Baby Shoes

Unless she has some sort of diagnosed muscle or joint weakness in her legs/ankles/feet there is no reason for her to have to wear shoes unless she is out and about walking. CHildren do NOT need "support" for their feet at this age - quite the contrary, children learn to walk sooner and better in bare feet. It allows them to grip the floor with their toes, feel the terrain beneath them. According to the American Podiatric Medical Association, "Allowing the youngster to go barefoot or to wear just socks helps the foot to grow normally and to develop its musculature and strength as well as the grasping action of the toes." Doctors also recommend that children first learning to walk go barefoot or wear soft flexible shoes. Walking around barefoot is not always practical, as little feet need protection from rough surfaces and dirty floors. Soft-soled shoes provide the health benefits of being barefoot, with the added protection of a padded sole.

I lifted the above quote from a shoe website called "pediped" (pediped.com) - when it is not possible to let your baby go barefoot, I would invest in a pair or two of pedipeds - my baby lived in them! Keep her barefoot at any other time she doesnt need to wear shoes - its normal and healthy!

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She doesn't need shoes, however for going outside get her a nice pair of soft soled shoes like robeez. They are comfortable, stylish, and won't hinder her ability to walk. I used robeez or similar until my son was 2. They worked great! Craigslist, ebay, or Babies R Us is where I got them.

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H.,

Get her some Pedipeds. They are wonderful soft soled shoes that will be much more comfortable for your daughter. She doesn't need too much support at this age. Good luck to you!

M.

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Your baby can go without shoes at this age, as walking without them will strengthen her feet as she walks. Shoes are for later, or outside walking when she needs protection. Only soft, very flexible foot coverings are appropriate now. Her feet will be stronger going with hard soled shoes.

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My son did the same thing! I let him go bare foot (forever!) but when he was 18 months old and winter was coming I decided it would be good for him to get used to wearing shoes. When we put them on his feet he would just sit there or he would crawl and not walk. It just takes some getting used to. I would let your daughter go bare foot through the summer and maybe in the fall try again for the coming winter. But going bare foot isn't going to hurt (I love it too!) and since she'll be wearing shoes the rest of her life let her go without for one last summer! When you do try the shoes though, just know that she will get used to them.

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I agree with all the responses, you don't need shoes, unless she will be walking outside or in dirty places. i just wanted to chime in and suggest stride rite, for shoes. A lot of kids at this age have different width sizes, and stride rite has narrow, and up to double wide shoes. They measure your childs foot and tell you the best shoe size. They also have different stages, with different amount sof flexibility in the soles. Sorry to sound like an ad, but they are great shoes! They are a little pricy, but if you are near the outlets in Gilroy they are much cheaper :-)

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When my children were little the pediatrician told me that bare feet are best unless the are outside and then they need soft soled shoes that allow their feet to move. You can go to a children's shoe store and they will direct you to a shoe that is good for her for outside, otherwise let her go barefoot everywhere else.

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soft leather soles for sure...robeez, seekairun, pedipeds...there are lots of options. now that it is getting so warm she really doesn't need to wear shoes. i haven't put shoes on my son for almost a month and if i do they are robeez...good luck.

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I'm assuming by support you mean shoes with firm soles? She doesn't need that at all. The soft leather shoes are great. they are like going barefoot but give her little feet some protection. Little feet don't need to be confined to regular types of shoes. Barefoot is good, let's her feet form how they should. If she needs protection from the ground like at the park or sidewalk, try the soft leather shoes.

Good luck.

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H.,
My daughter just started walking too, I thought about getting her those high top white shoes, but since she isn't walking outdoors yet, I decided to keep her in soft soled shoes, like roobeez, so she can use her toes to grip the floor for support.

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Let her go barefoot. She doesn't need support at this point.

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The only reason to wear shoes is to protect the feet from what's on the ground, so kick off those shoes and let her run wild!!

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Did the doctor tell you to get shoes because she has an issue? Otherwise, I don't think babies need shoes (except outside to protect their feet). Maybe mocassins or something soft and comfortable, but support? No. Unless it was the doctor's advice for a specific reason, I'd take off the shoes. Take care, C.

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