Parents welcome appointment system after buying childrens' shoes became a 'clandestine operation' 

Difficulties measuring shoe sizes online and fast-growing feet made purchasing kids' shoes a challenge for many parents this year. 

Childrens' shoes are to be added to essential retail. Picture: Denis Minihane.

A government U-turn on the addition of childrens' shoes to essential retail has been welcomed by parents after a year of struggling with online shopping.

Jeanne Dowling, a teacher and Tipperary mother of two daughters aged 7 and 2 said the issue is about children's development and not vanity. 

Ms Dowling resorted to meeting her local independent retailer after two attempts to buy shoes online for her children were unsuccessful. 

"Last April my then 1.5-year-old was literally bare foot apart from wellies as her shoes her too small. I tried buying online- all wrong as she has a very wide foot and high instep. My usual children’s shoe shop is on Facebook so I messaged her and asked for help as I knew she might be able to post a pair out but she doesn’t do online. 

"She was amazing, massive assistance, and decided to meet me in the supermarket car park with shoes - I put them on my daughter in my car. 

"She, masked,  stepped in to check the fit and we managed to find a pair to fit. It was like a clandestine operation- like we were committing a crime," she said. 

Anna Ryan, a mother of two children aged 1 and 4, said the past year has been a big frustration for many parents for this issue and that it requires a trained person to measure a child's feet. 

"I’m hugely frustrated and disappointed by this, there is a direct impact on my children’s feet and therefore their physical health. 

I’m not being dramatic when I say that, this is not about fashion or aesthetics, getting the right size footwear for children, most particularly young children is critical for their growth.

"I have ordered multiple times online for my young kids aged 1 and 4 and have had to send them back several times, trying to guess the length and width of your rapidly growing children’s feet is not appropriate or safe - it’s something that requires a trained person.

"It's a really important thing both physically for the kid but also for you as a parent. It's one of the first big purchases you are making for your child. 

"For so many reasons the fact that is not considered essential when it is having a direct impact on a child's development, you literally can't buy online the properly sized footwear for your child," she said.

Ian Kirby, from Kirby's Shoes in Ballincollig, Co Cork, said it is important that children have their feet measured properly as a child's foot can change dramatically, especially at a young age. 

"You can not just go and buy a pair of children's shoes online, you have to have the proper fitting. They need their shoes changed at least every six weeks to three months at that age," said Mr Kirby. 

He welcomes the government's decision to introduce an appointment system for children's shoes fitting and said it is a good idea when his shop operated a similar system when open to trade before. 

"We've done it before the past few months of the year and it worked out quite well and we're ready to do it all again," he said. 

Ms Ryan said the online appointment system is a good solution and might well work after the pandemic. 

"I think it's fine, you'd appreciate it's not just something you can't walk in and you know it would probably work out quite well as as a system even when you're out of a lockdown. 

"When you're in with a tiny little person who has no attention span, you want to go in, you want your slot with someone there to help you, so it might work out well for kids' feet regardless of lockdown," she said.