First shoes

So Noah and Sophie have had the slipper type shoes but mostly we let them be in socks or barefoot throughout the summer. Now they are starting to want to stand a bit more and it's chilly out, so we need shoes. I bought Sophie some but am having a hard time with Noah. His feet are a bit more rolly polly and they seem to be harder to get a little running shoe on.

Any advice?? and what good brands have you encountered. I want to get them both ONE good pair of shoes at this point. Noah has a toe that sticks up a little and I want to ensure that he is getting good support.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

 

We have a local store here that specializes in children's shoes. I took the boys there and had their feet measured. They both have "thick" feet, so I had no idea what size to get. They were able to tell me the size and suggest some shoes. We got Stride Rites. They are not cheap, but I want them to have really good shoes when they are starting to walk. If you have a local store that will measure their feet and help you pick out shoes, that may be the way to go.

 

I agree with wanting a really good first shoe. I've stuck with Stride Rite. They are not cheap, but if you have an outlet nearby, or get their emails, you might be able to get a deal on them. Sometimes they have buy one, get one half off. Or, I only buy the ones that are on sale. I've gotten all of my kids new shoes right around their first birthday-I used birthday money and bought all of them some then. The boys used their Stride Rite's for quite awhile. They held up really well. Annabella has had hers since June, and hers are still good as well. I do buy a size up or so, so I'm not breaking the bank buying a new pair every other month!

And I second going and getting them sized first! At the mall near us, they have a shoe store that sells Stride Rites. We also have a Stride Rite outlet about an hour from us.

 

Every single time I have bought them a pair of shoes, they outgrew them within 2 weeks! I am so frustrated!! So I would be hesitant to spend a lot of money on shoes. I have found some nice shoes at Target and also BRU. BRU has some great ones that are very soft, but thicker than just slippers or Robeez type shoes.

And all our shoes are velcro. When I tried the slip on sneakers, they would just slip right off again. :headbang:

 

That's why I would recommend a size up. I want to say with my boys first pair of Stride Rite's-they lasted pretty close to six months-which I think is great for their age! And then after that we just went to Target and got sneakers from there. Now they are playing soccer, so DH got them Adidas sneakers, otherwise I've just gotten ones from Target(who have really cute shoes)!

And I would stick to velcro for as long as you can! Shoe laces are a pain! Especially when they can talk and start yelling in the backseat, "TIE MY SHOEEEEEEEEEEEEEE MOMMA!" :laughing:

 

I really like the Pediped shoes - they are a soft soled shoe and while they are not cheap, if they are going to be walking in them, you want to get good quality. Otherwise they could end up hurting them.

 

We used Robeez (until 15 months) and Pedipeds (still currently) and they are both great. We usually wear them outside only.

 

We had the other issue. "Alice/Royce, stop taking your shoes off!" Do you know how hard it is to find shoes with real buckles?

 

I wish mine would outgrow a pair ! Danae is STILL in size ones -- Daxon is between a size one and two (and they are 10 months this weekend)

I would say Roobees are great for you to try - especially as they are trying to get their balance. They are loose enough to fit alot of different foot types.

Putting a sole on the foot can make it hard for a baby. They learn to walk / balance by using all the bones in their feet (all 26 of them! ) and engaging all those muscles (there's 20 !!). (Smiley - i know you know that ... just throwing it out there for other moms to see that there's alot going on in those teeny feet

Throwing those off with really cute shoes can have a systemic affect - changing the way all kinds of things develop.

Smiley - I have a few pairs of Roobees that we haven't touched because they are WAY too big - if you want to try them on and see how they work - i will bring them for you

 

Oh-don't you fret! We had that same problem-when they were a year old +. The would ALWAYS take off their shoes because they thought it was funny. And socks. In the car. Every car trip. Ugh. Funny now because as soon as we get home, Nicholas takes off his socks and shoes.

 

Great explanation! What she said.