Would you put your 4yo DS in Girls' shoes?

[bisous]

MIL bought DS2 some shoes when they went out on a "playdate" together the other day. Super sweet of her and to be honest he NEEDED some athletic shoes. These shoes are Stride Rite and good quality. They are blue but it is turquoisy blue and silver and white. They came in a pink box and are somewhat sparkly. MIL is well meaning but clueless! DH casually mentioned that the shoes were girls shoes. She laughed but didn't move to give us a receipt. (They're from Marshalls not Stride Rite). So here it is a month later and it seems we're stuck with the girl shoes! DS DOES need athletic shoes. WWYD? FWIW I'm inclined to use them. DS is too young to "care" about stuff like that...

[waver]

I have put DS in girls shoes (silver and light blue), sleepers, t-shirts, even leggings when he wanted to wear them.

I agree, if he doesn't notice at 4 yo, then he will be fine.

[Jo..]

I am pretty easy about gender stuff...I would put a boy in pink sheets and a girl in her brother's hand-me-down blue jammies.

But this would bother me. i would try to exchange them, or cough up the $20 bucks to get him some shoes. Unless it was a financial hardship.

[KpbS]

As long as the shoes themselves didn't have any sparkles or pink, I would. Kids' feet grow so fast it is unlikely he will be in them very long. I think turquoise is a color that can be pretty gender neutral.

[shilo]

go let him run thru some mud puddles. don't bother to clean them ;). problem solved.

[ahrimie]

As long as it wasn't too girly with sparkles or bows, I probably would. FWIW, I only have girls though and I feel fine putting them in boys clothes/shoes... though, I'm not sure I would do it to the same extent if I had a boy. I don't think boys can pull off everything girl while girls could.

[Green_Tea]

Does your DS like the shoes? If he likes them, I'd use them.

[hillview]

Sure if he likes them. Ds2 picks girl thing often (pink sweatshirt and pink shoes are currently in rotation here).

[Jo..]

go let him run thru some mud puddles. don't bother to clean them ;). problem solved.


That's true. And to clarify my objection, OP stated that the shoes were "somewhat sparkly". I would put turquoise on a boy, but not sparkles.

[roseyloxs]

I would leave it up to my ds. If he likes them he can wear them.

[ilfaith]

I would have to draw the line at sparkles.

Even if he doesn't think they are girly, if he is in preschool I guarantee his classmates will. At that age girls are all about the pretty and sparkly. One of the little girls in my 5YO's class last year wore barely-worn, blue and brown sneakers handed down form her brother, and came home crying because some of the girls in her class told her they were "boy shoes"

I hate that kid's clothes today are so gender-specific. Can't girls wear anything not pink and glittery? Can't boys have a shirt that doesn't have a truck on it, or that doesn't say "here comes trouble" I look at pictures of myself from when I was a kid (way back in the 70s) and there I am wearing a pretty gender-neutral orange and brown plaid shirt or a red and blue striped turtleneck (I didn't say the clothes were attractive).

I bought a pair of sneakers for my son last year. They were silver and red and in the boys' section of the store. But when I got them home and in different light, the red had a slightly pinkish tinge to it. It never bothered DS, and I certainly never mentioned to him that it wasn't the "manliest" shade of red...but I was secretly glad when he had a growth spurt and outgrew those sneakers.

[Green_Tea]

I would have to draw the line at sparkles.

Even if he doesn't think they are girly, if he is in preschool I guarantee his classmates will.

So what if they do? I see lots of girls and boys choosing to wear clothes that are clearly marketed to the other sex. If those clothes make my kid happy, I'd rather encourage them to say, "I like these sparkly sneakers!" than discourage them from wearing them.

In preschool my DS's favorite color was purple. It's nearly impossible to find purple stuff for boys, so he wore plenty of plain purple Ts and polos that were from them girl section. When a boy in his class told him that purple was for girls, he looked the kid right in the eye and said loudly, "You're wrong. Purple is for EVERYONE."

[JBaxter]

No no sparkles no pink on my boys shoes. Jack has issues enough with his blond curls being mistaken for a girl even in full "manly" toddler wear.

[artvandalay]

I would not, especially if there are sparkles involved.

[daisymommy]

We always have 1 pair of designated "outside play shoes" for our kids, because otherwise they destroy and dirty up their good school shoes, and I'm cleaning mud off of them before they go to school the next day. We keep a box by the door, and when they go out to play, they know to put on their outside play shoes.

So, maybe these shoes could be for that purpose? Then get him boy shoes you like for going out in public.

[Indianamom2]

We always have 1 pair of designated "outside play shoes" for our kids, because otherwise they destroy and dirty up their good school shoes, and I'm cleaning mud off of them before they go to school the next day. We keep a box by the door, and when they go out to play, they know to put on their outside play shoes.

So, maybe these shoes could be for that purpose? Then get him boy shoes you like for going out in public.

I like this idea. They still get used and he doesn't get teased.

The other option would be to donate them around Christmas time to a charity drive.

[JamiMac]

They would be outside play shoes only here too. I just couldn't do sparkles. My DS would not want to wear them either, I don't think. With two older sisters, he knows what is girly.

[Aishe]

Are these the shoes?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00403MOYS

DD has those. I would totally let a boy wear them as long as he likes them. They're not *that* sparkly. But I let my ds go out in pink all the time per his choice. I really don't see what the big deal is and I think it's ridiculous that so many colors have become verboten for boys. Why are we limiting our children in this way? And what exactly are we afraid of? If children make fun of him then it's his choice as to whether he keeps wearing them or not. But why not let him try (again, as long as he likes them)?

[Kindra178]

Are these the shoes?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00403MOYS

DD has those. I would totally let a boy wear them as long as he likes them. They're not *that* sparkly. But I let my ds go out in pink all the time per his choice. I really don't see what the big deal is and I think it's ridiculous that so many colors have become verboten for boys. Why are we limiting our children in this way? And what exactly are we afraid of? If children make fun of him then it's his choice as to whether he keeps wearing them or not. But why not let him try (again, as long as he likes them)?

I think a boy could wear those above if he were fine with it.

[bisous]

Those are the shoes!! You guys and your internet skills are AMAZING!!

DS likes the shoes a lot. They are comfortable and since grandma called them his "basketball shoes" he REALLY likes them.

I'm going to let him wear them. As a PP mentioned they're not THAT sparkly (although it was the sparkles that tipped me off that they're girls' shoes!), he doesn't care and frankly, $20 IS a lot for our family! The shoes fit and they're well made.

Thanks for helping me think this through!

Oh and since we live in sandals around here and "basketball shoes" are only worn on the days with the worst whether or the toughest terrain, they'll probably get nice and "manly" pretty soon anyway, lol!

[LMPC]

Does your DS like the shoes? If he likes them, I'd use them.

:yeahthat:

[LMPC]

Are these the shoes?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00403MOYS



See, I don't see those as sparkly...but sliver.

[kevinsmama]

I'd totally let my DS (he's 3) wear those... they're not "girly" at all. I've bought sneakers from Tsukihoshi that were supposedly marketed for girls (similar color scheme to the pair OP bought) but DS was totally fine with it and I don't think anyone else could tell that they were theoretically "girls' shoes"!