toddler sneakers

jf198400 · September 2013

My daughter always seems to really wear out her sneakers. I usually buy cheaper sneakers from Payless because I know she's going to outgrow them quickly. But I feel like she totally destroys them and I'm wondering if the more expensive brands hold up better? I might be willing to pay double to buy her some from Striderite, but only if I'm truly going to get my moneys worth. Any thoughts or suggestions?

aglenn · September 2013

Stride Rite ones definitely hold up better, IMO. I buy them on clearance at our Stride Rite outlet or at Nordstrom Rack. Babysteals.com runs them at a good discount periodically, too.

aeh72 · September 2013

My son has yet to "wear out" a pair of Stride Rites. He grows out of them so that's the downside to spending a little more, but they hold up really well so I feel like it's worth the extra cost, especially for sneakers that he will wear a lot. And, you can shop around online and get some good prices on Stride Rite. I got a pair for $23, which isn't cheap but, heck, I just bought a pair of sandals for DS at Payless to get us through our last beach trip in a few weeks and they were $14.99. I couldn't believe they cost that much at Payless. I saw pairs costing as much as $17.99 there too! So, depending on how much you've been spending on a pair of shoes at Payless, you may not find the price on a better (for lack of a better word) brand that much more.

NicoleWI · September 2013

I liked the New Balance ones I got on Zappos. Expensive, but I totally agree that it's worth it for shoes they will wear all the time. This summer, DS got expensive Umi sandals and DD got Payless. Hers looked trashed by Fourth of July and his still look new now.

Also, are you on Mamabargains and Babysteals deal of the day sites? They sometimes have a Striderite deal.

Or, do you have Kohl's by you? They carry some Nike and you can always get a deal at Kohl's.

BP607 · September 2013

Stride Rite!

financialdiva · September 2013

I purchased cheap sneakers from Target once for $15, never again! DS1 wore them out so quickly and the fell apart. I only buy him stride rite now, but I only pay around $25 per pair. I buy him two pairs to rotate out and that seems to help them last as well. He has never worn out a stride rite shoe.

ss+el · September 2013

Some of the best inexpensive shoes I ever bought came from Babies R Us of all places. I used to buy him Disney Fit shoes from Kohls, but even though the shoes hold up great, the velcro splits after a few months. I finally gave up and buy him Nikes. We are fortunate to live near a Nike outlet, and I'm not picky on style, so I snagged his last pair for about $20.
(edit - he's almost 5)

jlaOK · September 2013

Another vote for StrideRite. DS's have gotten minor holes in them but usually around the time he grows out of them anyway. I buy the cheapest pair from there and only buy when BOGO 50%. They usually cost us between $25-$35 per pair.

jf198400 · September 2013

I guess I might have to cave in and get stride rite. There are No stride rite outlets anywhere near here, sucks.

jc&cat · September 2013

I recommend trying Kohls. Funny to hear the endorsements for stride rite. My kids KILL stride rite shoes and frankly, I don't think they are worth the $. I just picked up NB sneakers for DS with Kohls coupon for $38 and adidas for DS for $24. I usually get Nike for DS at Kohls and they always held up well.

aeh72 · September 2013

jf198400 said:

I guess I might have to cave in and get stride rite. There are No stride rite outlets anywhere near here, sucks.

Look online at places like Amazon, Zappos, 6pm.com, shoes.com. They have lots of Stride Rite options for often far cheaper than going to the Stride Rite store. Kids don't care if it's last year's style or color! And, I think most of those sites may offer free shipping and free returns.

emberlee3 · September 2013

DS has been wearing Saucony sneakers lately, and they hold up well. DD wears Target shoes because her feet grow too fast to worry about wearing out shoes.

SunAndRain · September 2013

I plan on sticking with StrideRite outlet at our Mills Mall. I want DD to have two pair of sneakers and IMO good shoes are important for proper foot development. So the BOGO @ 50% suits us perfectly.

I'll probably go cheaper for dress shoes she is only going to wear a few times. But for shoes she wears everyday, I prefer high quality.

The only thing I won't do is buy online. With her feet changing so fast I want to have her measured to ensure we're buying the right size shoe...and we're never in a store that I can measure her while we are there.

LoCarb · September 2013

Like others I will buy stride rite or sketchers at the outlet mall. However, I find DD prefers the look of the cheaper Payless shoes and will wear them more.

NavyMom77 · September 2013

DS has some growth issues that make quality shoes a necessity. I always make sure to spend a little more to get him higher-quality brands (Stride Rite or Geox) but he generally only has 2 pairs of shoes at a time. I take him to have him fitted at a store maybe once a year, then save $$ by buying last years styles on Zappos (usually half the price) or hitting up the Stride Rite outlet.

itsmevkb · September 2013

I sold shoes through high-school and college at a family owned store so I'm a little obsessive about getting the kids measured and buying good shoes. I like the Geox but do try and buy clearance ones because they are spendy. I also like Tsukikoshi because you can wash them in the washing machine and I've found they hold up pretty well. My kids always have at least two pair of shoes to rotate between.

eyenigh · September 2013

itsmevkb said:

I sold shoes through high-school and college at a family owned store so I'm a little obsessive about getting the kids measured and buying good shoes. I like the Geox but do try and buy clearance ones because they are spendy. I also like Tsukikoshi because you can wash them in the washing machine and I've found they hold up pretty well. My kids always have at least two pair of shoes to rotate between.

This exactly. I love Geox. He's been wearing a pair of sandals all summer that look hardly used and he wears them a lot. we rotate between a quite a few pairs of shoes so they don't tend to get utterly destroyed anyway but for the amount of use, the Geox really held up great. I also like Stride Rite for sneakers but he has a pair of retro Pumas and Sperry topsiders, all of which have held up great.

The brand that I've been most disappointed in is Keen. A lot of people raved about them, and I realize that there are different styles, but my son's H2s are destroyed and he's probably only worn them 10 times. The rubber on the bottom of the sole scraped right off and the toes look like he was dragging them constantly (and I know he wasn't!). I don't think I'll be buying them again.

jf198400 · September 2013

LoCarb said:

Like others I will buy stride rite or sketchers at the outlet mall. However, I find DD prefers the look of the cheaper Payless shoes and will wear them more.

Yea this is also part of why I buy Payless, my DD loves the Disney Princess sneakers. I'm not sure I'll even be able to get her to wear something else.

cecilyandgautam · September 2013

You can sign up to get discount & BOGO 50% off codes from Stride Rite.

Zulily also has shoes on regular sale. We just got our Keen order in the mail. I don't know how long it's take to wear them out, but the souls are super flexible, which I care about, so off the bat, I'm happy with our purchase.

financialdiva · September 2013

FYI- kidsteals.com has strides rites right now on sale for about $25 a pair

hst · September 2013

I buy DD Saucony and new balance, they hold up well, Enough to pass on to another child.

flyingsaucer · September 2013

Try Famous Footwear

mommymegan831 · September 2013

DD definitely wears right through her Pay Less shoes w/in a few months. I tried a pair of Stride Rites and they have held up well, however DD is a real fashionista and is very opinionated and stubborn about what she'll wear. She did wear her Stride Rite shoes, but when I took her to Pay Less to get a pair of shoes for me or her brother, she found a pair she really wanted. For us I think it's worth it to buy 3 or 4 pairs of Pay Less shoes so she can wear what she wants

KL777 · September 2013

Skechers purchased from Burlington Coat Factory ($15). Durable and lasted a long time.

skibunny59 · September 2013

jf198400 said:

LoCarb said:

Like others I will buy stride rite or sketchers at the outlet mall. However, I find DD prefers the look of the cheaper Payless shoes and will wear them more.

Yea this is also part of why I buy Payless, my DD loves the Disney Princess sneakers. I'm not sure I'll even be able to get her to wear something else.

I LOVE LOVE stride rite. I only buy one pair of shoes for DD so I don't mind spending money if she's going to wear them all the time. They are really good quality and after getting blisters on her sweet little feet from this Dora sandals my mom bought for her, I really don't want her to wear anything else. I'm pretty sure they have disney princess sneakers at stride rite.

FemShep · September 2013

itsmevkb said:

I sold shoes through high-school and college at a family owned store so I'm a little obsessive about getting the kids measured and buying good shoes. I like the Geox but do try and buy clearance ones because they are spendy. I also like Tsukikoshi because you can wash them in the washing machine and I've found they hold up pretty well. My kids always have at least two pair of shoes to rotate between.

I loved Tsukikoshi for DD1. They held up amazingly well, and DD1 really enjoyed wearing them. I may or may not have looked for a pair in my size.

groovygrl · September 2013

Stride Rites only get banged up around the toe for us (scuffed, etc) and after a number of months sometimes the rubber in the front will start to pull back from the shoe, but for the most part they wear well. I have bought cheaper 'cute' sneaker type shoes & made the mistake of washing & drying them (which I do all the time w/ SR and other brands) and the things shrank so that is the end of that for me.

I have both my kids in Saucony right now... I found it works well for my DS who has a high instep & DD likes them too.

Try 6pm.com for discounts...I generally just shop around to 6pm, zappos, shoebuy, amazon & find whatever has the best deal on a shoe that I like.

cecilyandgautam · September 2013

PSA WMs! Stride Rite shoes half off on Zulily today. Enjoy!

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