This morning it became patently obvious H needed some new school shoes and urgently. I put the question out to my Facebook friends – given we bought the Clarks Breamy Dream shoes back in September which have been used daily and have lasted well, what should I do? Should I get a cheaper pair to keep her going until the end of term, then shop at Clarks again for September?

The general consensus was to go with Clarks again – after all, they’re a brand we know and trust, we like the shoes and we can get a decent pair for around £30.

After school today I could tell H’s toes were right at the very end of her shoes. They didn’t hurt but it can’t have been much fun wearing them, so once she was changed from her uniform we headed straight out to our local Clarks in Wallington.

Clarks have a new way to measure feet in-store. A sort of iPad type of thing plugs into a foot gauge which is meant to measure your feet – interesting. We gave it a go, H putting in her age on the iPad type of thing, and standing on the gauge. Our reading came in at a size 11, fitting E. That felt a bit small to me, as when I’d last had her measured in January she was a 11. Five months at the same size didn’t seem right. Our server got us a selection of shoes, but each pair we tried didn’t quite fit, and felt tight.

So I went on my old-school gut feeling. We got out the manual measure and did H’s feet again. This time they came up a 11.5 G – which sounds much more how it should be. Our server got us another selection of shoes, and the first pair we tried fitted perfectly. Not tight, just right.

So now she’s a proud owner of a pair of Clarks Dance Step Infant shoes, costing just £28. We also bought some nail varnish type stuff, as these have patent toes which will inevitably get scuffed.

I was quite surprised the computer shoe fitter wasn’t as accurate as doing it manually, so if it doesn’t seem right do ask for your child to be measured again. They’re smart shoes, and most importantly of all, she has a comfy pair to dance in at the school disco tomorrow night!

We’ve been really pleased with Clarks quality on the Breamy Dream shoes, and the fact they’ve lasted so long and still look good is important.  I’m hoping the Dance Step Infant shoes last just as long – I suspect they will.

Having checked the Clarks site, you can even buy a gauge for £8 to measure feet at home – now THAT appeals…