toddlers and shoes

I am about to buy the little ones their first shoes so that they can walk outside. They are almost always barefoot, but there are occassions when they need shoes.

would you recommend the hard sole shoe with ankle support? or would you recommend the soft sole ones which are gentler on the feet?

 

I am about to buy the little ones their first shoes so that they can walk outside. They are almost always barefoot, but there are occassions when they need shoes.

would you recommend the hard sole shoe with ankle support? or would you recommend the soft sole ones which are gentler on the feet?

 

Mine wore Robeez until about 14 months and then I got them each their first pair of shoes from Stride Rite. I didn't get the classic baby walker shoes, but did get their stage 1 shoes for new walkers. We were starting to go out more and spend more time outside, so I wanted their feet to have more protection.

 

I agree with Melissa. The Stride Rites Stage 1 were great at that age. They are a little pricey but are well worth it. You might want to see if they have an outlet near you. The prices at the outlet are much more reasonable.

 

We too opted for Stride Rites for their first shoes.

 

Stride Rites are really good and they have some really cute designs out right now.

 

We went with Preschoolians for their first shoes. Pricey, but they have a 40% twin discount which made them much more reasonable. They're very soft (and lots of cute designs!). Their website talks alot about why barefoot is best and why soft shoes are best when they must wear shoes.

www.preschoolians.com

-Rachel

 

We also wore Robeez until about 15 months. It was the summertime, so they were barefoot a lot, but we used Robeez whenever we went out and needed shoes. After that, we went to Stride Rite and got talked into the baby walkers. They were fairly expensive and I think they only wore them for a month before they grew out of them. I agree with the PP's, skip the baby walkers and go straight to stage 1, if you choose Stride Rites. They've been in Stride Rites ever since. We discovered an outlet about 45 minutes away... so now they have lots of shoes since they are much less expensive than the regular store. You have to do the fitting yourself, but after our first fitting at the regular store, I felt pretty good getting the correct sizes.

 

The expert opinion these days seems to be that soft shoes are better. That said, our daycare requires "hard-soled shoes," so we just get some cheap ones from Target. (My kids are a size 2 and 3 -- I would buy them "better" shoes like Stride Rite or something, but the styles for walkers, as opposed to infants, rarely come that small.) When they grow a size or two and we have more options, I'll probably get them some Stride Rites.

 

We also opted for Stride Rite Stage 1's.

 

Stride Rite here too. I don't think there is anything that is comparable to the flexibility of the stage shoes. If you have an outlet around check there. The prices are usually about 1/2 of what they are in the store.

 

The current thinking is that the foot needs to be exercised so the more freedom of movement, the better.

Mine wear the Preschoolians "walker" shoes. They seem very comfortable in them and you can squish the shoe into a taco easily with one hand because they are very, very flexible and the leather is soft. It's not exactly a "hard" shoe but I believe they meet daycare requirements because they aren't suede soles either. Anyway, we reserve shoes for outdoors and outings so they start saying "bye-bye" as soon as they see them.

You want to avoid shoes that are rigid and stiff. Ankle support was the big deal for our grandmother's generation but unless they have a medical issue that requires it, you're better off letting their ankles do their job.

 

We went with Target brand "Robeez" type shoes.

Once they started walking really well and also walking outside, I just got them any type of shoe that was soft-soled.

Now I don't have a preference as long as they fit. They are good walkers so as long as the shoes protect their feet, I don't see the big deal on spending a ton of money. I'd love to hear reasons why Stride Rite and such are the way to go even when they are walking well???

 

Soft soles. Try Pedipeds or Pedoodles (www.pedoodles.com) those are my favorites.

 

I did buy Stride Rites for Bea's first shoes. She walked at 11 months, Ainsley is currently cruising. I really didn't like the Stride Rites all that much, they felt way too stiff and she outgrew them quickly. The next shoes I went with are the Preschoolians "I'm Walking Barefoot" and got crawler shoes (suede sole) for Ainsley. The "Walking" shoes have a plastic bottom, so it provides enough protection for outdoors, but is still flexible. The 40% twins discount makes the price reasonable when buying two pairs. You can also find them on eBay for around $15 a pair.