2nd hand shoes

Our kids feet grow so friggin' fast that it seems like we are spending a chunk every month just to keep up with them. I started going to consignment shops and buying 2nd hand shoes. I mean who can afford to buy beautiful European shoes at full price EVERY month? I read this this morning on a message board for moms and thought I'd pass it on. It is written by Noah Blumofe, a podiatrist in Santa Monica.
"The truth is that for first walkers, its difficult enough to find them shoes that will let them feel the ground while walking, and to let them make their own "mistakes" and learn from them. Used shoes have already been "mistaked
in" so to speak, they already have the slightest of changes that came from
the previous owner as they walked in them. So, when they modified the shoes
(this is automatic in ANY shoe that ANYONE wears, adults as well as kids),
it became THEIR shoe. Now, take a custom dress that is perfectly tailored to
YOUR body, and give it to someone else...it may seem that the fit is fine,
but every little angle that is different, will wear differently. Fine,
fabric is forgiving, because it is not weightbearing, your not putting all
your weight on it. Also, a dress does not in turn change the way your body
moves (though if it fits off, it'll pinch or pull or make a nasty indent),
while shoes will DIRECTLY affect the way you walk. SO, if you are beginning
to learn how to walk, which includes the first 10 years of life or so,
having "foreign" instructions will defintelly mess up the overall result.
You may not see it now, as it can be subtle at times, but in the end, it all
adds up. Thats the long way of saying, NO USED SHOES."

Damn those Elefanten shoes I bought for $5 last week are so cute BUT they are a little worn.....
SBH