First Steps ... Lasting Memories

A baby's first steps, along with their first few words, are some of the proudest milestones for all parents. From first-time mums & dads to experienced grandparents, watching babies become toddlers as they stumble through their first few steps never fails to melt the hardest of hearts. While most parents look forward to that moment and try to encourage their baby's efforts at walking, many wonder when exactly it will happen. The answer is simple - babies walk as soon as they are ready, and not a moment earlier!

Some babies are skilled walkers by nine months, others might not take a single step until 18 months, or even later. Some babies crawl for months first, others miss out the crawling stage altogether. Some wobble and fall down repeatedly, others seem to master balance instantaneously. None of these scenarios indicate a problem, merely a natural developmental difference.

Here at Pre Shoes, we love hearing stories of how your child took their first few steps. Especially if they happen to be wearing a pair of Pre Shoes at the time!

Celebrating our Design Range

 

This month has seen us celebrating our first year in business with a series of special offers. Every single day we have showcased a different design at the special price of £12, including free delivery to anywhere in the UK, and it's proved particularly popular. We've been pleased to reward those fans who follow us on Facebook by making news of each day's offer available there first.

We're also looking forward to the new designs set to launch soon. Susie's flair and creative skill come in to their own in the design process of each new pair of Pre Shoes and this is just as true of the new designs set to launch soon as it is of all of the existing range. We'll be sharing news of the new designs on our Facebook and Twitter pages just as soon as we can. Until then, here's to our next year and all our existing fans!

Not on the High Street

We've been involved with Not on the High Street for some time now - the online source of original quality products from independent businesses. Not on the High Street was founded by Holly Tucker and Sophie Cornish back in 2006. They wanted to create a place where you could find all those charming, unique and carefully-made things that you sometimes stumble across in cool urban markets, village fairs and tucked-away boutiques. A place that was quick and easy to get to, where shopping was simple and fun, and where you could always find the most inspirational and wonderful things.

But that’s not all. Every single one of them would be designed, made or selected by an independent small business. A creative and wonderfully talented small business whose passion for quality, innovation and style shone through in every little detail. And so, for all the style seekers out there, Not on the High Street was born. And Pre Shoes are proud to be a part of it!

Introducing ... Lorraine!

It's always an exciting time when any business expands, but with July marking our first year of trading, we're especially delighted to be introducing the latest addition to the Pre Shoes team - our new Office Manager, Lorraine!

This crucial role enables Susie to concentrate on designing the shoes and allows us to cater for the increasing demand for Pre Shoes throughout the UK. As Susie, the founder of Pre Shoes, says:

"I have known Lorraine for many years and I am so pleased that she agreed to come and join Pre Shoes."

Lorraine has a wealth of experience and is also a mother and a grandmother, so she knows first hand the importance of good quality shoes for little ones. She has worked as a nursery day care owner and organised summer playschemes, and is excited to now be a part of the Pre Shoes team:

"It is lovely to be working alongside Susie once again. I do admire the energy and enthusiasm she brings to Pre Shoes, her designs are modern and fun. I am enjoying being involved in a variety of challenges and helping Pre Shoes grow from strength to strength."

Welcome on board, Lorraine!

Welcoming the Interns

Pre Shoes has recently welcomed two new arrivals to its ranks after teaming up with the graduate internship program at a Leicester university. Under the program, individuals get to spend time with and learn from established companies as part of their career development. Lisa Naik, from De Montfort University states, “The graduate internship programme places recent graduates into a range of organisations.  We believe that this will enhance their future career prospects and provide valuable experience for the individuals involved.”

We've been lucky enough to have two interns working with us for a period of five weeks. They're limited to thirty hours a week so we're making the most of that time! From inviting their input into the baby shoe design process to hopefully helping them garner an understanding of life in 'the real world', we feel it's been a great experience all round. Thanks De Montfort!

Naming Baby

There are many wonderful things about expecting a baby ... and deciding which name to choose is one of the more interesting decisions to make during this time. Popular or unusual? Short or lengthy? Traditional or contemporary? So many questions! A quick internet search reveals endless naming possibilites and sometimes the choice can be overwhelming.

The Top Five Boy's names this year are:

1. Jack
2. Cooper
3. Oliver
4. Noah
5. Thomas

The Top Five Girl's names are:

1. Lily
2. Ruby
3. Charlotte
4. Chloe
5. Sophie

How long before William & Kate sneak back in?!

Most parents can count on one hand the number of first names they have to think of ... and the sense that this moniker is important and will last a lifetime is never lost on them. Sometimes those parents want to wait until the baby actually arrives before deciding on a final name. A Thomas can suddenly look like a Jack when you actually meet him! 

For Pre Shoes founder Susie Warner, this naming business has taken on a whole new dimension ever since she started creating shoes. Every new design needs a new name and whilst it might not have the same magnitude as the naming of a baby, it can provide just as many hours of debate! 

Funky Monkey

With twenty-two different shoe designs, and therefore twenty two different names, already under her belt, Susie is no stranger to thinking up new signatures. But with more designs to come in the future, we'd like to open up the naming game and see what suggestions YOU might have for our shoes! 

So, watch this space and have your thinking caps at the ready for when we share our next creations. What will our Top Five names be?

Find me a Baby Gift

Have you ever found yourself looking for a baby gift with that WOW factor? Well I think Angela from Find me a Baby Gift has managed to do just that. Angela has put together the most wonderful baby gift boxes, she has taken time to source the most softest of blankets and has put a lot of thought and time making sure that every gift co-ordinates.

Angela's approach is completely flexible, so if you need something different, or replacing one item with another  it is not a problem with her "can do" attitude. Angela recognizes that a quick turn around is important and she works to within 5 working days from placing the order to it being despatched.

They embroider the blankets with the baby's name, date of birth and even the weight and time of birth if required. The Teddy bear hamper is simply wonderful.

Angela's website is well worth a visit and Pre Shoes is proud to be associated with findmeababygift.co.uk

Animal Farm

There's a reason why children love animals - they're so cute! Pre Shoes designer Susie Warner knows this, perhaps explaining why so many animals pop up in the full shoe range. From bumblebees to bears to butterflies, there's a creature for every child!

But it's not just about looking cute - there are a number of reasons why it's good for children to have animals in their life. All babies and toddlers love learning, and the animal kingdom provides endless opportunities for them to observe, experiment and learn from their furry or feathered friends. Whether it's understanding how hard or soft to stroke a cat, knowing that you have to feed, clean and look after pets or listening to the way birds seem to chat to each other, children will learn from animals often without even realising it! Seeing a snake slither along the floor shows them that there's more than one way to move. Watching elephants use their trunk to squirt water can make bath time much more fun (if a little wet!). And listening to bees buzz around the garden teaches them about how the natural world is all connected.

This goes some way to explaining why animal characters are so popular with little ones. Who hasn't seen a child flap their arms like a bird or make jungle noises like a monkey? Animal characters in books, films, television programs - and on shoes! - all help children to empathise and feel excited about animals.

So next time you're looking at the Pre Shoes range and thinking how cute the little kitties are, or how cheeky the fab monkeys are, remember - they're not just pretty faces. Children and animals are a winning combination every time!

You can see the full range of animal designs available here.

We ♥ Leather

Quality is of the utmost importance to everyone here at Pre Shoes, which is why we are the only producer of baby shoes in the UK to be members of the British Leather Centre. The British Leather Centre is the leading independent leather technology centre, working with hundreds of companies in over 40 countries. 

Established for almost a century, the British Leather Centre delivers a range of leather related services. At Pre Shoes we work very closely with the experts at BLC to ensure the highest of quality standards. All of the leather used by Pre Shoes is tested by them and has been awarded the leathersure mark. Whenever you see this accreditation you can be assured it is quality leather. Their expertise, experience and passion for leather coupled with our fantastic designs really sets Pre Shoes apart.

We're proud to work with other established British organisations who care as much about the quality of our products as we do. We're also proud of our finished products! Check out our full range at:

www.preshoes.co.uk

A Woman's Work Is Never Done

In honour of International Women's Day last week, the blog this week is profiling the Pre Shoes founder, Susie Warner. Pre Shoes has grown into an established, respected and successful company due to Susie's determination and hard work. In her own words:

I took redundancy back in October 2009. I knew I wanted to do something for myself as I was feeling fed up of the rat race and redundancy gave me the platform to do something for myself.  I didn't know what to do at first, but I didn't panic. Instead, I took the time to consider what I am good at.

I've always been very creative, so at first I tried my hand at being a silver smith, which I didn't enjoy. Then someone reminded me that I used to make my own children little shoes when they were little, so I started to think about designs and the materials I would make them out of. I am not a designer by trade, but I am good at drawing and my head is always full of ideas. 

After drawing a few designs, I canvassed a range of people for their input and was thrilled with the response ... so much so that Pre Shoes was born in November 2009. It took a while to get everything in place and I wasn't ready to trade properly until the July of 2010, but I have never been so happy doing my own thing! I didn't know it at the time but redundancy was the best thing that ever happened to me. I was unhappy at work and things needed to change, but sometimes it is a bit scary to do things until a situation forces you to do it. Nowadays, I can't imagine it any other way!

In November of last year I was nominated for a 'Women in Business' award, a moment of real pride for me. The LeicestHER Day Trust Jubilee Awards are held to recognise and celebrate the achievements of business women in Leicester - something I am very proud to be a part of. 

Things continue to go from strength to strength with Pre Shoes, which is great. I still love drawing and designing the shoes, and I'm always on the look out for new inspiration. With 2011 already looking busy, it can only be exciting times ahead!

Classic Campervans

Everyone loves a campervan, especially a classic like this one. There's something about that magic design that just conjures up wistful summers and the romance of travel. 

It's no surprise then that our Classic Camper shoes are one of our best selling designs, or that little girls love them just as much as little boys.

Though, admittedly, we don't see quite so many boy babies wearing the pink ones!

Whilst at Spring Fair this year, we were based next to Snapdragon -  a quirky little business that loves campervans as much as we do. They have been sewing things and growing things in the Scottish countryside since 2003, including these delightful campervan tea towels. 

If you can't drive a camper, you can atleast dry a camper! 

 So here's to Campers PreShoes, retro designs, cheery tea towels and all things campervan!

Spring is in the Air... Meet Minky

Every one is talking of Spring and Easter.. so I thought it was a good time to introduce you all to Pre Shoes's pet Rabbit Minky.

The weather was not very warm this morning so she was very reluctant to leave her cage. Minky has the run of the garden. I keep an eye on her from my window to make sure no unwanted intruders take a fancy to her!!

Minky got me to thinking about designs for Easter and the forth coming better weather (hopefully).

This morning when she looked back at me suspisously as I took her photo, I started to imagine her in a pair of shoes!! She would look loverly in the Daisy Daisy shoes as Daisies are a particular favourite food.

Minky belongs to my children, although cleaning duties seem to come down to me these days. Perhaps I will take some inspiration from her in some new designs!

Spring Fair 2011

Pre Shoes @ Spring Fair

Pre Shoes were proud to be exhibiting at the Spring Fair in Birmingham this week. Spring Fair International is one of the world’s major retail buying events and by far the most successful retail exhibition in the UK.



With almost 100,000 visitors this year, we were rushed off our feet, but we wouldn't have missed it for the world! After working hard to ensure we had posters, brochures and stands ready in time, we finally set up in Hall 9 - a mission in itself due to the exceptional winds that weekend. No other show offers such a powerful launch platform for our products, so we wanted to make sure our stall looked as good as possible.

Spring fair is a unique sourcing opportunity for buyers, several of whom showed interest in Pre Shoes. We now have stockists in Belfast, Taunton, Kirkby and Mickleover along with many more interested parties. A double celebration as it was Pre Shoes founder Susie Warner's birthday in the same week! Spring Fair is always billed as having a high spending, high quality audience hungry for new products and fresh ideas. We were not disappointed.

Baby's First Steps

Learning to walk

Perhaps the most important milestone in your child's life is learning to walk - an enormous step towards independence. As your baby goes from leaning up against the furniture to stepping hesitantly to your reassuring arms, and then onto running and jumping with ease, they will leave babyhood behind and start to become more independent.

How this starts

Over the course of their first year your child will slowly gain better coordination and muscle strength - learning to support themselves and turn over before progressing to pulling up and standing at approximately eight months.  After that it's a matter of developing confidence and balance – with most babies taking their first steps around about 9 and 12 months, and are walking competently by 14 or 15 months. Don't be too concerned, though, if your baby takes a little longer; it is perfectly normal for some children not to walk until their 16th or 17th month. 

At Pre Shoes we have a wide range of baby shoes made with soft leather and a soft-suede sole - making them perfect shoes for learning to walk.