-Vue.

So it is important to keep track of footwear trends and at the same time tackle the practical issues of proper fit and right material. Also ensure that your little one’s shoe rack boasts suitable pairs for parties, sports and regular wear.

GoodLife helps you browse through the latest on the city racks, with pointers of what to watch out for.

Party picks

“Be it clothes, accessories or shoes, children want to incorporate latest fashion in everything they wear. So when we come up with the latest shoe line for men and women, we do a kids’ collection on similar lines,” says Shyam Chandwalia at Regal, the shoe store at Esplanade.

“During summers, children should ideally wear open shoes so that their feet can breathe. This will prevent foul smell due to sweating,” points out Shabnam.

The shoe stores are filling up fast with pretty pastel and brightly-coloured open shoes for summer picks. At Regal, sandals with rectangular flaps in front, beautifully embellished with sequins and stones are suitable pack-ins to go with traditional garbs. Leather ones with a maroon buckle and a blue-green base will look good with frocks, denims and capris.

For boys there are slip-ons in off-white, brown and black.

Both Mochi and Metro have an impressive array of party shoes for little ones. Transparent ones in splashes of sky blue and baby pink have dew-shaped motifs set diagonally, giving them a soft and feminine look. The glass-look heels are quite fashionable.

Then there are those in electric splashes of red, one strap in leather finish and the other dotted with sequins. For boys, there are boots in denim finish combined with patches of red here and there.

“The shoe story for children has changed over the years. Parents do not mind spending a few hundreds more to buy the pairs that their children choose. Party shoes are increasingly popular,” points out proprietor Amal Saha of Beauty Stores, an exclusive kids’ shoe shop at New Market.

At Beauty Stores and Lucky Stores at New Market, you have the buckled variety with various cartoon motifs like Hello Kitty, Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny and more. Some even have a pretty Barbie smiling away. At Lucky Stores, chained boots in pristine white with bows and butterfly motifs are the real show stealers.

Regular wear

“You should always make sure that the sole is thick enough to protect the feet from sharp objects. And it should not be slippery. The forefoot region should be broad and allow enough space,” stresses Shabnam.

“Pump shoes with pointed uppers are not suitable. At this age you must get them shoes that facilitate activity,” adds the physiotherapist.

From suede leather finish to funky ones, at Regal you have floaters in a variety of styles for both girls and boys. At the Woodlands store in New Market, there are ballerinas in sober pastel shades.

Bata and Khadim’s are home to sturdy yet attractive regular wear. The Bubble Gummers range from Bata has sneakers with velcro, cute sandal shoes and pump shoes with broad uppers and fat soles. At Khadim’s there are shoes with bright red polka dots and butterfly motifs.

At Beauty Stores there are room slippers in bright combinations of pink and violet. There’s a Mickey Mouse face on top, with its bright eyes popping up.

Baby buys

“Till 16 to 18 months, a child can hardly walk and shoes are more for hygiene than mobility. Soft booties are good options at this stage,” explains Shabnam.

At Beauty Stores and Lucky Stores you have a select variety of infant shoes. “They are made of cotton and are washable,” says Amal. While some have cartoon motifs on them, others include those with socks-like extensions on top. You can fold them down or pull them up according to your needs.

Watch out

• Children have ever-growing feet and so you must make sure your precious one is wearing the right size.

• The heel should not be more than one-and-a-half-inches high. This exposes a child to the risk of problems of the spine and lower limb joints. Platforms are always better than stilettos.

• Periodical checks for blisters and bruises are recommended.

• Don’t wait for the shoe to get more comfortable over time ? the fit has to be perfect from the very start.

• Avoid buying big sizes to make them last longer, big shoes can cause the child to trip.

• Shop for shoes in the second half of the day as the feet could swell up due to long hours of activity.

Pictures by Pabitra Das.
Models: Ritika Agarwal and Surbhi Agarwal