The Imperfect Community

[Jessica]

What kind of shoes are you supposed to get for a Toddler? A hard shoe/sole or a soft shoe/sole?? I cannot find any information on the net and now I'm in limbo.

I bought these for Graham, but am thinking about returning them because he keeps tripping/falling in 'em and he's only worn them inside:

http://niketown.nike.com/niketown/catalog/pdp.jsp?productId=6257&categoryId=52827

And then this mom at open gym said that soft shoes are only for "learning to walk" and that after that, they should have hard shoes, but the woman at the store said soft is better. He had a pair of hard sketchers before this and he kept toe-walking in them, which is not good.

Help shoe goddesses!

[honeybee]

Well, I believe JM is the official shoe goddess of the board, but I will answer your question anyway.

For walking, flexible rubber soles are what you need for outside use, but for inside keeping them in soft soled shoes is fine.

Rubber soled shoes should be flexible enough to bend easily when held between your thumb and second finger.

I think Nikes are pretty rigid in smaller sizes. I was never able to find a pair that was easily bendable until Ethan hit a size 7-8. The Pico is a pretty flexible shoe, but maybe Graham still has little feet. ?? I can never remember how old your little guy is, but I know he's older than Owen.

I am a big Stride Rite fan. And there is a lot of info about shoes and foot health on their site.

[Jessica]

[honeybee]

Graham will be two next week, he's a size 7 toddler. Is that little?

That's probably average. My boys are just bigger than normal and whip through shoe sizes faster than you can blink your eyes. Owen is almost 17 months and in a 8.5W.

So, do you like the Pico for outdoors too?

We've never had the Pico, I've bought that shoe before, but had to return it becuase they were too small by the time we needed them. We only wear our shoes outdoors, we are barefoot in the house.

If you would like Stride Rites and don't mind getting the last season styles, you can get some good deals online. There was a site just last week that had a lot of SR for a bit less than $20 and free shipping. I can't remember what it was, but if you are interested I can try to find it again. You'll, of course, need to know his size...I always find SR to run small.

[honeybee]

Another thing, sneakers are probably the least flexible of any shoe. I rarely have them for the boys because I hate big chunky fat rubber soles and have a hard time finding slimmer ones. The boys are almost always in canvas shoes, like a converse. They don't have a lot of support, though they are very flexible. My faves are the baby Gap ones. On sale I can get them for around $12.

[JuneMama]

Since Joey first started standing and getting ready to walk, I've taken him to Stride Rite. He is an extra-wide, and they are the only store that I can get his shoes at. I also like knowing he is sized and fitted correctly. I think that even if he wasn't an extra-wide, I'd probably still buy his sneakers there. Sure, it's on the expensive side, but I like knowing his feet are in the correct sized shoe.

Also like Melissa, in the house, the shoes come off. He either goes barefoot, socks or slippers in the winter.

If you're having problems with him walking in shoes that you've bought, I'd definitely advise you to get him professionally fitted at a SR or another childrens shoe store.

[DietCokeHead]

I am all about Stride Rite. The people there actually know how to measure and they have a large selection of widths too. Most of the shows I buy there are $30-42 but my kids don't grow very fast so we are not replacing quickly. Jack has been through 3 pairs of the same size because hasnt grown in a freaking year and 1/2!! He is a size 7.5 now. And I really only have one pair of play shoes and one pair of nicer shoes for each kid, I am not a shoe-whore!

The best shoe for an early walker is one that is lightweight with a flexible sole.

[Jessica]

Thanks Melissa, Wendy and Annie. I actually followed your advise and went to SR this afternoon. Turns out, the shoes I bought at the other store weren't an exact size match. I bought him a 7.5, but they measured him at a 7 or 7.5, so they told me to go with an 8 and that he was a wide, if not extra wide. Who knew?

I bought the cheapest walkers they had, which were $30, so 2 bucks more than the Nike and at least I know they fit! I'm returning the others tomorrow, although the chick at SR said they carry the Pico's and that they're good shoes, but he'd need a WIDE.

So, I'm glad that I went to SR and now have peace of mind and I'm glad I thought to ask here!

[JuneMama]

[MainstreamMom]

My kids have sashsquash feet so I spend a fortune on them. For Jack, I always buy the SR sneakers (the two-strap velcro kind) with the firefighter or basketballs on them. For Manda, I have a zillion different pairs of shoes, some cheapos from Walmart and others from SR.

Here's my question: How do you know when the shoes are too small? I know my kids have big feet and grow fast but how often should I get them new shoes? It's so hard to tell and I can't lug them to the mall to keep getting their feet measured. Plus, Jack throws a nutty if you try to measure his feet. I'm afraid they are going to have crooked toes. Dh does b/c his mom always kept him in shoes that were too small.

[DietCokeHead]

Dh does b/c his mom always kept him in shoes that were too small.

Get out!! Are you kidding me?

I think you just have to keep pressing down on the toe of the shoe and see if there is room between the kids toe and the end of the shoe! Or, wait until you can no longer smash the foot into the shoe!

[JuneMama]