Shoes that grow with your child. Parents everywhere rejoice!
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My 2 and a half year old girl has my feet. By that I mean they're growing like she spends all day stood in fertilizer. So I had this GENIUS idea. What if shoes could grow as your child's feet grow? Well, someone beat me to it!
They're called INCHWORMs , they grow 3 sizes, and they've actually been around quite a while. I found articles on the web dating back to 2002, and I'm amazed they haven't caught on. They look great, they have a bunch of styles, and they're exceptionally well built.
The technology is relatively simple. An accordion-style center to the shoe gives it room to expand while keeping the shoe comfortable and well fitting. Simply press a button, pull and the shoe can grow from say a size 11, to an 11.5, to a 12. At $49.95 they're not cheap initially, but remember you're getting 3 shoe sizes for the price of 1. So, at less than $17 per size for a quality shoe, that's a bargain and no mistake.
If you're a parent, you'll know just how expensive shoes are for your kids. And how quickly they grow out of them. It's not easy to pay $40 for a pair of size 8 toddler shoes when you know in three months that they'll be going to Goodwill. Inchworm shoes can't stop that from happening eventually, but as they grow three sizes they can triple the amount of time you get between shoe shopping trips.
The video below shows the Inchworms in action. I'm going to go grab a few pairs from their online store before they really catch on and go up in price. The press has been heating up on these. But as a parent, it's great to see a genuinely clever, much needed product come along that saves us money. Huzzah!
Tagged: Life Hacks, children's shoes, growing pains, Inchworm shoes, save money., shoe savings, shoe shopping, shoes
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That might be why they aren't so hot. Actually it is a good improvement. When I used to sell shoes, parents would buy their kids shoes too large on purpose, with the child tripping all over the place. While I am sans child, I do know that there is one thing you shouldn't mess with, and that is the health of your child's foot. Unless you want them hobbled.
$49.95 is too much for a shoe. I rather buy $10 shoes for every year and I will have spent $30.00 for 3 sizes. A child cannot keep their shoes clean for 3 years also.
...is not the best choice for a child's growing feet. They need good support and a well made shoe, or they'll face problems. I strongly advise against cheap shoes, which is why I wrote this post.
While at first glance this seems like a great idea I think the savings are not as much as you think. 50$ sneakers are expensive for a six year old and I dont know any child that hasnt run their sneakers into the ground in the first year or so. I never as a kid had a pair of sneakers that could last three years, even if they did grow with my foot.
my 10yr old son goes thru a new shoe size approx every 3-4 mos. & that's not likely to stop anytime soon if he continues to fit the family growth pattern. so we buy 2 pair each trip - the current fit & the next 1/2 size up in addition to making sure of a good fit.
in defense of "$10 shoes", if said pair is well made & plenty of them are, no harm is inflicted upon the feet. i've known many people who've spent a fortune on shoes only to have horrible feet issues due to poor fit.
When I bought shoes for my kids from Payless or Walmart (usually $15-$20), the shoes fell apart before the end of the school year. Then I have to buy another pair of shoes, plus I am out the time and travel expenses for shopping for the shoes. I prefer buying a $30-$40 pair of name-brand shoes that will last the school year. There is a very popular shoe I always buy now, but I don't know if I'm allowed to say the name.