Learning to Walk - Islip,NY

Socks with grips on the bottom if you have a lot of hard woods at home otherwise barefoot! When out and about anything with a very soft flexible sole. At home barefoot is the best.

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My ped told me no shoes. Babies will learn to walk quicker in bare feet. But if you have to put shoes on to go outside, very flexable shoes. You should be able to bend the shoe in half. If the shoe is too rigid to bend in half, then that is a bad shoe for a baby learning to walk.

Hope this helped!

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No shoes at all! Their foot develops properly this way. Soft shoes if needed for outside protection.

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Barefoot is best! Or socks with grippy bottoms.

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I left my kids barefoot, or grippy socks inside & if we were out & about, then I used these little moccasin looking shoes sold at Target. They literally are leather that cover the feet, but they bend & twist a lot. both my kids were walking around 8-9 months old & these weren't heavy or bulky & if they fell the shoe wouldn't hurt them or others in playgroups. They just slipped on.

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None.

At least not according to our pediatrician. He's very anti "you have to have the proper foot formation" with Stride Rite (though I admit we have purchased several pairs of shoes there).

He has 3 boys all under the age of 5, and his advice was Robeez or something similar. Basically, anything that provides environmental protection (especially outdoors).

Once our kids were walking, they were in crocs (both learned to walk going into the spring/summer months), robeez, pedipeds, etc. Children's place had great water shoes with rubber soles that our son lived in that summer. We've had good luck with some of the shoes at Kohl's this summer too.

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barefoot is great. so are the leather slip on shoes with the strong elastic around the ankle so they don't come off.

Robeez definitely after bare feet. However, I'm surprised no one mentioned Clarks at the store. I love their customer service and the store isn't crazy like some other shoe stores for kids. They measure your child's foot and help you make sure the shoes you do use are fitting correctly. We were using shoes that were too small for her and didn't know it. Of course bare feet is best, but when you're out, it's good to have protective shoes. I went to the store at the Westchester Mall in White Plains, but there must be others. Very knowledgeable staff too and you won't be disappointed with their shoes.

Target and other baby stores have shoes similar to Robeez for a much lower price and sometimes Robeez will have a sale. They aren't great in mud or rough terrain though.

Barefoot is absolutely best, but my son was learning to walk during the cold winter months, and if he was barefoot his feet froze. He needed something. We have hardwood floors, so he slipped all the time in socks and soon was refusing to try to walk at all. So a friend of mine surprised me with a pair of blue Croc shoes– baby sized! They were amazing! He learned how to walk so quickly after that, they didn't constrict his feet, and he was always excited to wear them.

Dear D., I would get good leather shoes with a high top! that is what I had for my 5. Grandma Mary

Pedipeds are the best shoes, but even better is barefoot so the can get the feel of the floor.

Barefeet. However it shoes are needed, I always went to a Stride Rite
store. I believe in good shoes for children.

Bare feet are the best thing for learning to walk. If you feel you must put socks on them for whatever reason, get the kind with the grippy stuff on the bottom.

no shoes at all whenever possible.

Go to your local craft store. In our local area, there is one, and they make cloth shoes with textured bottoms for grip that are perfect. You want shoes to be as flexible as possible for kids learning to walk (the idea that kids need sturdy, ankle-supporting shoes has been disproven).

Chiming in on the barefoot or grippy socks. NO shoes is best.

If yo want to take your child outside and need something on his/her feet other than socks, try Robeez. They are a soft,leather that's as close to barefoot as you can get. The bottoms are flexible, which is important to early walkers. I wouldn't be able to take my 1 year old to the barn in Robeez, but if you are just walking around outside in the grass or at a park with pea rock, the Robeez should be fine. (and darn cute!!!)

I agree with Beth nothings better than bare feet for learning how to take your first steps.

none, bare feet are best for learning to walk.

high tops if possible. this way they support the ankles as well as the foot

Bare feet or socks with rubber soles. Shoes are not appropriate unless they are outside and need protection for their feet.