Author: Sparks Shoes

School shoes are an investment in your kids foot growth and health, so it’s worth taking care of them to get the most wear you can out of a pair. Here I’ve tried to give you all the suggestions I can think of to get the kids shoes to last longer.

TAKING SHOES ON AND OFF

Teaching your child to put their shoes on and take them off correctly is worth the time invested. It will ensure they have the shoes on properly and also prolongs the life of the shoes.

1.When putting your shoes on use your finger or thumb in the back of the shoe and do not take your finger out until your foot is inside the shoe. This will prevent the back heel counter from being squashed down and ruining the support.

2.Place your heel on the ground with your toe aimed high in the air to drop your foot into the back of the shoe. If parents are putting kids shoes on then ask your child to sit in a chair whilst you stand in front of them putting their foot between your knees. This will have the same effect.

3.Starting with the laces at the bottom – closest to your toes – firmly pull the shoe laces working your way towards the top of the shoe. Tie your bow.

When removing your shoes you must ALWAYS undo your bow and knot then loosen the laces before removing your shoes every time! This will prevent the top line of the shoe from stretching out of shape and losing the fit around the ankle. These instructions apply to Velcro shoes too.

Here’s a golden rule to teach your kids – if your shoes are fastened so that they come off without undoing them, then they’re too loose!

POLISHING SCHOOL SHOES

Leather is a skin, and just like your skin needs moisturiser daily, your shoes need moisturiser too! Polish should be applied to school shoes at least once a week. The best polish for leather is old fashioned boot polish applied with a brush. Polish aids in making shoes more water resistant by applying a breathable layer over the top of the leather and filling the stitch holes to keep water at bay.

If shoes get excessively wet stuff them with newspaper – this helps to draw the moisture out of the leather. Do not attempt to dry shoes using an artificial heat source like a heater, the oven, microwave or hairdryer. This could cause the leather to harden and crack. Once shoes are dry, give them a good coat of shoe polish to restore the leather.

REPAIRING SCHOOL SHOES

Remember your bootmaker? The one who, years ago, used to make shoes before massive companies began to manufacture them? Or who used to repair your favourite pair of high heels over and over? Well, they still exist and do great work! Find a good one and they’ll breathe life into school shoes that are looking a little worse for wear and get them to go that extra mile.

Some kids like to play on their hands and knees and, just like long pants or tights get holes in the knees, shoes get holes in the toes! Oh the horror! While it may seem that all hope is lost for this shoe, a bootmaker may still be able to repair even a hole at the toe with a Topy Toe Cap. While Topy is a product that’s usually used for re-soling shoes, the bootmaker can apply a very thin layer of Topy on the toes. This provides a harder wearing toe for your little one to wear through and saves the shoes! It’s not the prettiest, but it’s much cheaper then purchasing a new pair and is a great solution if you’re nearing the end of the school year.

You may find that Velco straps come apart too because kids sit crossed legged and wriggle, which wears away at the stitching on the strap causing the two parts of the strap to separate. When this happens (and it will happen, regardless of how little or much money you spend on shoes) take the shoes to a boot repairer and they can re-stitch the strap for you. Repairers can also put new Velcro on if it’s not sticking anymore and replace buckles when they break.

And here’s a hot tip – the best way to clean out the carpet fluff and other debris from the Velcro is with a wire brush. Cleaning it regularly keeps the Velcro sticking together.

LACES CONSTANTLY COMING UNDONE?

If your child’s shoe laces are constantly come undone, no matter how many double knots you put in them, there IS a solution. Manufacturers use nylon shoe laces in the production of footwear as they wear and last the longest. Changing your shoe laces to cotton laces assists in keeping the laces done up, although you may need to replace them more frequently than nylon laces. The best length lace to purchase for school shoes is 90cm. This means there’s enough length to tie the bow and a double knot or two! It makes no difference if you use flat or round laces – that’s just personal preference.

School shoes are a big investment so it’s worth spending the time to care for shoes so they last as long as possible. Also, no matter what brand you end up with, please be sure to have your children properly fitted for school shoes and sports shoes. Growing feet need the correct support right from their first shoe. And school shoes have many hours spent in them, so quality fitting counts the most.

We are part way through the school year and if your kid is anything like mine, then there are holes in the knees of their school pants (or in our case tights) and the toe of our school shoes has matching holes too. While it may seem that all hope is lost for their shoes…there is something you can do to eek out an extra term (or 2) in these shoes….

Some kids like to play on their hands and knees and, just like long pants or tights get holes in the knees, shoes get holes in the toes! While it may seem that all hope is lost for this shoe, a bootmaker may still be able to repair even a hole at the toe with a Topy Toe Cap.

While Topy is a product that’s usually used for re-soling shoes, the bootmaker can apply a very thin layer of Topy across the upper on the toes of the shoes. This provides a harder wearing toe for your little one to wear through and saves the shoes! It’s not the prettiest, but it’s much cheaper then purchasing a new pair (and is a great solution if you’re nearing the end of the school year!)

First, before spending the money on new shoes, we suggest you bring the shoes (and the person who wear them) to visit for a check fit. We will assess them with you and determine how much longer the school shoes will last before adding a Topy Toe Cap.

Netball season is upon us, and the purchase of Netball shoes is an important decision to make. So, we put together a little bit of info on why Netball shoes are so important for players.

A specifically designed netball shoe has many advantages over a running or cross trainer sports shoe.

Netball shoes are designed to give maximum ankle support (for all the stopping, starting, twisting, and running) that puts so much stress on a netball player’s feet and ankles.

Netball shoes are designed to give maximum cushioning (for all the jumping, running, and stopping) that shocks a players joints.

Netball shoes have hard wearing sole units as this sport is often played outdoors on asphalt/concrete which wears away sole units very quickly.

If you are seriously into netball – Reps and A-Grade – then yes, you should wear a specifically designed netball shoe. In fact, as a Representative Netballer, you will easily go through 2-3 pairs of netball shoes in one season!

Juniors who play one game a week do not necessarily need to wear a specific netball shoe. A high-quality cross trainer or running shoe will often suffice. We can discuss your needs and requirements for sporting footwear when you are in store.

We stock Asics Netball shoes for Junior girls through to Representative Women’s Netball shoe options. As fitters (and ex-Netballers) we are acutely aware of how important Netball shoes are to players foot health and the importance of good shoes when playing netball games.

Always keep an eye on the wear of your netball shoes, especially the tread on the sole unit. Ensure you replace the shoes as they tread wears down to about the halfway mark. Continuing to play netball with shoes that have little to no tread can lead to injuries due to lack of grip.

Most importantly, wearing the correctly sized sports shoes to play netball in is paramount to having a great season. Too large and the shoe bends in the wrong place, causing stress to the incorrect parts of the shoe and wearing them out faster (as well as being too long and causing a trip hazard!) Too small and your toes hit the end of the shoe whilst playing causing bruising, callousing, ingrown toenails and worse!

Above all else, having your shoes done up correctly will prevent an injury this netball season. When putting shoes on, use your finger or thumb in the back of the shoe and do not take your finger out until your foot is inside the shoe. This will prevent the back-heel counter from being squashed down and ruining the support.

Place your heel on the ground with your toe aimed high in the air to drop your foot into the back of the shoe. (If parents are putting kids shoes on, ask your child to sit in a chair while you stand in front of them putting their foot between your knees. This will have the same effect.)

Starting with the laces at the bottom – closest to your toes – firmly pull the shoelaces working your way towards the top of the shoe. Fasten the bow.

Have a great Netball season!