indoor climbing - beginner kit

No kids here, but general advice would be not to worry about getting the best boots. It's really not going to make any difference at his age. Pop along to Go Outdoors (or any local shop) and get their advice, try some on.
Don't get anything too tight. No need to have his toes curled up - that's going to happen as he grows anyway. Fit more important than style or brand. And any harness that fits will be OK, just get one where he's at the bottom end of the size range for that harness and it will last him longer. Again - local shop for advice.

Defo agree with this:

try some on.
Don’t get anything too tight. No need to have his toes curled up – that’s going to happen as he grows anyway.

What size feet do the kids have?
Our kids have been bouldering for about 12 years and I really need to sell some of the old boots.

( I'm in Manc, well Timperley)

I've had a good few pairs of shoes over the years, on and off bursts of gym and outdoor climbing depending on where I'm living and what else life is throwing up!

I've deeply regretted 2 pairs, bought while I pushing grades (not that far!), felt like I "needed" aggressive shoes. You're trying them on in the shop - you sit down, put them on, the air "shoooofs" out as your heel pushes in, your foot fills the shoe completely- a perfect fit! They feel secure as you edge on the trial board holds. Sure, they're a bit tight, but they're supposed to be, right?

Meh. Until they haven't really stretched, or barely, you're having to peel your shoes off at the bottom of every boulder problem, can hardly bare to climb in them 2 days running. Anything outdoor, multipitch (!?) fills you with dread at the thought of your poor feet.

Favourite shoes are the village hall sale jobs I found when I was in France at a friend's wedding. Bottom of the range La Sportiva (I did know that they suited my foot shape), 60% off, they had my size. Velcro. Done. I climb my best in shoes that don't kill my feet.

Buying shoes is only a good deal over hiring if buy ones you don't have to replace because they hurt!

TLDR for my post! 😀

try some on.
Don’t get anything too tight.

Although here's another cautionary tale, as it always makes me smile when I think of it: A mate had to borrow climbing shoes for a short trip, a friend a couple of doors down had some she didn't mind lending, but her feet were at least a couple of sizes smaller than his. He said that was probably fine - he liked really tight shoes. He put them on "Perfectly painful, painfully perfect!" he said with a grin.

Years later, he was in the UK and we met up at an indoor wall. On his first route, I noticed his baggy climbing slippers. "what happened to 'painfully perfect'" I said.

"I lost both big toenails climbing in Thailand, so I'm on these now. I climb half a grade lower, but so what?"

If you're enjoying your climbing, learning and developing new techniques, getting stronger, it doesn't really matter what you've got on your feet. There are some pretty handy climbers in a forest south of Paris who climb barefoot. Flat pedal shoes would probably do pretty well (clean, obvs), stiff soles, sticky rubber. Or barefoot running shoes?

D you remember the days when (Rsoles) used to say you need to buy them so small that the only way of getting them on was by using a thin poly bag as a liner....

Absolute toss gettem comfy

Oh, and use those short ankle socks in'em

Boys are size 10 & 1 I’m other end of the country though so thanks for the offer but prob not worth it

I’m normally a 9.5, hire shoes were only 9 or 10 and my toes were bunched up badly in the 9

I’m lucky enough to have both a gooutdoors and a decathalon in town so decent choice on relatively affordable kit

There's no advantage (and big disadvantages) to having anything more than slightly snug shoes at his age, and it's fine to have thin socks on as well if you need to size up. If he starts bouldering V6+ then think again, but comfort is key, particularly on routes rather than boulders.

Also avoid overly-technical shoes - downward pointing toes etc. They tend to be stiffer and less comfortable.

A bit of shopping around should get you something decent for 50ish.

D you remember the days when (Rsoles) used to say you need to buy them so small that the only way of getting them on was by using a thin poly bag as a liner….

Mine used to stretch by a size once I'd got them on. These days they don't!

The first thing to buy is boots, anything else is gravy. You can't trust your feet if they're different every time you climb. That said, I'd rent until he stops growing or it'll get expensive fast.

Some seasoned climbers will tell you "if they don't hurt, they're too big." The correct response to this advice is to hit them with a brick. Yes it's true at a competitive level, but when you're starting out all too-small shoes will achieve is to put you off wanting to climb. The should be snug with no slop and no pinch-points, if a shoe is nipping at one of your toes then it's the wrong shoe.

Which Parthian, there's a few?

Mine used to stretch by a size once I’d got them on. These days they don’t!

As a rule of thumb, slip-lasted shoes stretch, board-lasted shoes don't.

(Ask me how I know. Ouch.)

I've still got a pair of five and a halfs in the garage that I believe I got on my feet in the 90s and climbed all day in. No idea how, must have involved witchcraft and/or amputation.

plus the shoes were bloody uncomfortable and smelly!

That won't change with having your own. 😂

Southampton Parthian really impressed with the setup

You will have to explain the climbing lingo. Complete newb.

Go outdoors have kids 5 10s for £35ish and adult for £50 is where I’m leaning. Boy#2 enjoyed it but isn’t as nuts about it as boy#1. However if I go down the route of buying I’m going to have to buy for both.

Shoes, they range from uncomfortable to barely tolerable for 3 minutes.

A harness, a big HMS carabineer, a belay device, and chalkbag and chalk.

You will have to explain the climbing lingo. Complete newb.

V6+ - harder grade climbs. Where more technical shoes may make a difference. But even then, a bias towards comfort is still probably the best option indoors.

My daughter has a few pairs of outgrown shoes, junior sizes 11-13 I think. Happy to send them your way for a small amount of money to cover postage and a bit for her purse, if that's any use to you?

Vinted is your friend. Buy climbing shoes, kid wears them for a bit, outgrows them, sell them on for the same price you paid, buy the next size 👌

Got a virtually unused black diamond harness for my daughter from vinted as well.

Go outdoors have kids 5 10s

Forget brands. Try on many, buy what fits comfortably.

If you’re enjoying your climbing, learning and developing new techniques, getting stronger, it doesn’t really matter what you’ve got on your feet. .... Flat pedal shoes would probably do pretty well (clean, obvs), stiff soles, sticky rubber. Or barefoot running shoes?

NNOOOOOOO!
Definitely don't follow this advice or they'll learn shit technique. I put off splashing out £50 on rockboots for ages and consequently learned a shockingly bad handreliant technique.

Forget brands. Try on many, buy what fits comfortably.

He is. Hes quoting what his local gootdoors has to try on....

That won’t change with having your own. 

But it will if you wear socks 🙂

As a rule of thumb, unlined shoes stretch, lined shoes don’t. Just look inside.... if it's suedey then they'll stretch more than if there's another layer

I have one foot bigger than the other so have a nightmare buying shoes that fit both feet. Usually have three pairs of shoes on rotation at any one time, one newish that is hard, good edges but can't be worn for long, one well used, soft and comfy enough to wear for a long day bouldering at 'bleau, and one in between. Once the comfy pair get holes I start breaking in another new pair so I always have the range.

get some shoes and a mat (Alpkit used to do them?) and you can foray into bouldering out in the real world. Minimal danger (assuming you keep your elevations sensible) and no real kit maintenance considerations.

I am still getting through my 20year old stash of, lets be honest, too-tight shoes. They are all wearable, but the miuras for about 20mins, and luckily the mad-rock mugens for bouldering are good for about an hour. I would probably get the same once they wear out, just add 1/2 a size to both. But obviously the world has moved on and they are old-hat for sure.

Anyway OP, my kids started with decathlon simond shoes and they are fine and cheap. Kid one has now moved onto la-sportiva trantulaces. These seem very comfy to him, but a definite step up and his footwork is improving. They are also unlined, so will stretch. We got them from Red Spider during a bouldering session, so he could get the right size and get climbing on them immediately.

Go second hand
I buy my twin boys a pair every time they go up a size, not paid more than £5 each pair.

Thin wool ankle socks and a lace up pair of reasonably tight Scarpa shoes work for me. I have silly narrow feet (proof on other thread). And a harness. Just got a Grigri too, but had a traditional belay nut before that. And a cool bag to carry your kit 😎.

Mine had finished growing before I bought them shoes. Used, but try them on if you can.

Got a virtually unused black diamond harness for my daughter from vinted as well.

This is the only thing I would not recommend. I'm sure your harness is fine, but I need to know the exact history of every piece of fabric safety gear, especially if I'm sticking my kids in it - age, how many (and what type of) falls it's taken, how it was stored, and you can't be 100% sure secondhand.

You don't need to buy modern shoes nearly as tightly as you did back in the day, even for performance, as the shoe rand construction now counters a lot of the stretch effect. I still have some pretty tight shoes, but they're not that tight. I also still do a route or two with plastic bags on my feet with new shoes as they break in very quickly that way, Much more effective than other tricks. Don't buy online unless you know exactly what you want... the shape snd fit is very important, and varies a lot even within brands. Scarpa and Sportiva both have charts showing different shoes at different widths, styles etc.

Harnesses - try them on as well. I cannot get BD harnesses to work for me - I use a lightweight Petzl, and that's comfortable because it fits.

Re. smelly shoes - you know you can wash them. Mine go thro' the machhine every few months, and I'm climbing a couple times a week at least. 15 minute wash with a small amount merino soap, then a 15 minute without soap to rinse. They smell a lot less, they feel better without the sweat and chalk, and they're never stickier than when they come out.

As others have said 2nd hand, loads of shoes get sold as people buy them too tight (been there done that), use twice then sell. I'm fortunate to have an Adidas outlet store nearby so all 5.10 shoes are £30 or £40. EBay or FB marketplace.

Ahh, i remember the days of buying kids climbing shoes. Cost me a fortune, £120 every 3-4 months. On top of all the travelling and wall entry etc those were expensive days. Thankfully we now dont pay wall entry and my daughter has sponsorship from one of the main shoe manufacturers. She has 6 pairs on the go at present.

We must have 20 pairs of shoes in our loft that we have kept over the last 7 years. Only the ones with sentimental value of winning comps etc. Our young niece recently started coming along so we presented her with chalk bag, chalk bucket, chalk, brush set and a few pairs of shoes to try and see how they felt. I think she settled on a pair of old Scarpa Velocity shoes. Might have been the colour

As others have said, second hand is a brilliant way of getting good shoes for reasonable money. We sell some of my daughters shoes off if she has tried some and not got on with them. Tends to be about 50% of the price.

Also, make sure to check out if there is any charity boxes about the wall. A lot of walls will raise money for local mountain rescue by selling off donated shoes. There are some perfectly good shoes in there and we have donated a few pairs ourselves in the past.