Shoe Dilemma

So I'm having a REALLY hard time deciding what the best thing to do about shoes is. First off, my guys have REALLY wide feet and a high in-step thanks to my crazy feet. I have a REALLY hard time finding shoes that fit them. I had a really cute pair of crocs for them that fit becuase they are rubbery and I can manage to get them on their feet. My one guys LOVES taking his shoes off and he managed to throw it out of the stroller without me seeing and we lost it. Now I'm really trying to decide what to do?!

Do I shell out a bunch of money on good sandals for the summer like Keens ($45 a pair). That I know will fit them well and last all summer and hopefully he will not lose. Or do I buy a cheapo pair of carter's sandals that probably don't fit as well and they may be able to get off and loose that cost about $25?

I know it's ultimately up to me but I'm at a total loss. I cringe at the idea of spending that kind of money on shoes that they will just grow out of. I don't even spend that much on my own shoes.......

 

Since I have hard to fit feet, I have always been very careful about the boys shoes. That is one area that I did not scrimp on. I would wait until Stride Rite had a good sale, and take them to be fitted and get them shoes there. We also generally only have one pair of everyday shoes at a time, so that helps keep the price down.

 

can you find those shoes cheaper like ebay or maybe wait for a deal or ask for a twin deal where you get money off the 2nd pair? did you search for promo codes or anything? i'd go with the more expensive ones if mine had those issues and needed shoes lol. they arent walking yet

 

My nephew has really wide feet and can only wear Striderite shoes. My SIL found him a pair of Carter's sandals for the summer that are velcro (across the toes and across the ankle). She can adjust them for his feet and he hasn't had problems yet with them. Maybe you can try a pair of those and see what you think.

 

I got mine cheapo sandals from Payless. Mine don't necessarily have hard to fit feet, but they do sell wide widths and they are velcro/adjustable. I spent about $10 a pair and a lot of times they have buy one get one half off sales.

http://www.payless.com/store/catalog/subsu...cet=1004%3A5.00

 

I go with cheapo's here. It seems like every few months they are switching sizes on me.
I got some cheap cheap ones at The Children's Place last week!

Good Luck

 

i would not go for the cheap ones, as the kids still need good shoes as they are learning to walk, run, jump, etc. as they get older i think they try to remove their shoes less. at least mine are..... we have robeez sandals for the summer and so far they are great! (30 bucks each). it's sooo nice not having to put on socks first.

gl, jl

 

We have the Carters sandals that light up and they have been great for us so far. They have a good sole and cushion and they adjust to fit my DD's wide feet. We bought some croc-like shoes at Children's Place a couple weeks ago and so far I like them.

With the level of messy play that goes on there is no way we could have one pair of sandals. That's why we got the crocs but we probably need another pair to get through a long summer. We had stride rites when they were first starting to walk in the winter months and will likely buy another pair (at least) each in the fall. I can just already tell that summer is going to be VERY hard on our shoes.

Do you have a stride rite outlet near you? That's where we shop for ours.

 

Unfortunately, shoes are something that you have to spend more money on. There are no exceptions here as it REALLY does affect their gait and stature. Get the good stuff and scrimp somewhere else. It's super imporant and SUPER expensive.

 

Hmmm that's a toughie. I have the same issue only reversed. My girls feet are sooo small that shoes won't stay on their feet. Especially Willow, her feet are not only small but narrow. The only shoes that really fit are the newborn size and she is walking now so she needs"real" shoes, not the soft kind. I've just sorta been biding my time I let her go barefoot a lot of times or put bigger shoes on that don't fit as well and risk them falling off a lot. LOL, I know eventually she will fit into shoes. But it is frustrating!

 

My two also have wide-sized feet. I took a chance and ordered some Buster Brown sandals for them in one size up, because there was a really good sale -- but alas, I have to return them, as they're just not wide enough.

I agree that Stride Rite shoes would be ideal, but the most important thing in shoes is comfort, and a flexible sole that bends at the ball of the foot, not in the middle. Even some Payless shoes do this -- you just have to bend them and see.

I actually love Payless's knock-off Crocs for toddlers -- they have a fixed back strap, so they're harder for kids to take off. They don't fall off. And, even Kevan -- who didn't walk until 19 months, and still isn't the most stable at nearly 2 -- walks in them with no issues. His physical therapist said they were perfectly fine.

Because they're like Crocs, they're plenty wide enough. And, the boy pattern is camo, and looks really cute. It's the "Toddler Airwalk Compel Clog" if you're interested!

 

I buy good shoes when they go on super sale on Amazon or Sierra Trading Post. We have the opposite problem (narrow feet) but the solution is the same for sandals -- look for adjustment points. T&T are wearing Teva Tyro sandals this summer and I paid $14.89 per pair with free shipping (they're regularly $35-$40). They wore Teva Psyclones last year and Stride Rite First Mate the year before... with me never paying more than $19/pair. You can't be too picky to do this since only a few styles/colors go on mega sale at a time but for me, this is the perfect solution. They get great shoes and I don't have to explain to my husband why I spent $80 on sandals that will be worn for a few months.

 

I hunt for sales, too. I feel like they need to be in quality shoes that will be comfortable for them. I have foot problems and I would like to do whatever I can to help them avoid the same issues later down the road. I've always been happy with Stride Rites and prefer that brand whenever possible.

 

I shelled out the $45 each for good sandals. I just didn't like the way the cheapo ones were so stiff, and I felt like they were affecting their walking. We got ours at Stride Rite.

 

How long during the day do they wear the shoes? Since my two are normally shoeless, I don't buy expensive shoes. They only wear shoes when they're going outside.

Ross had some really cheap carter velcro sandals for $4.99 and I got them both a pair.

 

I buy good shoes for DS. He likes taking them off too but I just check regularly now... I guess the good thing with straps is you can hear when they take them off. For DD she doesn't walk so I bought the cheapest I could find.

 

Shoes?! What are these things? LOL. DD will wear them, DS won't, so most of the time, there are in barefeet. But they aren't walking really yet, so that's ok, I'm not a neglectful mother.