What do you recommend?

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Morganthe

New member
Keds, keds, oh, & keds :D They can be found at reasonable prices. I just found two different styles of 'tennis shoes' for $14 & $11 on clearance, despite having regular retail prices of $35 & $25 each. They're narrow, flexible soled, soft, comfortable -- and don't break the bank for a quickly growing child.

Seriously, I went to the sites you had linked and I thought the shoes were cute, but pricey. I would go broke keeping up with dd at those places. :D And I buy lots of different shoes for her because she likes them, but rarely do I spend over $15, most times much less. She likes leather or cloth, but with light flexible soles. I never know how she'll like a particular style after she wears them a while, so I don't want to gamble too much on any single pair. :rolleyes:

She has very narrow feet and she still only wears an 8 1/2 toddler even though she's almost 3 1/2 & tall. Her feet WILL be growing soon. She stays the same size through the entire winter and jumps about 2.5 - 3 sizes during the summer. I freaked when she went from a 2.5 to 6 in less than 5 months just before she turned 2.
Last summer she went from a size 6 - 8.5 between May & October.:rolleyes:

I found that during warmer weather, sandals are the best (I got Lands End sandals 18 months ago for $5 a pair during the winter clearance :D ). I can keep track of her foot growth much easier and she loves to wear them :) But that child loves her Keds & Keds knockoffs :D Her favorite white dress shoes are the leather Daphne mary jane style. DH loves them because the strap is fastened by light velcro. No buckles. They retail for $30, but can be found on sale, ebay, & garage sales in new or like-new condition :)

http://www.keds.com/jump.jsp?itemType=CATEGORY&itemID=36
has pictures of the different styles if you're interested.
hth gives you some ideas :)
 
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Patriot201

Car-Seat.org Ambassador
I like the Pedoodles shoes. I think those are the type of shoes my friend has for her not-quite-two-year-old.
 

Kellyr2

New member
By "supportive" do you mean not soft soles like Robeez, Bobux, or Soft Stars? I like the soft soles. But I know one general rule I've read about the more regular soles, are that you should be able to bend back the toe of the shoe by just barely pushing on the toe with your finger. So many toddler shoes are so rigid on the bottom! They need to mega - flex!
 

Jewels

Senior Community Member
By "supportive" do you mean not soft soles like Robeez, Bobux, or Soft Stars? I like the soft soles. But I know one general rule I've read about the more regular soles, are that you should be able to bend back the toe of the shoe by just barely pushing on the toe with your finger. So many toddler shoes are so rigid on the bottom! They need to mega - flex!

I have Robeez, but would like something that has more of a sole that he can wear outside. He is 2.5 so I would like the sole to protect his foot from rocks, yet still be flexable.

By supportive, I mean good arch support and supports the ankle (somewhat) and rest of the foot.

My mom always instilled in me that growing feet need good shoes. His first real pair of runners were Pumas like these but navy blue. They are very flexable and we loved them. We were able to use them for pretty much a year. So if I can get a good pair of shoes that will last for the most of a year, I don't mind spending the money. He is a boy so he usually has one pair of good shoes and a pair of good sandals and of course rubber and winter boots. He doesn't have oodles of shoes so I don't mind spending the extra money on one pair.
 

Dillipop

Well-known member
We love stride rite shoes here. The toddler sizes have nice flexible soles and I feel they are very supportive. Plus, they have saddle shoes, which I absolutely love! They have outlets, so you can save a little on the regular cost and the people working in the stores that sell them near me are very knowledgable.

We've also used keds. They have some cute higher topped shoes that are cute on boys. We loved them when we had them. DS needed a wide in those, though, compared to a regular width in others, so they tend to be a bit narrower than others.
 

Morganthe

New member
I have Robeez, but would like something that has more of a sole that he can wear outside. He is 2.5 so I would like the sole to protect his foot from rocks, yet still be flexable.

By supportive, I mean good arch support and supports the ankle (somewhat) and rest of the foot.

So if I can get a good pair of shoes that will last for the most of a year, I don't mind spending the money. He is a boy so he usually has one pair of good shoes and a pair of good sandals and of course rubber and winter boots. He doesn't have oodles of shoes so I don't mind spending the extra money on one pair.

Sorry about the Daphne Keds suggestion, I thought you had a little girl from your signature. Many apologies. :eek:

I was thinking that I had read several times that young children do not need arch supports at all except for special circumstances. While looking to see if I was remembering correctly, I discovered a short article that you might find of interest.
Guide to Children's shoes

My daughter also has worn Stride rites -- nice shoes with excellent support. But she sometimes has had problems with the dress shoes being very stiff up against the back of her heel. No blisters, but definite sore spots.
good luck on your search :)
 

Kellyr2

New member
yeah, they usually have flat feet.
Stride Rites rock. My 6 yr old has used the same pair for a year. I have some friends who ONLY use Robeez, no matter where they area . But I suppose they aren't walking on rocks often.
 

southpawboston

New member
we like stride rite for our toddler. some are less flexible than others, but they hold up very well. to be honest i don't think proper support in children's shoes is all that necessary. flexibility, i do consider important. as adults, DW and i like supportive shoes (birkenstock, naot, clark, etc) but our pediatrician told us that for really young children, the cheapest shoes that are flexible and that your child finds comfortable are the ones to get, and that their feet will develop properly with or without orthopaedically correct (read: expensive) shoes. thousands of years of evolution has given us feet designed to walk without the supportive insoles that we have come to love in our modern world. as adults, we don't use our feet as evolutionarily intended, and orthopaedically supportive shoes help us, but most kids do what kids did long ago, and their feet do what they were designed to do, so no need for specially supportive shoes.
 

Jewels

Senior Community Member
Morganthe: Sorry about the Daphne Keds suggestion, I thought you had a little girl from your signature. Many apologies.
No problem, maybe I should switch up my picture :D It's been too cold lately, but I will once it warms up a bit.

I was thinking that I had read several times that young children do not need arch supports at all except for special circumstances. While looking to see if I was remembering correctly, I discovered a short article that you might find of interest.
Guide to Children's shoes
Thanks for the article. I did have a pair of canvas shoes and when he wears them his feet hurt later in the day or wakes up at night because they hurt. The Pumas we bought him we loved, but didn't offer much in the arch support, not that he needs a lot but a bit would be good.
 

Jewels

Senior Community Member
we like stride rite for our toddler. some are less flexible than others, but they hold up very well. to be honest i don't think proper support in children's shoes is all that necessary. flexibility, i do consider important. as adults, DW and i like supportive shoes (birkenstock, naot, clark, etc) but our pediatrician told us that for really young children, the cheapest shoes that are flexible and that your child finds comfortable are the ones to get, and that their feet will develop properly with or without orthopaedically correct (read: expensive) shoes. thousands of years of evolution has given us feet designed to walk without the supportive insoles that we have come to love in our modern world. as adults, we don't use our feet as evolutionarily intended, and orthopaedically supportive shoes help us, but most kids do what kids did long ago, and their feet do what they were designed to do, so no need for specially supportive shoes.

Not sure if I agree with you here!

I did have a pair of canvas shoes and when he wears them his feet always hurt later in the day or wakes up at night because they hurt. Because of this I feel he needs some support! At home he is barefoot or wearing Robeez so that is not the problem, but I am worried about his arch!
 

southpawboston

New member
Not sure if I agree with you here!

I did have a pair of canvas shoes and when he wears them his feet always hurt later in the day or wakes up at night because they hurt. Because of this I feel he needs some support! At home he is barefoot or wearing Robeez so that is not the problem, but I am worried about his arch!

we might be talking about two different things-- support versus fit. i was referring to correct arch support when i said orthopaedically correct, i should have clarified that. who knows why the canvas shoes were hurting your DS's feet? it could have been (and probably was) something other than proper support, because you stated that the robeez were fine... robeez have ZERO support, but are soft, supple, and conforming (we had robeez and bobux for our infants). so chances are his pain was not from lack of support, but from some aspect of poor fit perhaps? also, being barefoot is, by definition, being without support. this reinforces the idea that children's feet don't need support. but a good fitting and flexible shoe is important to prevent pinching and circulation problems.
 

Victorious4

Senior Community Member
Here's what I learned from my father & brother (past president of the American Academy of Orthotists & Prosthetists and head of the O&P department of a University Hospital, respectively):

Infants should be barefoot as much as possible. Gowns & blankets are all that's needed for warmth, socks if the weather is especially bad. Toddlers should have soft soled moccasin type slippers so the feet and walking can develop naturally and properly. Shoes are an aesthetic thing for the adult's pleasure but to the detriment of toddlers. Tweens (between toddler and preschooler) should have very flexible soles yet sturdy enough for the increased activity. Arches are only necessary is the child has already evidenced a medical need for them.

There are a lot of affordable slippers, but a lot of expensive ones as well. Likewise, there are a lot of affordable flexible soled shoes as well as many expensive ones.

I used Robeez with Leila until she grew out of their largest size last summer -- she wore them everywhere once she started walking, but in the end she only used them at the beach & lake & in nusery school. They offered more traction than the traditional fabric slippers that her classmates wore indoors (they had a school policy of slippers indoors, boots/sneakers outdoors). She started using Striderite shoes in public outings once I couldn't carry her in the sling anymore, but I merely carried them with us & she continued to wear the Robeez unless the ground called for more protection.

I found my Robeez at a local Attachment Parenting thrift shop, though for less than buying direct & I know there are other less expensive options that are so very similar, I just don't know what they are :eek:

I'm not sure if any of this was any help since I didn't actually point you in any direction of what to buy, LOL, but I guess I'm feeling chatty :p GOOD LUCK
 

stayinhomewithmy6

Senior Community Member
We also use Stride Rite shoes. I love them because they have great support and flexible soles and the kids love them because they have such cool designs (and some have lights!) My DD has very skinny feet, so we get the narrow/slim Stride Rites for her feet. It is very hard to find narrow shoes for kids, so I'm SO glad Stride Rite makes some.
 

southpawboston

New member
Infants should be barefoot as much as possible. Gowns & blankets are all that's needed for warmth, socks if the weather is especially bad. Toddlers should have soft soled moccasin type slippers so the feet and walking can develop naturally and properly. Shoes are an aesthetic thing for the adult's pleasure but to the detriment of toddlers. Tweens (between toddler and preschooler) should have very flexible soles yet sturdy enough for the increased activity. Arches are only necessary is the child has already evidenced a medical need for them.

holy cow, we actually agree completely on something! ;) :D
thumbsup.gif
 

LEAW

New member
LOVE the soft shoes (Robeez, Jack&Lily, etc...) but my dd tears right through them.

Pedoodles, well, they didn't fit her right (and she has narrow feet).. they were always too tight.

Preschoolians LOVE LOVE LOVE preschoolains, because you can do N-M-W inserts on them. Check on ebay for some- the manufacturer sells the last season off for $15 a pair + shipping... they sell under "preschoolians-barefoot is best" or a very similar name. Not the current model, but still very nice shoes.
Size 24 = an 8
25 = 8.75

We also buy NIB stride rites on ebay after having dd sized at the store. $15 a pair is much easier than $45 when they need new shoes every 3-4 months.

Of all the choices of soled shoes, the preschoolians are the most flexible, and the SR the least, though they are still pretty soft compared to anything you see at Target on the rack.
 

AdventureMom

Senior Community Member
I agree with the barefoot thing... But for outside, Nolan is on his third pair of Merrells. They sell the slip-on kind at more places than the velcro ones, but we get the ones with the velcro straps b/c he has a high arch. We love these shoes! The soles very flexible, there's a removable insert with arch support, and they're wide so there's plenty of room in there. Hope this helps you :)
 

arly1983

New member
For DS, who has a EEE foot, we only use Robeez, Pedoodles, and Stride Rite when outside. I love all of these shoes, but then they are the only ones we could get on his feet ( literally, get to go on his feet) He is currantly in a size 8.5 EEE (Stride Rite), Robeez Size 2-3 years. Oh, and love the little sheepskin inserts for Robeez, great for cold weather.
 

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