Kids Shoes - Question About Shoe Brands

You want to hear something funny?! I have ALWAYS bought all of my children Stride Rite brand shoes... Our youngest is 5 and now see's a PT, orthopaedic doc and a guy from "Sure Step" because he is a toe walker. I have just recently found out after asking all of these specialized people what they recommend and they don't recommend Stride Rites! I was so surprised! My mom and mother-in-law have always said that Stride Rites were the way to go, but apparently it is NOT necessary! I am still in shock!

They suggested looking at the shoe and checking for a sturdy shoe with good arch support (we found that sketchers were good for our 7 year old) and some of the Target brand shoes work GREAT for our little guy! Not only are they sometimes cuter than the Stride Rites but soooo much cheaper! Wish I would've known 10 years ago when we had our first child! ;)

2 moms found this helpful

I'm not sure about brands but all my kids HATED the shoes from Walmart. Anywhere else was fine for them... I shop at Target and Payless and they're fine with those brands. =D

1 mom found this helpful

My girls like the sketchers twinkle toes.. They hold of well.. They grow out of them so quick. I like the sole of the twinkle toes.. Very study non slip.

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We have been buying the brown sketches for our boys for several years now. They love them and they look great with jeans and church pants. I don't know a whole lot about Carter's brand. The sketchers seem to hold up well to as I have passed them from the older boy to my younger one. We don't purchase shoes from Wal-Mart Target etc... unless they are just flip flops. I think they look cheap for the most part and don't seem to hold up very well.

1 mom found this helpful

I like Sketchers- try Nordstrom Rack for some good deals on them!

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I have never purchased carters. Sketchers are good except for their new flashing ones. They self destruct in around a month of good wear.

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i buy sketchers for my kids because they have a good arch and are flexible like they are supposed to be. i also buy Nike, and the Jumping Beans from Kohls. i always check the flexibility and the arch.

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Sketchers are good, but have never purchased Carter's. My boys have always like Nike's, and the "skate" shoes like Tony Hawk, and whatever then name brands are for the skate shoes. They hold up pretty good, but the Nike's are the best. We can't ever find a style they like at Kohl's, though.

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As Jamiee K said below Target and Payless.

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I have had the best luck with nike as they could be worn by my older child and passed down to the younger child. MOst shoes dont survive one kid.

HOwever I do not spend a lot of money on kid shoes .. they wear them for 3 or 4 months. and they are usually ready for the trash.. Target has good shoes that seem to hold up as well as any. Target shoes are usually 10 or 15 dollars.. good deal.

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I buy whatever fits them at Goodwill that they will wear. Really, they grow out of them so fast anyways. Sometimes, they prefer the cheaper shoes over the fancier ones.

1 mom found this helpful

Never felt sketchers for girls held up that well but the boys seem to last better. Actually, that might just be because my daughter would wear them all day at school while my son was only wearing them in preschool 2 hours a day, 3 days a week. At least they grow out of them quickly.

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I've never felt like sketchers held up. Carters we've had good luck with they've held up and my boys are rough on shoes.

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