Shoe-A-Doodle-Doooooo! (Clarks Doodles)

Member Name: i_am_joy

Product:	Clarks Doodles
Date:	26/06/08 (642 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lovely looking childrens shoes, comfortable, durable, flexible

Disadvantages: --------------

It was my great nephews 4th birthday back in April and instead of the usual toys I decided to buy him some practical presents, one of which was a pair of Doodles from Clarks.

The ones I chose were the Sammy Shark variety because he loves anything to do with the sea, and these ones have a picture of a cartoon shark on the front of each shoe. They are very similar to the ones in the photograph above as they are the same navy blue colour and have a contrasting white sole. He has small feet for his age so I bought him a size 7 1/2F which turned out to be the perfect fit for him.

He wore his new shoes straight away and immediately I could see he was comfortable in them. He liked the fact that they are canvas so he could jump into his paddling pool without having to take them off as he has to with his trainers. I put my hand inside one of the shoes and they feel soft and comfortable to the touch and I can tell they are going to be fine for him to play all day in.

Watching him run around I could see that they are rigid enough to support his little feet and do not flap up and down like a lot of cheaper shoes of this style. At the same time they are still soft and flexible enough that they do not hinder his movement at all, from the very first time he wore them they have fitted him like a second skin with no rubbing or chafing at the backs of his feet.

I like the fact that these shoes are wide at the front as this allows his toes room to spread out as he's playing, the width does not make them look odd though because it fits in perfectly with the somewhat old fashioned appeal of these shoes.

My great nephew loves the fact that the buckle is large enough that he can almost do them up himself and only needs his mum or big brother to slide the end piece in after he's fastened the buckle himself. This makes him feel like a big boy and he often practises fastening the buckle because he is determined to learn how to complete the task! The buckle is sturdy and attached strongly to the shoe so there is no fear of pulling it off while you're trying to do them up, as I did with a pair of my granddaughters shoes last week.

Overall I think these were a good present for an active little boy, and his mum agrees with me. They look fantastic and proves that you do not need to dress small children like mini adults to make them look nice. These are very traditional in appearance and put me in mind of the old sailor shoes I used to buy for my daughter in the 1970's. Now, nearly three months later, my great nephew is still wearing his Doodles and still loves them. I saw him yesterday and they are as good as new even though his mum tells me he has worn them practically every day since his birthday!

This particular style of Doodles is available in sizes 7F to 9 1/2G which I would suggest covers ages from about 2 to perhaps 5 or 6 years. After that though there are other ranges of Clarks Doodles to choose from going up to size 12G and maybe even larger. I bought mine from www.shoevillage.co.uk where they cost £12 (free delivery), but I would imagine the larger Clarks stores would stock the full range of styles and sizes so it is probably worth going in for the added advantage of getting your childs feet measured properly to ensure the correct fit.

Summary: Clarks have made yet another brilliant pair of shoes.