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I do not think this is acceptable. Yes, kids should learn how to put their shoes on the correct feet, but teachers should help them when they do it wrong. I would tell them your child is getting blisters and having pain and you expect them to help when necessary. Another thought is to show your kid how to put their shoes together side by side before putting them on to make sure they are on the right way.

To me it seems so strange that if they noticed the shoes were on the wrong feet they wouldn’t help her correct them. Going all day on the wrong foot isn’t teaching her anything. I’d definitely say someyhing because it’s a comfort and health concern.

So I’ll start by saying, it bothers me when I see my son’s shoes on the wrong feet and it’s super obvious to me, too. The blisters would also concern me, and I’d want to fix that problem, but I think my approach would be different, so I’ll be the voice of dissent here, fwiw. My son is at a montessori preschool very focused on self care and which also requires indoor slippers and outdoor shoes, so taking off/ putting on shoes happens regularly throughout the day. At 3, my son still mixes up his shoes occasionally, and sometimes will have them on the wrong feet at pick up. I think it’s a lot to expect teachers who are juggling a lot of needs to prioritize shoes on the right feet, especially when they may not be aware shoes came off at all (because it wasn’t a time everyone was doing it) So I’d tackle it wth the shoes I send her in- my son never gets blisters from shoes on the wrong feet because he is in sneakers with socks. I imagine your DD is in shoes without socks/ probably not sneakers? I’d make sure she goes to school in sneakers with socks so if she puts them on wrong it won’t cause damage. Definitely mention to the teachers to keep an eye on it, but I think being upset at the teachers (v the situation) about it is a bit of an overreaction, to be honest.

We also go to a Montessori school, and they will tell a student that they will be more comfortable if they switch their shoes, but they don’t force them to do so (they might if a parent asked). Therefore, I always send her in socks and comfy shoes.

Ugh, HB ate my post.

This wouldn't bother me, and it doesn't. My son constantly puts his shoes on the wrong feet and I'm sure the teachers have given up trying to get him to put them on correctly because he doesn't seem to care.

I'd try to work with your daughter to teach her the correct feet yourself. Maybe try the sticker trick?

@Ajsmommy: The blisters make this a different situation than mine but the shoes being mixed up alone wouldnt bother me. My 5yo DD has worn her shoes on the wrong feet for about a year. Sneakers, cowboy boots, sandals. She refuses to wear them correctly and its not a battle I care to fight. When I pick her up from school if a teacher other than her normal teachers sees me they usually say “the shoes, again.” I talked about it with the director when she first started doing it and she said its very common for kids to prefer the fit and feeling of the wrong feet. Preschool doesn’t encourage it but they don’t force her to fix it either. I assume they would if she had trouble walking on playing or if she complained of pain.

I would comment upon it, in regards to the blisters. My girl does this routinely. At home, she's fairly consistent about asking if her shoes are on correctly. I'm not sure why she doesn't do it at school. My girl went through a thing last summer of taking her socks off and wearing her shoes without them. She had blisters and ruined her shoes (they stunk so bad!). I asked her teachers to keep an eye on her and to try to make sure she kept her socks on. Of course I also had this same conversation with my kid.

The wrong foot thing bothers me, but I don't comment to the staff. I will comment to my kid, ask her to fix her shoes before we leave for home.

Also, my kid is 3.5.

@Ajsmommy: I;ll be honest and say I took my daughter to church one day and someone else pointed out to me that her shoes were on the wrong feet! And i had not realized at all! I think this situation would upset only if I had already talked to them about it and it still continued to happen. It could be that they dont notice it, or dont realize its causing blisters. So definitely give them the chance to do better by letting them know it is actually affecting her feet

I mean, it's annoying, but you haven't even mentioned it to the teachers so i'm not sure you can go right to blood boiling.

The first step seems super obvious. Tell the teachers she repeatedly puts shoes on the wrong feet and is getting blisters and ask them to keep an eye out for it. As someone who puts my child's shoes on the wrong feet more than I care to admit, it's not super obvious to everyone.

@Ajsmommy: I have a 3.5 year old who constantly puts his shoes on the wrong feet, so it’s no surprise to me that he often comes home from school that way. He’s learning, and in his preschool class of 23 kids where independence is taught, it’s no surprise to me that they really want the kids doing this themselves. I am a former kindergarten teacher and if I saw shoes on the wrong feet at that stage I’d point it out to the kid, but it is what it is. If you don’t want to battle her to wear socks, I’d maybe send her in shoes that don’t blister, or try one of the sticker tricks mentioned above.

@Ajsmommy: I wondered if maybe this was one of those "easier with a boy" things. I get not wanting to fight about shoes- my besties second daughter also has strong opinions about such things, so I know some kids do, mine just happens not to! I'd definitely mention it to the teachers to keep an eye out for, but also as a 4 year old, I'd honestly also explain to her about choices/potential problems. My 3yo is just starting to sometimes get/ connect options with consequences (we talk a lot about what foods help making pooping easier or harder, hahahaha) and I'd imagine at 4 your daughter can make those connections even better! Like, if you wear socks or X shoes you're less likely to get blisters, or if you're not sure about shoes asking a teacher to confirm (self advocacy is such an important skill!), or using the sticker method, etc. Anyway, just some more ideas!

I agree with @kiddosc. I don't think you can go right to blood boiling when you haven't even brought the issue up with the teachers.

I think you need to have a conversation with the teachers. Just tell them hey, I noticed she has her shoes on the wrong feet when I pick her up. Can someone make sure she puts them on right because she gets blisters.

I put my toddlers shoes on the wrong feet and didn't even notice it until we had been out for awhile. Not everyone notices little details like that, especially if the child isn't complaining about something feeling off.

There are approximately 8,000 kids in my daughter's class, so I am not at all surprised when little details are overlooked. What's obvious to us as parents is much less noticeable to others, and I know the teachers have their hands quite full. When I observe a situation like this, I make sure to mention it so that the teachers will know to look out for it. If they don't know, they can't correct it. I've never had a problem that wasn't immediately resolved once I brought it up.

I'd suggest mentioning it at pick-up or drop-off (or both, preferably, so that the word will spread). If it doesn't improve within the next couple of days, that's when I'd escalate the situation.

This happens in my kid’s daycare all the time. There was another parent who was livid that the teachers weren’t checking her kid’s shoes. She felt it was their responsibility to make sure the kids were safe (in her mind it was a safety issue - more likely to trip if shoes were on the wrong feet). So I don’t think you are alone in how you are feeling. Personally, I think the teachers are using a natural consequences method. If you trip, or are uncomfortable in your shoes, you will learn quicker to put them on the right feet (these are 4 and 5 year olds).

So confession. I can’t tell right away which shoes belong on which feet. I have to hold both up and then see the shape curve. Drives my mom crazy bc I’m a grown woman but I don’t know. Luckily, my LO1 just knew and got it. She points it out when I put the shoes wrong on my two year old.

Sort of skimmed the responses but if the student isn’t supposed to be taking shoes off at school then the teacher prob isn’t looking at their feet. My kids go to a private preschool that I used to teach at and they are not really supposed to take shoes off. A child might take one shoe off at a time to get mulch or whatever out after playground time but that’s about it. So teachers are not really on the lookout if the shoes are wrong or not. I would just ask to keep an eye out

I don’t think this would make me upset unless I mentioned it and they had done nothing about it. I would especially give them a pass (for now) because In the situation you described, taking shoes on/off in school is not the norm (ie, it is not a outdoor/indoor shoe place, just something she is doing during dress up) so it is probably not something they are on the lookout for. Mention something and I am sure they will keep an eye out.