Stride Rite sneakers

Every time there is a poll or a question here about good quality shoes, it seems like EVERYONE says Stride Rite is the only way to go for infants and toddlers. I have never bought Stride Rite because the only store that carried SR in my old town never had the right sizes. Now that I've moved, there doesn't appear to be anywhere to buy SR shoes. So... I could order them online, but I'd rather try the shoes on.

I need to replace my girls' sneakers ASAP. They currently have Keen sneakers and See Kai Run sandals. Are Stride Rite really so much better than even Keens? The few times I've seen Stride Rite shoes, they seem much stiffer than the ones my kids wear, but I keep hearing that SRs are really bendable. What am I missing?

And what other brands of sneakers have your kids worn that you like?

 

We only own Stride Rites so far. I really like them because of the quality of the sales person that we get. We have had the same person since my DD went for her first pair of shoes. I have never heard of Keens.

 

My kids have had New Balance sneakers in the past and I liked them (I think we got them at Kohl's). In all honesty, the last couple of pairs of sneakers I have bought have been at Target or Payless. My kids don't have any special requirements in shoes (meaning a wide width or something like that) and the ones at Target and Payless seem to fit great. They are much less expensive and have worn well. The Stride Rite ones are nice, but the price is too much for us.

 

After buying name-brand sneakers, only to have them outgrown in a few months, I bought Target sneakers this time. :spy: I've bought Stride Rite in the past, and I really don't see anything so special about them.

 

While I love Stride Rites, if I were you, I would probably get them shoes somewhere near you where they can be fitted. Even Stride Rites, they run all over the place. We just bought 2 pairs each for the twins, and for both of them the two pairs weren't the same size. So, in addition to the importance of being measured, it's important to have someone who knows how they run and can evaluate how they are fitting. So, having all of that with a different brand is more important IMO than having the Stride Rite brand.

 

I am all for Target and Payless shoes. They grow out of them too quickly to spend alot of money on them. I have never noticed that the cheaper shoes bother them or are uncomfortable to them.

 

I have gotten my kids Stride Rite's and really liked them. They have also worn Ecco and Geox, both of which were very flexible. I pretty much stick with Stide Rites but will buy other shoes/sneakers that are flexable. I also like some of the skeecher sneakers and my neice had New Balance at one time and I liked those too.

 

I've never bought Stride Rites (except once at a twins club sale, used!) and never felt we needed them. Our favorite sneakers are Merrells because they're relatively cheap (around $30), easy to find in stores, easy to put on & take off, and come in some fun colors.

We've also had some Baby Gap (also bought used), Geox (hand-me-downs -- would never shell out for them new), and Ecco (ditto) and liked them all just fine.

The only sneakers I haven't liked, so far, were some cheapo Converse knock-offs from the Children's Place -- they fell apart after about 5 wearings.

 

We use Stride Rite b/c MIL likes buying them for the girls. Honestly though, I think that getting them fitted is more important. I also like Skechers sneakers too. ardon:

 

We love stride rite. Jessy has a tiny narrow foot and they usually carry them to fit her. We do sometime buy from payless for play shoes. If you have a kohls near you they carry munchkin which is made by stride rite and much cheaper

 

I like Stride Rite and Skechers.

 

I have had the best luck with Nike sneakers I buy at the outlet. Luckily one of my DD's has a bigger foot than the other, so we can pass pairs down. The Nike's last through both of them without falling apart, and no other brand that I've tried has held up like that. I run them through the wash about once a month.

 

As far as sneakers, we've done Stride rite, New Balance, and Nike. Nike tends to run narrow, so if we buy Nike I get larger sizes because it's very hard to find wide. I really like New Balance or Stride Rite because of the wide options are so easy to find. We have stayed away from generic because the ones I have bought always rub blisters.

 

usually Walmart or Buster Brown's from Famous Footwear (they have bogo half off all the time) the only pair of stride rites the kids have ever had was their very first pair of regular shoes and my mom bought them...

they've also had Sketchers which held up very well....Ian's sneakers right now are from Children's Place and he loves them - we'll see how long they hold up...

 

I just bought both of my kids Osh Kosh sneakers from Target. $15 each! Honestly, the Stride Rite shoes are SO expensive, I couldn't justify it anymore. We started out buying them but I couldn't keep it up for very long. I have been able to find Stride Rite shoes at Marshalls for around $20-$25 a pair which is fantastic, but sizes and styles are limited of course. I also found a great pair of SR's on Ebay last year for $20 brand new. Otherwise, we can't afford them!

 

I am lucky enough to have a Stride Rite outlet near me, that is where we buy most of our shoes. They range in price from 20-40ish there, and they have a "back wall" where all shoes are $20 or less. I have bought other brands, but stride rite works best for my DS who is a wide and very hard on shoes. I do find it very helpful to have a sales person help me out and advise me on what size they need, they do this at the outlet also.
Now, on the other hand, my DD can wear any brand and they seem to last the whole season, or however long they fit her. This includes payless, target and used shoes bought from consignment stores.

 

I agree te most important thing is to have them fitted by someone that knows the shoes. I always buy Stride Rite for DD1 becaue her feet are really wide, the sales person will even say - don't get this pair even in W because they still run narrow, etc.

Sometimes I buy H & N shoes there or sometimes I look around other stores for something cute & on sale, but I still find the salesperson's input of this runs narrow/long/wide important. I think it's hard to know if they really fit right just from trying to gauge myself, or asking how they feel. I think their answer is based on 1 - if they like the shoe itself & 2 - how anxious they are to be done show shopping

 

We love StrideRites here. The girls started out with wide feet and they fit best at the time. I love the Mary Jane sneakers since they can be worn with dresses and look nice but the girls can still run and play since they are comfy sneakers. We also buy shoes from brands that we would buy for ourselves-Ecco, Keen, Merrill, New Balance etc. The shoes that I have found to be quality shoes for adults also tend to have quality shoes for children. Personally, I've gotten foot pain from Payless and other cheaper brands, so I wouldn't put them on the girls. I remember how uncomfortable the cheap shoes my mom bought for us were as kids. There is something to be said for good arch support! DH and I both have foot issues that poorly made shoes can make worse, so we avoid them altogether for ourselves and the girls. A co-worker thinks we're nuts to spend so much on childrens' shoes( I do buy them on sale though), but we also tend to only have a pair of Mary Janes, a pair of sneakers, and Crocs for each of the girls and not the dozen or so pairs she has for one child.

 

When we have bought Stride Rite, it is at the outlet. I second the vote for Munchkins at Kohl's. They are made by Stride Rite and cost about half the price. For sneakers, we've had New Balance, Skechers and Nike as well. I really like the Skechers.

 

Yeah we usually only have a pair of dress shoes, a pair of sneakers, a pair of boots and then a pair of play shoes

 

I get Stride Rite at an outlet - $20-$25 a pair. They are super durable - DD has been in one pair for a long time now, and it's pretty much the only pair of shoes she wears for everything, in all weather, and they're still trucking along. The extra-wides are great for DS too. Great shoes!

 

We have some Kenneth Coles (from a clearance!) that I love right now. I generally feel like Stride Rite shoes are especially supportive and flexible in all the right places. That said, I am never thrilled with the selection at SR, and find that there is usually ONE style that I think feels good enough to buy - I do not think all of their shoes are equally high-quality. That's just my highly unprofessional "mom" opinion. I would want to try them on, though, or at least have them professionally measured somewhere before ordering online.

Good luck!!

 

Buying in-store we usually go with stride rites, too--but always on sale (around $20-$25). I also like pumas because their soles tend to be very flexible, but they run narrow and again, only buy them on sale. (I usually go with clearance items at dillards)

And, i will never, never ever get tired of recommending preschoolians because they are ultra-flexible, ultra comfortable and super cute--and my kids LOVE wearing them. They are supposed to be "guaranteed" to fit, since they come with interchangeable footbeds for narrow, regular and wide feet--but i have read here that they don't work well for kids with very narrow feet (NOT my case at all).

 

I go to Stride Rite to get fitted, but I don't buy all their shoes there. I get their sneakers there because those are the shoes they wear most often, but this last time I actually got Ana Saucony's from SR (so they have different brands). I also only shop there during their buy one, get one 1/2 off sale so its definitely reasonable. For other shoes (sandles, dress shoes), I usually go to Target or Walmart.

 

We have bought Stride Rite and I did like them, but we've had several other brands as well. I was really happy with OshKosh (off ebay) those shoes lasted forever. We also had a pair of New Balance ($20 each from the outlet) that lasted 7 months of daily daycare use. Right now they have Buster Browns (from Famous Footwear BOGO 1/2 off).

I got the Stride Rites at the outlet during a BOGO 1/2 off deal and got one set at JCPenney on sale. Again I liked them, but I've been just as happy with the others.

 

At Stride Rite you are paying for them to fit your child not necessarily for a good shoe. That said I wore Buster Browns as a kid and they are just as sturdy as Stride Rite. Anyhow Rose just got her first pair of shoes last week. We went to famous footwear. They sell the line of Buster Browns. www.famousfootwear.com I got her Buster Brown leather shoes buy 1 get 1 1/2 off and then on the website they had a coupon on their website you can print for 20% off on top of that. You can order from them online and use the coupons along with free shipping if you have none near you. The key is to really make sure that your childs shoes are leather and have a lot of support. I refuse to pay for Stride Rite. Oh her 2 pairs of shoes came to $35 with tax. Oh and they had Buster Browns for boys and girls. The Buster Browns also have a measuring device on the bottom of the shoe where you hold your childs foot up to it and it tells you the range for too tight, just right, too big. Its foolproof.

I also got Daniel some really nice sturdy sneakers at Children's Place. They helped me measure his foot and it turned out his sneakers were only $4 with a coupon on clearance..lol. They look just like Stride Rite. Again read the labels carefully because when I was shopping for Rose's shoes I kept running in to shoes that looked like leather but were really plastic.

 

I'm pretty weary of payless etc, I've bought shoes for myself there and they were very uncomfortable. I wouldn't want my kids to have foot pains when they start running everywhere. DD's first sneakers were from there also, and just crawling with them outside a few times and the lining was wearing off... At $25 a pair I'd rather spend a bit more but have shoes that are durable (it was Champion sneakers) and comfy. So I stick to Stride Rite so far, but I go to the outlet or get them on sale.

 

I have bought from Target, Walmart, Stride Rite, and Skechers. I generally buy the Target and Walmart shoes for outside play at home and the stride rite or skechers for daily wear to school. I have only recently started buying stride rite or skechers 'cause my boys are staying in the same size longer and those shoes do tend to hold up a bit better (to me at least). I really do like the skechers...they are good shoes and you can usually find a good deal online with them, but I know you said you like to try them on.

 

I got my boys stride rites, new in box, from ebay for a fraction of the price. My son's OT also approved of the shoes I bought from Kmart, I forget the brand now...lol. They need to have good flexibility according to her. A lot of the shoes for little ones are as still as a board, and that was what she did not like. HTH

 

If you need something quickly before you get a chance to find a decent pair of shoes, check out the Converse one-star line at Target. They're knock-off Chuck Taylors, and they have a flexible sole, and the canvas is soft enough to accommodate my kids' wide, chubby feet. And, they're really cute if you like this look! The black and pink come in velcro -- both K&K have the black velcro ones. (Thought about getting Karina pink, but the black will be really cute with her stuffed pumpkin costume for Halloween.)

For their school shoes, I do stick with Stride Rite, mostly because Kevan is still a little wobbly on his feet, and he wears an extra-wide shoe. Not just wide, but extra wide! That's hard to find anywhere else. Karina wears a wide, also. I tried the Buster Browns from Famous Footwear, and they're great shoes, but they just didn't fit my kids.

Sears and Kohl's both carry New Balance, which are nice and flexible in the smaller sizes, and seem well-made. I like how Skechers look, and I will buy them for Nadia -- but they seem a little stiff for 2-year-olds.

 

If you need something quickly before you get a chance to find a decent pair of shoes, check out the Converse one-star line at Target. They're knock-off Chuck Taylors, and they have a flexible sole, and the canvas is soft enough to accommodate my kids' wide, chubby feet. And, they're really cute if you like this look! The black and pink come in velcro -- both K&K have the black velcro ones. (Thought about getting Karina pink, but the black will be really cute with her stuffed pumpkin costume for Halloween.)

For their school shoes, I do stick with Stride Rite, mostly because Kevan is still a little wobbly on his feet, and he wears an extra-wide shoe. Not just wide, but extra wide! That's hard to find anywhere else. Karina wears a wide, also. I tried the Buster Browns from Famous Footwear, and they're great shoes, but they just didn't fit my kids.

Sears and Kohl's both carry New Balance, which are nice and flexible in the smaller sizes, and seem well-made. I like how Skechers look, and I will buy them for Nadia -- but they seem a little stiff for 2-year-olds.