talk to me about baby shoes, please (x-posted in 12-24 months)

sechat322 · February 2013

hi guys... i'm not quite the mother-of-a-toddler yet (she's only 9 months), but i was hoping you more experienced parents could help me figure out what's what when it comes to shoes.

right now, the kiddo only stands and cruises (indoors only, because it's winter). when we're home, she's barefoot or in socks. i have a pair of soft sole robeez that i think we'll use when it gets to be springier and we can go outside. she's a may baby, so i imagine she'll be walking come late spring/summer. what do i need once that happens?

do you have favorite brands? are sandals ok for beginning walkers outside (do her toes need to be totally covered)? do you prefer velcro or laces? how quickly do they outgrow them? any special tips for babies with especially short (but very fat!) feet?

thanks, guys - i'm in the weeds!

Krystal6826 · February 2013

I'm sure a lot of people are going to recommend Stride Rite for shoes. They will fit the baby for you. There shoes are quite pricy.

We started with soft (like cloth) soled shoes for a bit, then moved to thin rubber soles, then eventually thinker soles. We have shoes from carters, target and babies r us.

As for velcro vs shoe strings... again we have both and I have no preference either way.

CarlaAndJames · February 2013

our favorites are pedipeds. soft but thick sole, and they fit my LO a lot better than stride rites.

daileym · February 2013

The shoes DS used the most were his velcro Nike sneakers and his Nike sandals in the summer.

superned · February 2013

My favorite soft-soled shoes were Pedipeds. They were hard enough to wear outside, but flexible enough for an early walker.

DD had a few pairs of sandals, but if I knew we were going to outside and she was going to be doing a lot of walking herself, I kept her in the Pedipeds. (She hated getting sand or dirt in her shoes, and I did prefer to have her toes covered.) I prefer velcro, but admit I've never gotten her shoes with laces.

The only brand I wouldn't recommend for wide feet is See Kai Run. DD had a pair that were super cute, but didn't fit her very long because they ran pretty narrow.

For hard-soled shoes, I get most of her shoes at Target, but my favorite pair is her Keens.

CarlaAndJames · February 2013

superned:
The only brand I wouldn't recommend for wide feet is See Kai Run. DD had a pair that were super cute, but didn't fit her very long because they ran pretty narrow.

I found stride rites to be more narrow than our see kai runs!

Nechie122 · February 2013

Once she starts walking, I would take her to a good shoe store and get her properly measured. I think good shoes are worth the money. My DD has worn Stride Rite, Tsukihoshi and See Kai Run. They're all fine; it just depends on fit and personal preference.

I'm a firm believer in having at least one pair of closed toe tennis shoes for everyday. We have a few pairs of Mary Janes and sandals and DD definitely trips a bit more when she's wearing them. Girls should be able to run and play and be as comfortable as boys!

Also, if she's in daycare, they might have a no sandals rule, precisely because they're more of a fall risk.

ETA: To answer your other questions, most kids outgrow their shoes every three to four months. I prefer Velcro because there's nothing worse than retying laces all day long and LO could trip and fall.

blueandgray · February 2013

I'm a stride rite fan. Yes, pricey, so sign up for their club to get emails when there are sales & coupons. I only bought 1 pair of shoes for DD for her first pair around 10 months when she started walking, and she wore those whenever we went outside - barefoot or in socks otherwise inside. They lasted about 4 months before she needed the next size - well worth the $30 for the pair. Go to the store & have someone measure & recommend some products for you. I trust Stride Rite too - I went in after 3 months to have her feet measured assuming I'd need to buy the next size, and the lady said she didn't need new ones yet, to come back in a month & remeasure then. I appreciated that!

After that, I have continued to buy the 1 pair of day-to-day shoes from Stride Rite (again, I feel ok paying up for the 1 pair she wears everyday that I know are good quality). I bought dress shoes for the handful of times she needs them from Target. I don't think kids need more than 1-2 pairs of shoes at a time, so I'll pay up for the good quality & support while their little feet are still developing (but still purchase during sales only).

Velcro are easiest, but DD likes to open & close them herself, so often they aren't on tight enough, but not a big deal either way.

superned · February 2013

CarlaAndJames:
superned:
The only brand I wouldn't recommend for wide feet is See Kai Run. DD had a pair that were super cute, but didn't fit her very long because they ran pretty narrow.
I found stride rites to be more narrow than our see kai runs!

Stride Rite carries wide width shoes, and I think See Kai Run only comes in one width...at least, that's all I've ever seen online. Also, I've only ever had that one pair (mary janes), so it could have just been the style. They were so cute, but just didn't fit!

virginiagirl11 · February 2013

I guess I'm in the minority here but I haven't spent much on shoes for DS yet (22 months). We put him in soft shoes from Old Navy when he was first learning to walk, then moved him into inexpensive hard-soled shoes from Ross and Target once he started moving around more.

He goes to daycare three days a week and we don't wear shoes in our house, so, aside from errands or trips to the playground, he's not a heavy shoe-wearer. I figure kids grow out of shoes SO QUICKLY at this age that spending $30 a pop is crazy town.

I'm a big believer in investing in comfortable shoes rather than cheap ones, don't get me wrong, but right now I don't think it's necessary. I'll get him nicer shoes once he can stay in a pair for longer than a few months.

Btw, the soft-soled shoes were stretchy slip-on type shoes and the hard-soled shoes are velcro. I have no desire to deal with all of the issues that come along with laces right now. I'll get laced shoes when he's a little older and needs to learn to tie his shoes.

sep08 · February 2013

When my son was in the cruising stage we used Robeez indoors and soft-soled Pedipeds when outdoors. Once he started walking more we took him to Stride Ride to get fitted. I was really glad we did that because it turns out his foot was a lot smaller than I thought and they were able to get him into a shoe that worked well for his short/fat foot. He's been in the same size for about 3 months and it still fits, however I am hesitant to buy ahead much because I have heard that some kids can have 'growth spurts' in their feet and move up sizes really quickly all of the sudden. We've only used velcro shoes so far but they've worked well.

blondbomber23 · February 2013

Another fan of Pedipeds here! Love love love them! At that age, yes I think it's best to cover the toes because they still fall and do some crawling and you don't want the tops of her toes scrapped up.

LittleApple · February 2013

Love Pedipeds.

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talk to me about baby shoes, please (x-posted in 12-24 months)

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