Standards for toddler/baby shoes in Australia

Coming from the European background (where there is a lot of pressure on the standards and safety of the first shoes) I was very surprised to learn that there isn't really any standards or guidelines when it comes to baby/toddler shoes in Australia. 
You can find information about which toys are safe, but with when it comes to baby/toddler shoes -as a seller you can sell whatever you like - it's up to the parents  to decide if the shoes are safe /good for their children.

As much as i agree that parents  have  responsibility to research what they are buying, I strongly believe the government needs to put in place some sort of legislation/standards for the shoes that are allowed to be sold here. At least have some brands recommended by the Australian Podiatry Association.

Before I was involved with Gucio shoes, I liked buying shoes which were recommended by podiatrists. It gave me a bit of confidence and piece of mind, that the product must be good and safe for my boys (recommended by podiatrist right ? ) ... Really?

Well, Gucio shoes have obtained 'Healthy Foot Certificate' in Poland , so I decided to apply for something similar in Australia. I  contacted Australian Podiatry Association to find out what are the steps I have to undertake to receive a similar certificate here.  Few days later I received a phone call advising that I don't need anything in Australia to bring the shoes from overseas as there is no standards, therefore I can freely sell it here (that wasn't my question)... After the clarification.I was told there is no standards in Australia, hence the association doesn't provide any forms of certification or recognition that the shoes are safe. I couldn't work out how these big shoes brand have the information on their website that the shoes are recommended by podiatrist... I went back to check those website and then I realized that if one podiatrist recommend their shoes they just put that info on the website as podiatrist recommended... 

I will still try to achieve some changes in this department, the only thing relevant on their website was the information about incorrectly fitted shoes https://www.podiatry.org.au/documents/item/1861.

I hope in future we can catch up with other countries and have more to say about standards for kids shoes.

​Iwona