Shoe Recommendations

I desperately need to buy my LO's shoes and boots for the winter. Can anyone recommend a great brand of shoes? I have been using leather Robeez type shoes up until now but I have to figure out something for the winter, as well as some good shoes for the summer. I would really appreciate your suggestions.

 

They are SO spendy, but I LOVE See Kai Run shoes. Vincent shoes also has great boots, and they sometimes have them mamabargains.com . It kills me so much to spend that much on shoes, but I've so far been able to limit myself to one pair per kid per size. I've also found them on consignment, which halved the price.

 

I really like the Target Circo brand. I also like Stride-Rite

 

We've been lucky to get a wide variety of top-quality hand-me-downs (I'm not a stickler about buying new shoes), and have been really happy with Umi (formerly known as Elefanten) and Ecco. For slightly less expensive sneakers and things, we like Merrells.

I've gotten some OK shoes at Target, but we recently got some dress shoes there, and the "patent leather" (more like "sprayed-on shiny black stuff") rubbed off the toes on the very first wearing. A couple of weeks later I bought some used Stride Rites in a similar style, and the patent leather still looks great even though Amy's worn them every day for a month (plus, I bought them used!). It kind of soured me on Target shoes.

 

We got some OshKosh tennis shoes at the outlets that have held up really well. My other current favorites are their Keens. Although as much as I love them I have a hard time justifying the cost. The tennis shoes work great and my mom got them Keen boots for this winter.
For dress shoes for church and holiday type events I got them black slip on shoes from Kohls that are kinda like these, but were MUCH cheaper.
I try to get shoes at the resale shop near our house, but I have a hard time finding ones that are the correct size that fit them well. Most of our shoes are of the cheaper variety from either Target or Meijer. They wear them for such a short time that I don't want to spend a lot of money on shoes.

 

We are a Stride Rite family. I think they make great shoes for kids and are worth the price since they get fitted by someone who knows what they are doing. Plus, since they are just in the early walking stages, their feet need support.

 

I love Keens for me, and can't wait to buy my boys their first pairs for this summer! Sierra Trading Post often has great deals on Keens, and I plan on looking there come spring.

 

Pediped for smaller sizes (like up to 24 months roughly) and See Kai Run starting around 18 months. Great for their developing little feet because bottoms are flexible. They're beautiful shoes, and recommended by pediatricians. I have found some at a high-end resale shop nearby but have paid full price on several pairs. I feel like it's worth it b/c they wear them all the time. If anything goes wrong with your See Kai Runs the manufacturer replaces them no questions asked. Sometimes I've gotten a good deal on Amazon and ebay for new SKRs.

 

Thank you everyone. I now know what to look for. I found some StrideRite shoes at my local consignment shop and I am buying SKR's online. I can't wait to get them. I appreciate all your suggestions.