As we know, the leather on new school shoes are a lot tougher than leather on school shoes that have been worn in. High Quality leather school shoes will mould and adjust to your child or teenager’s feet once they’ve worn them in, but this certainly takes some time.

There are a few ways to wear in leather school shoes so that your child isn’t coming home feeling pain from wearing their leather school shoes all day. We know that discomfort when it comes to footwear is not ideal so let’s ensure our kids break in their school shoes before the back to school season.

Buying good quality leather is essential to ensuring the comfort and allowing the wear in process of the leather to be short. The Athlete’s Foot stocks many high-quality leather shoes for school which are designed to soften over time.

OUR TOP PICKS OF QUALITY LEATHER:

1. Harrison Indy II Kids Black	2. Clarks Ingrid Narrow Senior Black
3. Ascent Scholar Narrow Kids Black	4. Alpha Riley Senior Black

Secondly, get your child to wear them around the house – 10 mins a day is all they need. Sometimes, when we buy leather shoes before school, we leave them in the box and forget they exist until the night before or that rushed first day of school morning. Take them out early (1-2 weeks) and get your child or teenager to put them on as if they would before school and wear them inside around the house for a few minutes a day. This will ensure that (if your child is young) they know how to put them on correctly, tie up the laces or secure the V-strap. They’ll also become more accustomed to the feel of the leather.

Buy and get them to wear comfortable and thick socks with the new shoes. Leather shoes are sometimes susceptible to causing abrasions or blisters on the feet, but thick and good quality socks can help avoid this. The barrier between the thick sock and the leather can ensure that there is extra comfort. The Athlete’s Foot stocks a range of quality socks. Your child may need to wear all white/black long crew socks which is what we recommend. A crew sock which covers the ankles and is essentially higher than the leather school shoe itself will protect the back of the heel and avoid blisters.

Next, you will need to ensure that your child is tying up the laces or using the v-strap tight enough (but not too tight that they can’t walk comfortably). Tying up the laces to a comfortable tightness will ensure that there isn’t much space between their feet and the leather shoe, essentially avoiding any cuts and can also ensure your child is walking in the correct form.

Lastly, ensure to have band aids on hand just in case. You don’t want your little one getting to school and not having these on hand for whenever they may need it. Pack it in their backpack and let them know to use if it’s needed.

Leather shoes aren’t the easiest to break/wear in, whether they’re for adults or kids and teens. We need to be realistic about the way leather shoes are designed and remember that they may not be the most comfortable footwear for the first few times they are worn.