How long do u make kid shoes last?

[nicolewi]

Assuming they are not outgrown?

My kids are not particularly hard on shoes.

The three younger kids’ tennies are getting worn out looking but still functional. I think I am going to replace before spring break.

Just curious. How long do you stretch it? Do you do a whole school year on one pair athletic shoes, or need to replace at some point?

[pierogigirl]

I don't think my kids have ever had a pair of sneakers last a whole school year. I think we usually need at least 2 pairs a year, sometimes 3. They both do sports and wear sneakers every day, so they get a lot of wear. We replace when the soles are worn down or they get holes.

[minniemouse]

I don’t think they are made to last unfortunately. Especially if worn daily. I am a 6.5 in women’s and can wear a kids size 5, and there is a quality difference between them, even within the same brands. I guess that’s why they are cheaper? I don’t know. My kids wear them until they have holes or look terrible. lol. Dd1 has a pair of Nike blazers high tops that are going strong and it’s been over a year. They are women’s though.

[charlatti]

I replace when needed — if shoes are worn out or outgrown. I wouldn’t replace mid year unless I had to, though.
ETA meaning I would replace if they needed to be replaced, but not just because they didn’t look new.

[waverly]

We don't typically make it quite that long with shoes. We usually replace when they have holes/ falling apart etc., but they do wear them daily as their primary shoe. The kids have gym daily, so that is part of the reason why they are worn so often.

[thebreakfastclub]

My son's shoes generally last until he outgrows them, without holes etc. He's not been one to put holes in his clothes or shoes. He wears his sneakers every day.
In 5th grade, he's officially a men's size 8.

[186momx]

DD 7th grade went through 3 pairs of athletic shoes last year. She stretched them out by adding insoles until she wore the tread off the bottom. She has a mile walk to and from school and had PE so had to wear athletic shoes daily. This year she doesn't have PE and rotates between athletic shoes, booties, boots, and sandals.

[VillainV]

It depends. We’ve had some shoes only last a few months, and some last a year. If they’re still wearable, they become his “messy” shoes, for playing outside when it’s raining or muddy or whatever.

So far C’s feet haven’t grown very fast, so he only needs to size up maybe once or twice a year. I feel like the vast majority of his tennis shoes have lasted at least 6 months (a few notably shorter), so it’s not a huge deal for him to keep wearing shoes even when they’re slightly past their prime.

[expectantsteelerfan]

My kids don't wear tennis shoes over the summer, usually at all, so if we're this far through the school year, I try to get the rest of the school year out of their current shoes. One year ds literally wore a hole in the sole of his school, so those I did replace. But dd tends to have boots and another pair of 'fashiony' shoes along with her main tennis shoes, plus we keep any of ds's shoes that he outgrew WAY before he wore them out, so she always has extras to rotate in if she wants to. Ds tends to just wear 1 pair of shoes until they are too small or fall apart, and he likes a particular style (black skechers slip ons) so if they are on sale I often buy the next size up when I buy his current pair. He can also currently wear my shoes, and I have foot issues, so I get a new pair of good tennis shoes every 4-5 months (Brooks), and though I need new shoes, they often still look almost new. I donate my used ones often, but I always keep 1 or 2 old pairs for 'just in case' and he can wear those if he needs to for some reason.

[hermione]

When they look bad or they are outgrown. Pushing it doesn't make sense to me - there are still 4 months left in the school year for us at this point.

[felicity]

I’ve replaced a few pairs that have worn out before outgrowing but also had some make it an entire size. We’ve had good luck with Asics. DS had is last pair from like last May until this past January when he outgrew them and they still looked pretty good. He has separate shoes he wears for sports though so I think that also helps.

[meanie]

The kids get new pairs of sneakers and dress shoes for school each year, we have been spending a bit more to get better brands after years of replacing cheaper shoes multiple times throughout the year.

Both are wearing Nikes every day now and they are holding up really well. We also had good luck with Sketchers in the past.

For sneakers I would go ahead and replace them now, they can still wear them after school is over. Our kids wear uniforms and when they were required to wear dress shoes we would try to make them last since they didn't get worn much once school was out.

[momin2013]

Outdoor shoes typically last the school year, likely because DS wears winter boots from Dec to Feb-ish. We’ve had years where we’ve replaced his indoor/gym shoes around March Break, and others where they’ve lasted the year (but barely). I think the quality of shoes has made a difference.

[ellipses84]

Until they have holes in them or they outgrow them, but that’s typically 2-3 times a year and they wear them daily all year. We get a lot of barely worn hand-me-downs of other types of shoes, like canvas slip ons, dressier shoes or sandals they wear occasionally so they don’t have to wear their grubby sneakers to nice events. I don’t think the quality of shoes is what it used to be. We had some quick turn around from the Adidas and Nike outlets, so I bought some Adidas from Nordstrom thinking the regular might be better quality than the outlet specific styles, but I washed them once because they got really dirty and they started falling apart. My kids are really rough on their shoes and my youngest has sensory issues especially with shoes and socks, so we’ve tried so many brands and I’m just happy if he’ll wear shoes willingly.

[heygrey]

I don't "make them last" if they are worn out or too small. If they are just tired looking, I will run them through the washer and touch up white spots with a magic eraser. It makes a big difference in them looking nicer again.

DS wears runners daily and is a very active kid. His feet are pretty slow growing so we're only replacing them for size once a year or so.

[noodleoo]

Feb 19, 2024 12:54:52 GMT -5 charlatti said:

I replace when needed — if shoes are worn out or outgrown. I wouldn’t replace mid year unless I had to, though.
ETA meaning I would replace if they needed to be replaced, but not just because they didn’t look new.

Same. I have no schedule for shoes, I just buy them as needed when they have holes or are outgrown. Although they usually are worn out before the kids outgrow them. I found the quality of kids shoes really varies by brand. I’ve had target shoes that literally worn out after three weeks. We generally buy Saucony shoes now and for my girls we can get good 3-6 months out of them. It’s worth the higher price for the longevity. Luckily my kids aren’t picky so I buy whatever I can find on sale. I’m hoping my kids start being a little less rough on shoes soon, it’s so expensive! 🙈 (They age age 8 and 5 now).

[redheadbaker]

I replace them when they need to be replaced. I don't pay attention to what part of the school year we're in. He's going to need them all summer anyway.

[icedcoffee]

It depends. During the scooter riding stage when they refused to use the brake we taped his shoes with duct tape and I basically refused to buy new ones. Now at 7 it’s usually clear he needs new ones. Either something breaks off or they are outgrown. Or after summer camp he usually gets a new pair for the first day of school.

[cricketwife]

I know for a fact that a pair of shoes has never lasted a whole school year. In fact, I remember when my kids were younger and there was always the, “oh they outgrow them so fast, leave room to grow!” Advice. They have never once outgrown a shoe before they’ve worn it out. They usually last 4-6 months. I do stretch it, like if they start getting a hole and it’s still small, I’ll push it another few weeks and I replace them when they have massive holes (mother of the year here). My kids are ALWAYS kicking a ball so that part of the foot wears out first.

[sandandsea]

My boys are very physical and rough on shoes. We rarely get more than 3 months before they are no longer wearable (holes/tears/worn). We usually buy athletic shoes like Nike or Adidas. Skater style shoes last a bit longer but my kids dont prefer them because they aren’t as comfy/easy to run in for PE and recess.

[CloudBee]

When DS was a new bike rider, he spent a few months wearing holes in the toes of his sneakers. Once I realized what was happening - that he was dragging his toes rather than using his brake, I told him he would have to buy the next pairs of shoes if he did it again. Magically, since then, he hasn't worn a single hole in his sneakers.

I do replace if they start looking really dingy, the washing machine won't get the grime out, and he hasn't outgrown them. I would say he goes through about 2 pairs per size, depending on the time of year. We usually have only 1 pair of sneakers going at a time, but typically have a future size in the closet, and his old size in a cabinet somewhere. We use the "too big" and "too small" if we're in a bind and his sneakers are soaking wet, etc.

[plutosmoon]

My DD usually gets a couple of pairs of shoes during back to school shopping and they generally last the entire year. Her feet grow really slow so we keep the old ones around as long as they don't have holes.

I started buying kids size 4 this past fall, but all her 3s from the past couple years still fit fine. I've always replaced shoes as needed, but generally they last about a year.

[moonpie]

I replace them once they are too small or worn out. I like to have two pairs of athletic shoes per kid so they can rotate them. I’ve been buying Nike flex shoes because they wash well in the washer.

[Poppy]

My kids are not very physically rough. I don't think they've ever worn out a shoe before outgrowing it. The worst time was when they were on a balance bike but I think they still didn't completely wear any out. If the shoes had significant holes or a detached sole or something, I would go ahead and replace.

[puppylove64]

If I get my kids a new pair when school starts, they are usually worn out by Christmas. They wear them daily. They don’t usually have a lot of shoes, usually a pair of athletic shoes for school and daily, crocs or flip flops, and cleats for soccer practice. Cleats can usually last fall and spring if they don’t outgrows them

[sdlaura]

In contrast to Poppy above, my kids are very physically rough My DD's shoes usually last longer than the shoes my 3 boys wear, but she also grows faster than they do, so I end up passing her shoes down to my nieces if they're still in good shape. Now she and I wear about the same shoe size, which is convenient. Besides making sure they're not wearing super worn out shoes on the first day of school, I don't pay too much attention to where we are in the school year when I replace their shoes.

[quesyrah]

We replace shoes when outgrown or if they have holes/totally worn out soles.

I think my kids feet grow abnormally slowly because I’ve always bought shoes twice a year- new sandals in summer and new sneakers in Fall.

[hbomdiggity]

We are fortunate to have a hefty brand discount, so we have a low threshold and replace more frequently. He is rough on them, but usually not to the point of holes or outgrowing.

[stemmie]

I don't think my kid ever made it through an entire academic year in the same shoe size until he was a junior.

I always spray shoes with Camp Dry which helps them repel water and dirt so they don't get nasty looking as fast. He likes Converse All Stars which seem to wear out a bit more quickly than other brands.

[nicolewi]

I will say that this year we got some of the leather style Nikes, whereas previously we’d had the mesh type of tennis shoes that used to be more popular. The leather-style ones definitely hold up better!

I am the OP. I kind of want my kids to have decent-looking shoes for spring break pictures! So I might replace them a little sooner than I usually would, instead of limping through the year. I also did realize that my fifth grader’s shoes are actually too small (she is growing a lot this year!!! Yikes!), and then, my son’s shoes, which look great, apparently have the sole peeling off!! I don’t know if my son had ever planned to mention that, lol.

My 9th grader’s AF Ones are 100 percent fine.