Talk to me about shoes

kelly321 · April 2014

I got an unintentional guilt trip about shoes for the DDs the other day and was wondering how you all do it.

1) On average, how much do the shoes cost that you buy your toddlers? Where do you get them?

2) Do you pay attention to things like sole support (or others)? If so, what is important to you and why?

stacrb98 · April 2014

I am picky about shoes for DD. I try to spend 20 or so ( because I am cheap). And her latest ones came from babies r us. I tried different ones on her there to see how she walked in them.
I currently have her in carters shoes. I like them because they have a little sole to them but not so much she turns into a noddle and can't walk. Also they are wide enough they do not seem to pinch her feet. The con is I think they are ugly but whatever works I guess!

nlp1990 · April 2014

I just spent two hours yesterday trying to find shoes for E. I wanted him to have something with a little support since he's been walking since Christmas time. I got his feet measured at stride rite. He is a size 3. They don't start making more supportive shoes until size 4. I went in and out of every baby and shoe store in our mall and found nothing. It is super frustrating!

jdilorenzo · April 2014

My daughter has two pair of shoes from stride rite that she wears all the time. They are hard bottom but soft enough for her to walk in. She has been walking since 9 1/2 months. She has other shoes she wears on occasion but her main shoes
Are stride rite sneakers.

kelly321 · April 2014

expatmama said:

I don't know about where you are, but here they are INSANE about shoes and they are insanely priced. I try to pick up at least 1-2 pairs of shoes when we are in the US each trip because I have NO idea how people do it here. I also have gotten a bunch of shoes second hand at the flea market when DS1 was ripping them to shreds on his kick bike but have yet to purchase anything other than rubber rain boots.

DS is supposed to have for DC: One set of sneakers, one set of rain boots, one set of cold weather boots and a pair of sandals for summer. They are outside a lot, so I get the reason why, but the winter boots here start at 100 dollars a pair and the shoes start at like 50. I ordered some winter boots from Lands End for 30 dollars and they were fine - our DCP complimented us on them (high marks in our book!). Otherwise I usually pick up a quality sneaker/shoe at Marshalls or TJ Maxx. Right now we have Striderite, have also had Pediped and a few other brands and have not paid more than 25 dollars for them.

ETA I care about sole support and also about keeping DS dry and comfortable in different weather situations.

Yes!! Kids' shoes are so freaking expensive here unless you go to H&M (which I have done multiple times...). For good tennis shoes I try to have my parents bring me some from the used children's store close to where they live - the shoes are all pretty much new (we know that feeling- you buy them and 2 minutes later they don't fit anymore) and way, way cheaper.

I feel like maybe I should be more careful about them, though, and maybe I shouldn't be getting the H&M ones? Guilt, guilt, guilt.

tamarar5 · April 2014

My kids unfortunately inherican my terrible feet.

So... High quality sites like what they need, hurt their feet. Do until they are older and can specifically tell me what and where they hurt, I buy cheep shoes. E has mostly soft sole Robeez type shoes. He does have one pair of hard sole shoes for wet, cold, or muddy days. He actually seems to prefer those.

Overall, shoes suck!

Felicity86 · April 2014

I get Stride Rites for their everyday shoes. Occasional shoes (dress shoes, water shoes, etc) are Target or BRU,

TarheelMama202 · April 2014

lrtrauth said:

I just bought DS a pair of Chuck Taylors last week for $30. Before that, he had a pair of Nike high tops that my dad gave him for Christmas. The ones I bought him, I got at a shoe store, but the same ones are also at Target.

I'm big on hard soled shoes for kids that are starting to walk. I just feel like they assist in footing with the traction on the bottom and helps the child to get proper placement of the foot on the ground. At this point, his shoes don't really have much arch support, but I will eventually be looking for that in the next pair of shoes. His dad has flat feet, so I want to be able to work against him getting them as well (if that is even possible).

Dude. Obviously tried a pair of Chucks on H the other day. Purchasing soon. Which ones did you get? I was looking at gray ones.

elliespiral · April 2014

So far she's had See Kai Run, Stride Rite SRT (step 2), and Native. We were gifted a pair of Chuck Taylors that are too big still (the size 5 is HUGE for anyone considering purchasing).

1) On average, how much do the shoes cost that you buy your toddlers? Where do you get them?

See Kai Run has great sales on past-season styles (~50% off), so around $25/pair. I love that they are girls shoes without being overly embellished--a pet peeve of mine because my 14 mo old does not need sequins, or Tinkerbell, or Elmo. We have a Stride Rite outlet near us that had a BOGO deal so I got two pairs, one in her current size and one a half-size up, for $57. I also got her some Natives from Amazon for summer; figured they would be good for playing in water and are easy on/off. Plus they're darn cute and were $25.

2) Do you pay attention to things like sole support (or others)? If so, what is important to you and why?

DD has been walking since 10 mo and I'm a believer that barefoot is best for learning balance, etc. In the winter, she wears Robeez inside. For outisde, I go for soft and flexible soles and look for shoes that will breathe a little since she appears to have inherited her mom's sweaty feet. The Chuck Taylors seem like really hard soles compared to her other shoes. Even the Stride Rite Step 3 (off and running they call it) seemed too rigid for DD right now, even though she is almost running.

The Stride Rite manager (who should be sainted for his patience) told me that at this age, their feet grow about a half-size every 3-4 months. Nuts!!

European ladies: I will glady bring you a suitcase full of American shoes in exchange for a bed-and-breakfast vaca

brachysira · April 2014

M has block feet. After trying many pairs, we finally have some stride rite extra wide in size 5.5. She might be able to do size 5, but she does okay in 5.5. We cannot get very many other pairs on, and she can't/won't walk in things like cheap, ill-fitting sandals. We were desperate for shoes since it was suddenly warm and she was suddenly walking, so we paid a lot. I hope to be more on top of things in the future. For one thing, we must get her some shoes that are not pink and yet do not have tractors on them or something. It's not easy!

SidraJedi · April 2014

1. There's some soft leather ones from target that I like which are $16 and her sneakers and sandals are $48 before tax. (New balance, pediped)
2. I only buy shoes for their flexibility and light weight. I want the shoes to be as close to being barefoot as possible. I also let her go barefoot as much as I can.

kelly321 · April 2014

Yeah, inside they just wear leather slippers that are pretty typical here. Germans don't wear shoes in the house, and I've gotten used to that over the years. Outside I also prefer a firm but flexible sole, but I was worried that maybe I hadn't been paying enough attention to things like arch support.

singingsea · April 2014

We get shoes from once upon a child for $3-5 a pair.

PhieryBFly · April 2014

We're still not walking here... I've bought her some robeez, pedipeds and converse but we don't bother putting them on her. Plus, she has tiny feet- still only a size 2 with a little room to spare!

katelyn1434 · April 2014

We go for stride rite shoes. There is an outlet not too far from here so I look in their sale section but for her size there isn't always anything in there. We end up spending between $30-35 for her everyday shoe. I justify it because it's literally the shoe she wears everyday. I'm surprised to hear that someone had trouble finding size 3 shoes in stride rite for a walker....we were instructed to go up half a size even when she measured a size 3 and got good walking shoes for her. Maybe boy sizing is different from girls sizing in regards to when they size for walkers?

SLGILL1978 · April 2014

My pedi suggested that when LO's can't go barefoot to buy a shoe that you can bend in half. Personally, I thought the Striderite and Robeez brands were too expensive. I got my daughter's shoes at Target. I got her a couple pairs of the off brand Robeez for around $15. I caught a sale they were having. I tried a pair of the off brand Striderite and my daughter would walk with one foot turned in for some reason. She has one pair of dressy shoes I also got at Target when they were having the baby shoe sale a few weeks. ago.

ericalee27 · April 2014

We do stride rite for the first year or so of walking, but I only buy one pair at a time ($30?) and my kids feet do not grow fast so we get a lot of mileage out of them. Both of my boys have super wide feet which also factored in to going with stride rite. I also look for a really bendy sole.

tamarar5 · April 2014

verovladamir said:
I have not yet found real shoes for Eleanor. I finally figured out that they carry size one at payless so I bought Ellie a pair over the weekend, but her feet are too fat for them. So.... yeah. I'll figure something out.

For nate I honestly just buy shoes from wal-mart. I know they don't have the best support but that kid is insanely hard on shoes. He scrapes them all up and gets holes in them. I can't justify paying more than $15/pair for him. They don't last long enough.

C was the same way! You really have to scrounge and maybe order online, but they DO make a size 1 wide! That's what C wore until she was like 16 months, lol!

Poppy523 · April 2014

We usually stick with stride rite as well. She walks best in them. I occasionally get cheaper shoes for cute sandals when I know we wont be walking much.

mishka29 · April 2014

Joe Fresh! I guess this is a Canadian thing.

Justinlove · April 2014

Her "everyday" shoes are classic Stride Rite walking boots. LOVE them! Well worth the $$ IMO. The girls will both be sporting Sun Sans sandals this summer. I like that I can completely adjust them at the toe and ankle. My oldest wore Stride Rite sandals a lot and I liked them--but they are usually Velcro and my youngest...well, she won't keep them on so we had to go with buckles. Keep in mind, my youngest is completely mobile (running, climbing, etc.) so we need a LOT more support than Robeez and other "baby" shoes offer. Before she was walking and when she was a very early walker, we did See Kai Run Smaller.

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