My oldest son Leo has Cerebral palsy. When he was little, he was a full time wheelchair user and so his little school shoes would last him the whole school year, in fact even longer because we would always have to buy his shoes two sizes bigger to accommodate his Orthotics. Shoe shopping for a kid who wears splints is not the easiest task to do either and I would often leave a shop feeling very stressed out and frustrated, I dreaded it.
Fast forward quite a few years later and the girls had now started school. This academic school year alone and keep in mind we are only 6 months in, they have both already got through two pairs of shoes each nearly, three pairs up until Treads got in touch and boy was I glad to hear from them. Leo is 14 now and doesn’t walk the same as most children so we are really excited to be putting these to the test.
So, what makes Treads different to the rest?
Treads are constructed using a “strobel” technique where the upper is placed into a mould and the sole is then injected around it creating one unit without the need for any gluing. This not only creates a really strong bond but offers additional flexibility, perfect for active kids.
Every shoe comes with reinforced heels and seams. The front of the shoes is scuff proof and can be wiped clean. Plus there is a 30 day money back guarantee and a 12 months guarantee.
Shoe sizing and getting it right
No matter where you go to buy shoes, the sizes never come up exactly the same. We downloaded the paper gauge off there website to measure the kid’s feet and found it very easy and straight forward to do, in fact when the shoes arrived they were all a perfect fit.
Dual Fit Technology
All of Treads shoe range have dual fit technology which is ergonomically designed to give you the perfect fit.
All you need to do is simply remove the base under the sock layer and it will increase the width of the shoe from a standard to a wide fitting, Also if you remove the foot bed it will give you more depth which is perfect for people like Leo who wear Orthotics (splints in our case). Every pair of shoe Leo has ever owned is missing the insoles from having to rip them so that they would fit.
What I thought
The kid’s have been wearing their new school shoes for the last two weeks and I can report that we have had no blisters and they all find them really comfortable to wear. Emily is the boisterous one of the three and if any of them would come home on the first day of wearing them with scuffed shoes, it would be her. I love both the girls and the boys ranges on the website and I think there is something there that will suit all tastes, with some pairs starting as low as £35 – which if you consider how many pairs of school shoes they have ravaged in a year, and the stress of having to keep going to buy more, it is well worth it in my eyes.
*We were gifted 3 pairs of Treads School Shoes in return for an honest review. All opinions and photos are my own
