Baby's First Shoes.

Consider Robbeez (not sure of the spelling). They are soft souled, almost slipper like, and come in a ton of fun colors and designs. They are great because little ones can still "feel" the floor through the bottoms, so it helps when they are learning to walk. My own little one had these little square feet when a baby (we called them little meatloafs) with high arches, and wide feet and these were the only ones that fit.

Good luck!

S.

Go for a soft sole until he is walking or a little beyond. It lets their feet form and they are easier to put on. We've used the target brand of robeez.

Soft soles are a must! They should bend with growing feet. And leave a little room for growth, very important that they're never too tight. Robeez are always my favorite until after age one, then I use robeez indoor and see kai run or stride rite outdoors. Once you know sizes (nordstrom or stride rite) check eBay or craigslist for better deals!

Robeez are good ones. I bought a pair of shoes I and, more importantly, my boy love called Scooter Bees. Super cute and soft, which is the most important when buying shoes for a non-walker. My little guy hated having things on his feet (to the point we stopped bothering to put on socks, which got us some looks and even a comment for my husband), but he loves his new shoes, even sticks his foot out for me to put them on.

The Scooter Bees website is http://www.scooterbees.com. I ordered ours from the Endless website listed in the store locator section, which has free overnight shipping and free return shipping.

I have found that Payless Shoes usually has a good soft shoe for little ones. They are inexpensive and I like that bec they grow so fast. Some of the less expensive convenient dep stores are starting to carry soft shoes also (I have seen them at Target).

We loved Robeez. There are many cheaper versions of Robeez also. I ordered a pair of soft soled shoes from www.minitoes.com and liked them just as much as Robeez. Once my son was walking a lot we got the Robeez Tredz rubber soled shoes and those were great. When my son's feet got too big for those we ordered a pair of shoes from See Kai Run and we like those too.

I like Soft star, Stride rite, or See Kai Run. THe key is soft soled. You can usually find a pretty new pair at the resale shop in SE. Clinton.

Consider that he's not yet walking and will grow out of them in about 2 months. Don't waste your money, unless it's for a special occasion or pictures. If you still decide to buy him shoes, go to payless or target.

good luck!

A brand similar to Robeez that might offer something you don't see all over the place is Bobux. We had a pair of those for our little one and used them from fairly early on, more to keep his socks on than anything else. We also really like the See Kai Run shoes. They have come out with a line of shoes for infants called Smaller. You can put shoes on your baby from day one if you want but they won't really be necessary until he's walking. And even then, I've read you want to let your kid run around barefoot or with socks on as much as possible so your kid's feet can grow properly.

-- How wonderful to be looking for baby's first pair of shoes. What you want will give him the MOST flexibilty so he can work the muscles of his feet and toes - the less rigid the sole the better. So, what you want ( to my knowledge) is sold at Stride Rite stores under the name '''Robbies''' --- I THINK I have that right- the soles are soft leather - and they are really cute--- come in different colors--- find a Stride Rite store near you--

:-)
OH enjoy every second- it's so cool
J.
aka--- Old Mom

Until your son is walking I am with the other moms here on the Robeez - they are the greatest! After that go with Stride Rites - they are the best and come in half sizes and various widths which many baby shoes don't. Enjoy your little one!

I wouldn't think brand is necessarily a factor in buying baby shoes, as long as the shoes are soft soled. Babies don't need hard soled shoes since they don't walk. They need something their feet can breathe and flex in.

Hello! I don't have more advice to add, but I just thought I'd let you know that it's spelled Robeez. That's what I bought for my girl. The ones I got are called "mini-shoes." Anyway, I'm with Judy on the Robeez! :-)

I like pedipeds. flexible sole, soft interior, but no rubber on the bottoms. and cute.

here's another vote for the robeez type shoes. it was a problem to keep on for my friend but she got the one that looked more like a boot and her daughter couldn't figure out how to get those off. if you get the dark ones, be careful what you wash them with as the dye will run.

when you move up into a regular shoe, i recommend the squeaking kind of soft-soled shoes. they are adorable! (only good if you can stand the constant squeaking when they walk tho.) just search for 'toddler squeaking shoe' and you'll get a bunch.

pedi peds are awsome, super soft, recomended by DRs, durable, leather and super cute- they are sort of like robez but look more like a shoe than slipper. Also See Kai Run are great they make a smaller for pre walk and a regular for walkers they are awsome for the little feet- have fun!

There are really two options:

- The leather sock type
- The shoe type

The leather socks (robeeze, etc) are mostly just for protecting their feet from scratches, etc. The biggest thing to consider here is, do you need them? If you're crawling on pavement & woodchips the answer is yes. If you're on grass/carpet/etc., the answer is not really. These work for a lot of kids, but for others you run into the problem of cutting off circulation v being too loose and falling off. So if you're going to get some, make sure you have them tried on in the store, to make sure they'll actually work with your son's feet.

In shoes, go expensive. We love StrideRite, because a) they're designed for toddler feet. Which aren't like ours, they bend and flex in different ways, and StrideRite are engineered to work that way. B) they're wide and come in extra wide (for fat little kid feet... not like adipose, like bone and cartilage structure). http://www.striderite.com/jump.jsp?itemID=0&itemType=...

I would avoid croc's like the plague... they create a super cute floppy-skip-hop kind of gait in little kids, but it's bad for their bone and joint development, and the kids fall a LOT until they figure out that floppy-skip-hop, and then fall more often then kids in shoes that fit or barefoot kids. If you're looking for sandals we've had great luck with Teva, but while I don't like the "look" of saltwater sandals, a lot of parents have good luck with them, since they're built flat. Little kid Teva's are, too.

at this stage robeez or robeez knock off, target etc. and later, see kai run. bare feet of course are great. my daughter grew up in robeez till she was about 1 year or a little older. my son is 6 months and wore robeez since the beginning. i love those shoes. they are much like bare feet for growing and balancing babies. a great choice! the see kai run brand are soft soles, they are wider, so depending on your baby you may need to seek another soft sole brand, target etc. the soft sole shoes are good for babies once they start walking, and you want to protect there feet a bit more. we really used ours in more public situations. good luck, and just remember, once your baby starts walking, soft sole shoes are an important transition before harder sole shoes. take care, C..

Robeez, Pedipeds, and See Kai Run are all worth the money, and actually, I've found all mine either on 1/2 price clearance or Craigslist, so I've never paid retail! So much nicer than Target/Payless lug-soled shoes!

I really liked Robeez for my guys until they were really walking a lot outside. They're a little spendy for baby shoes, but they're comfortable, easy and they come in all kinds of cute colors and styles that you can pick from. http://www.robeez.com/0-12-months-Robeez-baby-shoes/Depar...

I can't really give you a specific brand..I don't think it really matters till they are walking..but when the are an infant you should be able to fold the shoe in half & that will tell you that it's flexible enough. I just bought a really cute pair for my daughter at Target...she's almost 9 months. Make sure you also give him plenty of shoe free time as well..good luck!

M.,

With warmer weather on the way I'd forgo shoes all together and let your little boy go in just socks or barefoot. It's best to let them learn to walk that way, shoes throw off their balance because they can't use their toes for grip.

My son is an October baby and spent the summer after he turned one barefoot. My daughter is a March baby and she'll be barefoot. Granted, she's two now and it's harder keeping shoes on her, she's figured out how to take them off. :)

Hope this helps,
M.

Hi M.
I used Robeez from 6 mos until my daugher was walking. Once she was walking I got her pedipeds they are really soft and easy to put on, and give more support than robeez.
I read a lot of articles that said to buy new shoes once they are walking because shoes form to their feet and used shoes may not fit your baby as well. I just think the first few shoes they have while learning to walk should be new and easy for them to walk in and you to put on. Velcroe is the key ,no shoelaces or you have to tie them all day long:)

Soft sole is what my doc told me, so I bought moccasins...but times have changed ask your doc.

Make sure the soles are very flexible. I really like Payless Shoes...and the prices are great. Either Champion or SmartFit are great brands. The soles are soft and flexible and there are many different styles to choose from. I always go for cheap since they grow out of the shoes so fast.

He does not need shoes although they are cute! He can be in bare feet or socks.

Just wanted to put in my vote for pedipeds! They have more of a sole than robeez but they are still very flexible--and super cute...