One – since when did four-year-olds start worrying about how trendy their shoes are? And two – why are children's shoes so blinkin' expensive?

When I was little, my mum would take me to the local shoe shop, get my feet measured in the huge machine that looked disturbingly like a car crusher, and then ask the shop assistant to find me some sensible, black shoes.

I don't remember having an opinion on this – nor was I asked for one – and after the assistant had poked my feet and asked me to march up and down a couple of times, the shoes would be mine.

So, why is it that when I took my daughter into a shop last week, she studied each shoe intently; turned down several pairs; then finally agreed on some that had flowers on the straps and – would you believe – a little doll hidden in the heel. Dolls hidden in the heel?

When I was little the only things in the heels of my shoes were metal tacks, hammered in by my dad. Why I needed tacks is still a mystery, but I presume it was to increase the mileage on my shoes. Or maybe it was to inspire a career in tap-dancing…

After my mum had paid for the shoes, I would go home and make a doll's house out of the box.

Does my daughter do that? Well, no she doesn't. Her shoes come complete with a house already built into the box – a home for the little doll who lives in her heel of course.

This is all well and good, but when it comes to the price of children's shoes, I must say that I have been extremely shocked on more than one occasion.

This last pair of shoes cost £30, and the ones before that cost more than £40.

All I can think about when I reluctantly hand over my cash is that I hardly spend that amount on my own shoes – and mine are twice the size of my daughter's!

But unless we move to a tropical island in the South Pacific, my daughter is always going to require shoes, so I just have to get on with it.

Besides, her shoes may be expensive but at least I can sleep happily in the knowledge that she'll be able to wear them for a grand total of six whole weeks. Now, if that's not value for money, I don't know what is.