Personally I detest Walmart but I would try to go fairly similar for your bio kids and SKs. You don't want to be walking around Disney with noticeable differences that some kids have super expensive shoes, and the others have poor quality. I suggest Target or Payless even. You can get cute American Eagle brands at Payless.
I buy a lot of the kids shoes bio and SS shoes at marshals. It s usually name brand for super cheap bc it is all overstock from dept stores. I get Ralph Lauren loafers for DS last week for 12
Check out target. Their shoes usually are pretty cute, and they have some generic shoes that mimic the more expensive name brand shoes. They also, more times than not, have a great clearance section. I buy a lot of my shoes from Target.
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Not sure on ages of skids, but with older kids, I don't see it as out of bounds to ask them to wear their tennis shoes over. That might be flameworthy but hear me out....
I would not want to break in new tennis shoes at Disney. And if they are with you limited time between now and then these will still be new shoes. Same for bios - I would get them breaking in shoes. I cannot even begin to count the pairs of shoes the children here have never really worn as a result of them fitting but not being comfortable outside of the store.
If you bought your SK nicer shoes, couldn't they just take them home to BM's house? I would also suggest looking a discount type store, like Ross, TJ Max..etc. Sometimes at Kohls you can find good sales. I even saw a table with nice Nike's at sporting good store that were no expensive.
You should buy your step kids whatever brand amp; quality of shoe you would buy your biochildren. There is no question about this.
There shouldn't be a question about this, but it isn't always that simple. I dont know what the case is here but for us, we wont buy my SS expensive shoes until he's older. We've bought SS four pair of Nike's that he asked for over the years and they all just disappear. BM says one hurt his feet so she returned them, he lost another, two pairs we never saw again. This would be fine if BM returned them and got him different pairs, but she never does and SS has no clue what happened to them. We have bought him several nice coats that somehow disappear. We dont want to tell him he can only wear them at our house or he would be upset and we only get him EOWE. It is just a huge waste of money. At our house, he isn't getting expensive shoes until he is old enough to keep track of them, but I would buy my DS Nike's because I know he'll get to wear them because he is in my house. Flame me if you want, but at some point we decided we wasted enough money.
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage." ~ Lao Tzu
For Disney--actually for the sake of your kids' feet and your sanity--I'd spring for good shoes. I get why you're reluctant, but it's going to be so hot in Orlando in the summer. When I think about humidity and sweating and long lines and spending lots of money, I don't want to add crankiness and sore feet into the mix.
My kids live in Keen/Teva water sandals over the summer, and that's what I'm planning to take when we go to Disney in October. I'm hoping the pairs I bought them in April still fit.
Do you have outlets near you? Do not get shoes at Walmart because those will kill their feet. And unless the kids have walked 10 miles in Crocs which is supposedly the average distance walked at Magic Kingdom I strongly advice they have tennis shoes. I would go to Payless or Champion sneakers at Target way before Walmart. Or go to a store that sells brand names and only shop clearance or buy one get one half price. Is there any reason you cannot go shopping the day you get the kids or even when you get to Orlando? Or ask the kids what size they are and if there shows are getting tight and then buy thick and thin socks in case? And is there a reason they cannot take the shoes home with them even if they turn into play shoes? If not can you keep them for a younger kid? Converse shoes are unisex.
Jen - Mom to two December 12 babies
Nathaniel 12/12/06 and Addison 12/12/08
You should buy your step kids whatever brand amp; quality of shoe you would buy your biochildren. There is no question about this.
There shouldn't be a question about this, but it isn't always that simple. I dont know what the case is here but for us, we wont buy my SS expensive shoes until he's older. We've bought SS four pair of Nike's that he asked for over the years and they all just disappear. BM says one hurt his feet so she returned them, he lost another, two pairs we never saw again. This would be fine if BM returned them and got him different pairs, but she never does and SS has no clue what happened to them. We have bought him several nice coats that somehow disappear. We dont want to tell him he can only wear them at our house or he would be upset and we only get him EOWE. It is just a huge waste of money. At our house, he isn't getting expensive shoes until he is old enough to keep track of them, but I would buy my DS Nike's because I know he'll get to wear them because he is in my house. Flame me if you want, but at some point we decided we wasted enough money.
Then you can find the brand on sale somewhere but I you buy expensive Nike for your bio kids and cheap non name brand for SKs they will notice if try are old enough just like my son wanted light up shoes when my DD got them. Kohls has coupons and a lot of sales and Target and Kohls sell Converse and someone can tell me if they are not comfy enough because I have never owned them but I know they are popular in other countries in cities so I assume they are, at Target they are around 25 and are the version only only at Target but i think think they are cuter and at Kohls I think they are around 35 but you can get at least a 15 percent coupon.
Jen - Mom to two December 12 babies
Nathaniel 12/12/06 and Addison 12/12/08
My bio kids get one nice pair of tennis shoes a year. They have to last a whole year so I'll buy nice ones. DS1 is getting to the age where he cares about what kind of shoes he has so he can have what they other kids at school have. I take him to Journeys Kidz and usually spend around $100 a pair for him and DS2. They get a lot of use out of the shoes so I'm willing to spend that.
I don't usually buy my SKs tennis shoes at all because none of the kids really wear them in the summer. I'm buying them tennis shoes this year because there is a need for them. They wont get anywhere near as much use and my bio kids shoes do so I'm not willing to spend as much. I don't want to get them crappy shoes because I want them to be comfortable but that doesn't mean I need to spend what I spend on DS1 &2. Our trip is over a month away so the kids will have time to break them in and figure out if they will be comfortable enough. It's why I'm shopping now.
We don't have a good co-parenting relationship with BM at all. Even if we sent expensive shoes home with them it doesn't mean they would get any more use. Just because we ask them to wear tennis shoes here doesnt mean that they would remember or be able to. Some things that seem like common sense or "normal" don't always work in our situation.
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You should buy your step kids whatever brand amp; quality of shoe you would buy your biochildren. There is no question about this.
There shouldn't be a question about this, but it isn't always that simple. I dont know what the case is here but for us, we wont buy my SS expensive shoes until he's older. We've bought SS four pair of Nike's that he asked for over the years and they all just disappear. BM says one hurt his feet so she returned them, he lost another, two pairs we never saw again. This would be fine if BM returned them and got him different pairs, but she never does and SS has no clue what happened to them. We have bought him several nice coats that somehow disappear. We dont want to tell him he can only wear them at our house or he would be upset and we only get him EOWE. It is just a huge waste of money. At our house, he isn't getting expensive shoes until he is old enough to keep track of them, but I would buy my DS Nike's because I know he'll get to wear them because he is in my house. Flame me if you want, but at some point we decided we wasted enough money.
Then you can find the brand on sale somewhere but I you buy expensive Nike for your bio kids and cheap non name brand for SKs they will notice if try are old enough just like my son wanted light up shoes when my DD got them. Kohls has coupons and a lot of sales and Target and Kohls sell Converse and someone can tell me if they are not comfy enough because I have never owned them but I know they are popular in other countries in cities so I assume they are, at Target they are around 25 and are the version only only at Target but i think think they are cuter and at Kohls I think they are around 35 but you can get at least a 15 percent coupon.
My DS is only 1 right now so we don't buy him any name brand stuff anyway. By the time he is old enough to ask, SS will be well into his teenage years, he is 10 now, and we will buy SS whatever shoes he wants as well. There is a huge age difference between the two so we don't have to worry about it.
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage." ~ Lao Tzu
You should buy your step kids whatever brand amp; quality of shoe you would buy your biochildren. There is no question about this.
There shouldn't be a question about this, but it isn't always that simple. I dont know what the case is here but for us, we wont buy my SS expensive shoes until he's older. We've bought SS four pair of Nike's that he asked for over the years and they all just disappear. BM says one hurt his feet so she returned them, he lost another, two pairs we never saw again. This would be fine if BM returned them and got him different pairs, but she never does and SS has no clue what happened to them. We have bought him several nice coats that somehow disappear. We dont want to tell him he can only wear them at our house or he would be upset and we only get him EOWE. It is just a huge waste of money. At our house, he isn't getting expensive shoes until he is old enough to keep track of them, but I would buy my DS Nike's because I know he'll get to wear them because he is in my house. Flame me if you want, but at some point we decided we wasted enough money.
Then you can find the brand on sale somewhere but I you buy expensive Nike for your bio kids and cheap non name brand for SKs they will notice if try are old enough just like my son wanted light up shoes when my DD got them. Kohls has coupons and a lot of sales and Target and Kohls sell Converse and someone can tell me if they are not comfy enough because I have never owned them but I know they are popular in other countries in cities so I assume they are, at Target they are around 25 and are the version only only at Target but i think think they are cuter and at Kohls I think they are around 35 but you can get at least a 15 percent coupon.
When I buy my bio kids shoes we just go into the store and they pick whatever they want. I don't really look at the price. They usually each get a $5 birthday coupon but I don't usually try to watch for sales or anything so we usually pay full retail price. The store is an hour away and our weekends are busy so I go on a day it works out best with our schedule. They sell the same brands at other stores, last year DS1 picked Puma and DS2 Nike, but not in the same styles and colors as this store has. I'm not willing to spend the money to take SKs to this same place but I'm not against buying them similar brands either. I looked online and Kohls has some Nike shoes that are less than $40. I'm willing to get a similar quality but I'm not willing to spend the same amount of money.
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When I buy my bio kids shoes we just go into the store and they pick whatever they want. I don't really look at the price. They usually each get a $5 birthday coupon but I don't usually try to watch for sales or anything so we usually pay full retail price. The store is an hour away and our weekends are busy so I go on a day it works out best with our schedule. They sell the same brands at other stores, last year DS1 picked Puma and DS2 Nike, but not in the same styles and colors as this store has. I'm not willing to spend the money to take SKs to this same place but I'm not against buying them similar brands either. I looked online and Kohls has some Nike shoes that are less than $40. I'm willing to get a similar quality but I'm not willing to spend the same amount of money.
You had me until the bolded. So how about you take all four kids or however many there are shopping at Kohl's when there is a sale and buy them all tennis shoes now....then they will be broken in and you will spend the same amount.
A lot of times JcPenneys will have nice shoes for good deals. We don't buy super cheap shoes because they just go through them too fast. We also do not let them wear their shoes to BM's house because if we do ever see them again then she has cut them and ripped them up usually in from of the sk. But I also refuse to pay full price for shoes. Some of my favorite places are JcPenneys, Kohls, Academy, and the Skechers store.
When I buy my bio kids shoes we just go into the store and they pick whatever they want. I don't really look at the price. They usually each get a $5 birthday coupon but I don't usually try to watch for sales or anything so we usually pay full retail price. The store is an hour away and our weekends are busy so I go on a day it works out best with our schedule. They sell the same brands at other stores, last year DS1 picked Puma and DS2 Nike, but not in the same styles and colors as this store has. I'm not willing to spend the money to take SKs to this same place but I'm not against buying them similar brands either. I looked online and Kohls has some Nike shoes that are less than $40. I'm willing to get a similar quality but I'm not willing to spend the same amount of money.
You had me until the bolded. So how about you take all four kids or however many there are shopping at Kohl's when there is a sale and buy them all tennis shoes now....then they will be broken in and you will spend the same amount.
My reasoning for shopping at this place may sound silly but here it is. Each of the kids have a favorite color. DS1 loves green and DS2 loves orange. For whatever reason the shoes in those colors cost more and are harder to find. This store has them. The most expensive shoes at this store were $120 last year so I knew I couldn't spend more than $240 for the two kids. I save a little bit each month and plan for it. One year DS1 picked green converse which were only $35. Almost all of the clothes my bio kids have were either bought used or belonged to SS first. Shopping at this place is a luxury and now a back to school tradition. This is the only purchase that I shop this way with.
SD and SS get new clothes at BM's house. I buy a lot of SD's clothes used but they are still new to her. SS gets a mix of new a used things but since he is the oldest he gets things first. Their favorite colors and pink and blue which are much easier to find.
There is a difference between treating all of the kids the same and keeping things equal/ fair. IMO this is one of them. I'm not buying my bio kids expensive things and giving my SKs the short end of the stick. When it comes to shoes I spend more money on my bio kids but when it comes to money spent overall on clothing it's pretty equal per child.
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If convenience and price are considerations, you may want to check out 6pm.com. It is the discount site for zappos.com. I occasionally browse the clearance section and generally find great quality shoes for a fraction of the price. I like to do this throughout the year so I am always ahead of the kids' growth. Shipping is free and it does not get any more convenient than having the shoes delivered to your door.
ETA: I realize I sound like a solicitor for 6pm, but I just think it is kind of crappy to have your biokids walking around Disney in expensive shoes and your stepkids doing so in no names from Target. You can get the same quality shoes for your stepkids without spending same amount. It just requires a little more effort. In this case, I think the effort is well worth it.
I think my DD's feet grow a 1/2 size every few months, which would explain why my 11 yo wears a women's size 7. So I am more surprised that you only have to buy one pair of shoes for the year.
I second 6pm. You can get name brand shoes for discounted prices including stride rite, keen, and crocs as well as other sneakers. Also check into sneaker/sandal type shoes. My dd 7 has a pair from stride rite and wore them comfortably in Disney. I know merrell, keen, teva, sperry, and new balance make some as well as others. They were cooler than socks and sneakers but supportive and comfy for the walking. Look on 6pm they have good deals and you are getting better quality for same price as what you will pay for "cheap" shoes elsewhere.
You could try eBay. I dont spend more than 35 dollars on DS's new Nike's ever. In the store, sure, they would be like 70 dollars. anymore, I shop online.
You could try eBay. I dont spend more than 35 dollars on DS's new Nike's ever. In the store, sure, they would be like 70 dollars. anymore, I shop online.
You could always print pics and let them choose from line or if you don't care if they see cost you can search for your price range and let them choose from there, I think they have overnight shipping.
And maybe you can ask BM if the kids should bring their new tennis shoes home, give her the option.
Jen - Mom to two December 12 babies
Nathaniel 12/12/06 and Addison 12/12/08
I buy my SKs nice shoes but always on sale or clearance. A lot of times the cheap shoes aren't much cheaper than name the brand shoes on sale or clearance.
You should buy your step kids whatever brand amp; quality of shoe you would buy your biochildren. There is no question about this.
There shouldn't be a question about this, but it isn't always that simple. I dont know what the case is here but for us, we wont buy my SS expensive shoes until he's older. We've bought SS four pair of Nike's that he asked for over the years and they all just disappear. BM says one hurt his feet so she returned them, he lost another, two pairs we never saw again. This would be fine if BM returned them and got him different pairs, but she never does and SS has no clue what happened to them. We have bought him several nice coats that somehow disappear. We dont want to tell him he can only wear them at our house or he would be upset and we only get him EOWE. It is just a huge waste of money. At our house, he isn't getting expensive shoes until he is old enough to keep track of them, but I would buy my DS Nike's because I know he'll get to wear them because he is in my house. Flame me if you want, but at some point we decided we wasted enough money.
I understand where you are coming from. With my SD when we buy her nice shoes or clothes I keep them with us. We have had issues with the shoes/clothes not coming back or being ruined when she did come home in them. So we started sending her in the clothes she comes home in. If she comes in a dress with flip flops we send her back in that same outfit, so we don't lose clothes, and so BM doesn't constantly text/call asking for her clothes back. We've done this for about6 mo and hhaven't had a problem yet. Except when she come in jammies.Then its play clothes and an old pair of shoes. I like her to have nice things like her little sisters, shows her we're playing favorites.
sabrina69barnes
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"Karma1969: If baking someone a birthday pie/cake is romantic, I must be a slut."
Not sure on ages of skids, but with older kids, I don't see it as out of bounds to ask them to wear their tennis shoes over. That might be flameworthy but hear me out....
I would not want to break in new tennis shoes at Disney. And if they are with you limited time between now and then these will still be new shoes. Same for bios - I would get them breaking in shoes. I cannot even begin to count the pairs of shoes the children here have never really worn as a result of them fitting but not being comfortable outside of the store.
There shouldn't be a question about this, but it isn't always that simple. I dont know what the case is here but for us, we wont buy my SS expensive shoes until he's older. We've bought SS four pair of Nike's that he asked for over the years and they all just disappear. BM says one hurt his feet so she returned them, he lost another, two pairs we never saw again. This would be fine if BM returned them and got him different pairs, but she never does and SS has no clue what happened to them. We have bought him several nice coats that somehow disappear. We dont want to tell him he can only wear them at our house or he would be upset and we only get him EOWE. It is just a huge waste of money. At our house, he isn't getting expensive shoes until he is old enough to keep track of them, but I would buy my DS Nike's because I know he'll get to wear them because he is in my house. Flame me if you want, but at some point we decided we wasted enough money.
For Disney--actually for the sake of your kids' feet and your sanity--I'd spring for good shoes. I get why you're reluctant, but it's going to be so hot in Orlando in the summer. When I think about humidity and sweating and long lines and spending lots of money, I don't want to add crankiness and sore feet into the mix.
My kids live in Keen/Teva water sandals over the summer, and that's what I'm planning to take when we go to Disney in October. I'm hoping the pairs I bought them in April still fit.
Then you can find the brand on sale somewhere but I you buy expensive Nike for your bio kids and cheap non name brand for SKs they will notice if try are old enough just like my son wanted light up shoes when my DD got them. Kohls has coupons and a lot of sales and Target and Kohls sell Converse and someone can tell me if they are not comfy enough because I have never owned them but I know they are popular in other countries in cities so I assume they are, at Target they are around 25 and are the version only only at Target but i think think they are cuter and at Kohls I think they are around 35 but you can get at least a 15 percent coupon.
I don't usually buy my SKs tennis shoes at all because none of the kids really wear them in the summer. I'm buying them tennis shoes this year because there is a need for them. They wont get anywhere near as much use and my bio kids shoes do so I'm not willing to spend as much. I don't want to get them crappy shoes because I want them to be comfortable but that doesn't mean I need to spend what I spend on DS1 &2. Our trip is over a month away so the kids will have time to break them in and figure out if they will be comfortable enough. It's why I'm shopping now.
We don't have a good co-parenting relationship with BM at all. Even if we sent expensive shoes home with them it doesn't mean they would get any more use. Just because we ask them to wear tennis shoes here doesnt mean that they would remember or be able to. Some things that seem like common sense or "normal" don't always work in our situation.
My DS is only 1 right now so we don't buy him any name brand stuff anyway. By the time he is old enough to ask, SS will be well into his teenage years, he is 10 now, and we will buy SS whatever shoes he wants as well. There is a huge age difference between the two so we don't have to worry about it.
When I buy my bio kids shoes we just go into the store and they pick whatever they want. I don't really look at the price. They usually each get a $5 birthday coupon but I don't usually try to watch for sales or anything so we usually pay full retail price. The store is an hour away and our weekends are busy so I go on a day it works out best with our schedule. They sell the same brands at other stores, last year DS1 picked Puma and DS2 Nike, but not in the same styles and colors as this store has. I'm not willing to spend the money to take SKs to this same place but I'm not against buying them similar brands either. I looked online and Kohls has some Nike shoes that are less than $40. I'm willing to get a similar quality but I'm not willing to spend the same amount of money.
You had me until the bolded. So how about you take all four kids or however many there are shopping at Kohl's when there is a sale and buy them all tennis shoes now....then they will be broken in and you will spend the same amount.
My reasoning for shopping at this place may sound silly but here it is. Each of the kids have a favorite color. DS1 loves green and DS2 loves orange. For whatever reason the shoes in those colors cost more and are harder to find. This store has them. The most expensive shoes at this store were $120 last year so I knew I couldn't spend more than $240 for the two kids. I save a little bit each month and plan for it. One year DS1 picked green converse which were only $35. Almost all of the clothes my bio kids have were either bought used or belonged to SS first. Shopping at this place is a luxury and now a back to school tradition. This is the only purchase that I shop this way with.
SD and SS get new clothes at BM's house. I buy a lot of SD's clothes used but they are still new to her. SS gets a mix of new a used things but since he is the oldest he gets things first. Their favorite colors and pink and blue which are much easier to find.
There is a difference between treating all of the kids the same and keeping things equal/ fair. IMO this is one of them. I'm not buying my bio kids expensive things and giving my SKs the short end of the stick. When it comes to shoes I spend more money on my bio kids but when it comes to money spent overall on clothing it's pretty equal per child.
If convenience and price are considerations, you may want to check out 6pm.com. It is the discount site for zappos.com. I occasionally browse the clearance section and generally find great quality shoes for a fraction of the price. I like to do this throughout the year so I am always ahead of the kids' growth. Shipping is free and it does not get any more convenient than having the shoes delivered to your door.
ETA: I realize I sound like a solicitor for 6pm, but I just think it is kind of crappy to have your biokids walking around Disney in expensive shoes and your stepkids doing so in no names from Target. You can get the same quality shoes for your stepkids without spending same amount. It just requires a little more effort. In this case, I think the effort is well worth it.
You could always print pics and let them choose from line or if you don't care if they see cost you can search for your price range and let them choose from there, I think they have overnight shipping.
And maybe you can ask BM if the kids should bring their new tennis shoes home, give her the option.
I understand where you are coming from. With my SD when we buy her nice shoes or clothes I keep them with us. We have had issues with the shoes/clothes not coming back or being ruined when she did come home in them. So we started sending her in the clothes she comes home in. If she comes in a dress with flip flops we send her back in that same outfit, so we don't lose clothes, and so BM doesn't constantly text/call asking for her clothes back. We've done this for about6 mo and hhaven't had a problem yet. Except when she come in jammies.Then its play clothes and an old pair of shoes. I like her to have nice things like her little sisters, shows her we're playing favorites.
My Loves= SD 18 SS 16 SS13 DD13 DS10 SD6 SD5