Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh, for heaven's sake, wearing flip flops around school are not bad for her. She doesn't need arch supports, she's 11, not 40. Listen to the PP who said you need to pick your battles. Walk around and look at what other girls are wearing - at my DD's middle school it's tennis shoes, topsiders, and when the weather gets colder, UGGs. Ballet flats or booties with skirts.

This isn't a battle. Her DD's feet hurt already from wearing flip flops too much.

You can get cute shoes that fit well and have arch support, which help feet feel comfortable and help with proper weight distribution. UGGs are shitty overpriced shoes. Why be a slave to fashion? Don't understand the vitriol, but maybe getting that stick out your butt will help.

No, the feet of one of the other patients of the OP's daughter's pediatrician hurt, when the patient wore flip-flops to Europe as a tourist.

Anonymous wrote:Oh, for heaven's sake, wearing flip flops around school are not bad for her. She doesn't need arch supports, she's 11, not 40. Listen to the PP who said you need to pick your battles. Walk around and look at what other girls are wearing - at my DD's middle school it's tennis shoes, topsiders, and when the weather gets colder, UGGs. Ballet flats or booties with skirts.

This isn't a battle. Her DD's feet hurt already from wearing flip flops too much.

You can get cute shoes that fit well and have arch support, which help feet feel comfortable and help with proper weight distribution. UGGs are shitty overpriced shoes. Why be a slave to fashion? Don't understand the vitriol, but maybe getting that stick out your butt will help.

A womens 6 is the same size as a kids 4. She can still wear kids shoes, which are more durable and less expensive.

Toms or Bobs? Uggs?

Arch support or lack thereof is not the end of the world. And just because something is a shoe and not a flip flop doesn't mean it has arch support. Vans have little-to-none. Very flat shoes. I personally loved them in my late teens and early 20s because I have wide, flat feet.

Yes, if she is walking 8-10 miles a day, she's going to have problems. But the issue with flip flops is not the lack of arch support, it's the way your toes and forefoot contort each time you step to prevent the flip flop from slipping off. But, again, unless someone is walking huge miles each day, the risks are minimal. People have been walking without shoes and arch support for tens of thousands of years.

Oh, for heaven's sake, wearing flip flops around school are not bad for her. She doesn't need arch supports, she's 11, not 40. Listen to the PP who said you need to pick your battles. Walk around and look at what other girls are wearing - at my DD's middle school it's tennis shoes, topsiders, and when the weather gets colder, UGGs. Ballet flats or booties with skirts.

OP here. Thanks for all of these great ideas!

I think we'll go find some cute flats. She likes the quilted ones she saw in the Land's End catalog. They are cute, but the price is so good ($30) that I'm wondering how good they can be.

When I mentioned that she likes flip flops because they are easy to slip on and off, I didn't mean to suggest that she takes them off in school. I meant to suggest only that it's great when you're leaving the house to be able to easily slip your shoes on. (My DH is adamant about no shoes in the house -- his one thing that he's not flexible about. So it's nice to have shoes that are easy off and on.)

Flip flops are terrible b/c they don't have any arch support.

Maybe try these different brands:
Clarks: http://www.zappos.com/clarks-daisy-harp-navy-synthetic
Dr. Schols: http://www.zappos.com/dr-scholls-joliet-black-metallic-stripe
Sketchers: http://www.zappos.com/skechers-performance-go-walk-aspire-black


You can buy insert arch supports for these types

BOBS
http://www.zappos.com/bobs-from-skechers-bobs-plush-peace-love-navy
http://www.zappos.com/bobs-from-skechers-bobs-flexy-raspberry

Minnetonkas:
http://www.zappos.com/minnetonka-kilty-suede-moc-black-suede

Vans:
http://www.zappos.com/vans-classic-slip-on-windsor-wine

Propet:
http://www.zappos.com/propet-travel-walker-mary-jane-taupe

Last ditch effort? Crocs
http://www.zappos.com/crocs-kadee-black-black
http://www.zappos.com/crocs-taylor-slingback-black

Anonymous wrote:By 11, most girls are in womens sizes and you have to budget an appropriate amount for decent shoes.

Both my girls feet were done growing by 11 BTW.

Guess my girl is slow then. She's 12.5 and a size 5 in womens.

By 11, most girls are in womens sizes and you have to budget an appropriate amount for decent shoes.

Both my girls feet were done growing by 11 BTW.

I think you just have to pony up for a pair of decent flats. Lots of cute options for her to choose from.