Shoes

Bought Ying Ying her first pair of Clarks shoes at an OG sale today! In her favourite pink of course! Or rather my favourite colour on her :p There was a 20% discount so I thought why not?

Clarks in funky pink!!!!

Actually, Ying Ying already owns a pair of Bobux, which she wore during her 1st bd party. Bobox soles are made of soft breathable leather so she could bend her feet and toes flexibly.

Good old Bobux

But for the past month, I stopped putting shoes on her because she has the habit of playing with her shoes. In fact, I even caught her sucking on her Bobux a couple of times (to my horror)! I was paranoid that she would touch her shoes and put the same hands into her mouth or touch her face all over later. So nowadays I would just let her wear socks and carry her shoes around in my bag so that she could wear them if she does some walking outside the house, which err.... is very rare.

We have been quite reluctant to let her walk outside because we feel she is not so steady on her feet as yet. What if she trips and hit her head on concrete? What if she decides to sit down suddenly and examine the filthy ground with her bare hands? So many what-ifs. But I guess we have gotta start somewhere. Ahhh...Ying Ying will turn 13th mth in another wk or so - maybe we can celebrate the occasion by letting her do some real outdoor walking! :)

Anyway, the reason why I decided to get her a pair of rubber-soled Clarks was because I saw how a neighbour's son (who is 2wks younger than her) walking so confidently in them at our lift lobby yesterday. I was so surprised and impressed by his development that I remarked stupidly to his mother, "He can walk already ah??" when the answer had been so obvious. Duh.

Then suddenly, I had a crazy notion that maybe the secret lies in the rubber-soled shoes he was wearing. Maybe Ying Ying could just walk like him if I were to put her in similar shoes.

But alas! Ying Ying was clearly not used to wearing her stiff and heavy Clarks. She took a long time to get to her feet and refused to walk for more than a few steps no matter how we cajoled her. Guess it takes time for her feet to adjust.

While Bobux wins hands-down in terms of comfort and lightness, I must say rubber soles have their advantage in protecting feet against sharp objects and water puddles. So I figure if we are planning to go to wet and wild places like the zoo, park or beach, Ying Ying will wear her Clarks. If we are just going shopping, visiting or out for dinner, bobox will be great. In this way, she can enjoy the best of both worlds! :)