If you're a parent with a young child, you probably know the pain - quite literally - of having to buy new shoes every few months for your growing offspring. Not only does it cost a small fortune to keep kids in shoes that fit properly, but it contributes to an awful lot of "shoe waste" as kids are in and out of new pairs as fast as their little sneakered feet will carry them.

A new technology called iFit used in the INCHworm shoes seeks to save parents some cash and and in the process, reduce the number of shoes that undoubtedly end up in landfills. The INCHworms can be expanded up to one entire size by pressing a button on the side of the shoe that extends its length. The shoes can can be adjusted in two half-size increments, for a total of one size. They also have a flexible plastic sole and uppers and can endure the most strenuous of activities that average child participates in. The nearly £50 (or almost $100US) price tag may seem a little hefty at first given the shoes will be gracing the feet of your family's smallest members, however the makers claim they will last anywhere from three to six months longer than the typical pair and could save nine million pairs of shoes annually if the trend caught on.

Maybe so, but that still seems a tad bit pricey for shoes. It might work on the assumption that your child only wears one pair of shoes for months at a time. Would you pay that much to keep your kids in shoes that lasted longer than the traditional ones they wear and is it worth it from an environmental angle?

» Daily Mail