The Elves and Shoe Buyer - how to shop for shoes for your toddler without your toddler

My sensory sensitive son who moaned for a week about a daisy bush I cut down (he's not a fan of change) had a pair of shoes he absolutely loved. He called them his running shoes. They were a pair of simple black slip ons we bought at Walmart in the States. They weren't great shoes to begin with but the more he wore them, basically everyday, the more apparent their flaws became.

They did not support his growing feet very well and before long I realised that his feet were rolling in. This was apparent when you looked at the wear on the soles. Then the toes became worn and finally they became too tight but he continued to wear them obsessively. No other shoe option would do. I was worried that they would actually begin to damage his forming feet and legs.

The natorious running shoes from Walmart

I kept trying to push another pair of takkies he had on him but he would have none of it. Every time he wore them he told me they were too tight and too hard. Finally I realised we would have to buy some new shoes. However I was dreading shopping for shoes with my little darling.

Last time we shopped for shoes together it ended in tears for both of us, buying the very first pair of shoes we tried, fighting over the appropriateness of Ben Ten flip flops in size 5 and shoplifting a pair of shoes he put in the bottom of the pram when I wasn't looking. So you can imagine my hesitation. We did return the shop-liffted shoes later and he had to apologise to the lady at the returns counter.

With all this in mind I thought up a strategy to get rid of the running shoes once and for all and to buy a new pair of shoes without my son in tow. First I drew around his feet on a piece of cardboard and cut the feet shapes out. Then off to Woolies I went, solo, to find some podiatrist approved shoes. Something that was soft and adjustable but with good support so his feet don't roll.

At the shop I simply took out my feet cut outs and fitted them into the shoes to find the right size. I looked for shoes that fit the criteria and found the ones in the photo. They were pricey but cheaper than corrective physio and specialised inner souls when he's a teenager.

That night while he was sleeping I crept in and disappeared the old runny shoes. Then tied some sparkly tinsel to the new shoes wrote a little note from the shoe elves and filled the shoes with jelly beans to sweeten the deal. I put the shoes outside his door for him to find in the morning.

The note said: Dear Joshua We noticed that your running shoes were too small so we made you some new ones. Love the Shoe Elves

The new shoes were adopted with great enthusiasm and the old shoes have not been asked for again.