Inch Blue Toot Train Children’s Shoes Review
Reviewed by Rachel Cassey-Holland
I was really thrilled to be chosen to review a pair of leather children’s shoes because, whilst we have had them before from a different make, it was when my older children were babies and not since then. My youngest son is now 4 and has infant size 8-8.5 feet so, when I logged onto the Inch Blue website to take a look at their shop, I was pleasantly surprised to see that a lot of their shoes actually go up to what they call Child Extra Large size – the equivalent of UK child size 10.5-12 or 20cm in length. The size guide on the Inch Blue website is brilliant and they even handily tell you the appropriate age for the size of shoe in case you need to make more of an educated guess (probably handy for those buying surprise presents!).
The Inch Blue website is very eye-catching and beautifully set out, so my son and I had a really good look around the shop to choose what we’d like to review. There is such a lovely choice – from baby sets (which include baby-grows, hats and shoes) to the most adorable looking Sheepskin Cwtches (Sheepskin lined slipper boots) and purses and a huge selection of different shoes. Of course, because he is now his own man, my son had the final say and we worked our way through the 25 pages of designs. He set his heart upon the Toot Train shoes which were available in two different background colours – navy or red. My son opted for navy as I think he preferred the red train on them. It was a very hard choice to make as each and every pair looked stunning. Based on the information on the size chart we opted for the Child Size Medium.
Lo and behold – the postman battled his way through the Beast from the East to deliver the slim parcel containing the shoes. Huge excitement was to be had when the box came out because it is so eye-catching, sweet and obviously child-orientated. It was “Sealed with love” by a sticker with the company’s logo on – the logo is a very cute heart shape made to look like two little feet and toes. It all served to make it an extra special experience opening the box and was a very nice touch. When we opened the box, the inside had two pictures ready to be coloured in and a little pack of Inch Blue personalized crayons for the purpose, with a special place to put the child’s name and age on each picture. The pictures can be cut out and kept – such a thoughtful idea. Also included is an equally cute specially folded shoe chart for you to keep and measure your child’s feet with as they grow so you know which size to order next. The size chart is in the form of a colourful caterpillar which I am sure most children won’t have a problem using to measure their feet – as my son enjoyed doing.
The shoes themselves were enclosed in a small cotton drawstring bag (handy for keeping them in once they have been grown out of) with a really pretty light blue drawstring to match the colour of the heart logo. Before we even opened the bag the natural non-chemical smell of the leather was amazing. There is a “Made in Britain’ symbol on the back of the bag, which is reassuring that the shoes will be great quality and from a sound, trustworthy origin. Everything about the opening of the package thus far was reassuring, very visually appealing and special and we were really excited to see what the shoes were like as the buildup had been so great!
My son took out the shoes and there was a huge intake of breath. He just said “Woooooow look at the shoes! These are my lucky shoes!” He loved them. Obviously, we had to put them on him straight away and I was interested to see how he would get on because he has a degree of hypermobility in his finger joints and feet. Whilst the elastic that goes around the heel and across the front of the foot is really nice and firm I have to say he managed beautifully and he worked out immediately to pull the heel back, place the toes inside and pull backwards with very little problem. Once he had the shoe on I took a look at the fit. As I said, the elastic to hold the shoe around the ankle is of excellent quality and both firm but yet with excellent give. The shoe fit very snuggly around my son’s foot and his ankle and across the top of his foot as a result. Even though my son has measured as coming up to a size 8.5 and I ordered the 8, these shoes are really roomy without being way too big. He has plenty of safe room left in which to grow for quite some while, so I am very glad I chose the size I did. The toe of the shoe is really nice and rounded with plenty of room for the toes to splay out a bit if required and also to give the foot enough room for to grow without restriction in the shoe. I asked my son how the shoe felt on his foot. “Very, very comfy” was the response. The second shoe was put on and off he went. Those shoes did not come off for a very long time and are worn every day!
We have laminate flooring all throughout our house on the ground floor so it’s very important that what he wears whilst rushing around the place is not too slippy, which can often be the problem with slippers. The base of these shoes is made out of what looks like extremely high-quality suede and it is definitely standing up to the wear he is currently putting the shoes though perfectly. There is no slipping at all. Having said that these really are indoor or pram shoes and I would never dream of letting them go outside even though I believe they could manage a walk around the garden. I’d just hate to risk spoiling them!
Once my son had gone to bed I took a more critical eye to see if there was anything I could find that I wasn’t sure about. I turned the shoe almost inside out and examined the stitching and the way the leather and suede had been cut. I honestly couldn’t fault it in any way; the quality is top notch, the leather and suede are so soft. The suede used for the train design is exquisitely cut and stitched in place and the colours are bold but not garish. The suede around the top of the back of the shoe is so reinforcing to the back of the shoe and the fit around the ankle – all of which is really important to my son with his slight degree of hypermobility. I am absolutely confident that these shoes will last until they no longer fit and beyond and the fact that these shoes are leather will mean that they are naturally breathable, which is great for my son as he can get very hot, sweaty feet!
These shoes are such a special gift for any occasion – birthday, christening, new baby etc. I was thinking how lovely it would be to buy a pair for a very new mum as a Mother’s Day gift idea because these really should eventually become keepsakes due to being so delightful. Once my son has grown out of these they will be going into his memory box so he can keep them forever and possibly give them to his own child. Depending on the colour and design they would also make a fabulous alternative Easter gift instead of chocolate. There are some very cute bunny shoes that have caught my eye for that reason!
Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to review these beautiful shoes; it has been a privilege. From the very beginning of the process navigating your web shop to delivery of the parcel and opening and wearing these gorgeous shoes it feels like you have gone the extra mile to make the whole experience and quality really special. I will definitely be a future customer and have already recommended you to friends and family.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £20-£22 (depending on size)
For more information or to buy visit www.inchblue.com.
