Must Toddler Shoes Be StrideRite?

that's just silly. My 3 year old has never worn a pair of Stride Rite shoes in his life. He has no problems and most people have a hard time keeping up with him.

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Well, I purchased StrideRite shoes for all four of my boys in their early walking stages. I think it's worth the buy if you can do it.

In this day and age, it seems that not many new moms are using these shoes for their toddlers.

If the price is a challenge, I suggest purchasing some basic high top tennis shoes for your toddler. That should work just great.

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No, but as a former children's shoe salesperson, proper fit and support is important for a child's growing foot... which actually is not done growing until about age 21. Reebok, New Balance, Nike, Keds, Buster Brown are all good shoes. My children wore Jumping Jacks, Stride Rite and Keds when they were younger. Three of my children had to wear prescription shoes and/or orthotics. Feet are important. Listen to your child when they complain about a shoe that is too tight or slips at the heel. Look for red marks on their feet after they have worn a shoe. Those are places where the shoe rubs or it too tight. I also sold Adult shoes for several years and saw the foot problems and defects caused by wearing a life time of ill fitting shoes.

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Robeez are great, both my kids wore theirs out at that age.

Be careful about 2nd hand shoes. A podiatrist told me that because shoes mold to your feet if you buy shoes from someone with a foot problem the shoe would fit you wrong and could actually cause the same foot problem for you - and that this was especially true with kids shoes.

I've always bought my kids payless or Target shoes and we've never had a problem.

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My daughter has wide feet, and I have found that Payless shoes marked Wide fit her well. Go when they have their BOGO sales. Target shoes seem to be more narrow.
Also, Kohls sells a brand called Munchkin that is made by Stride Rite. I found a pair there using all my discounts for under 20.00. I won't send more than that on a pair of shoes my kid isn't going to wear for more than six months.

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I would say that the Stride Rite people are just trying to ensure business for them by telling you that :) No, you don't have to buy your son Stride Rite. I can't think of any brand names, but as long as the shoes are flexible and the soles aren't too hard, you should be fine! However, if you absolutely want to buy Stride Rite and you're on a budget- try Ross or the Stride Rite outlet stores. I know that the Ross near me always has Stride Rites for $15 or so.

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My son had really wide feet as a baby and when he started walking I bought his first little walking shoes at Sears and Shoe Dept. We don't have a Stride Rite near us to I didn't h ave to worry about that. After he got the balance down I just put him in regular sneakers from Ross or Payless or Wally. Just make sure they are well constructed and I would stay with the higher topped traditional "walking shoes" for the first go round. He'll out grow them so fast though, don't spend too much money on it!

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I think he was just doing his sales man thing there...

But, I do hear for children like my daughter who has WIDE Big feet that they are the best.

My 23 month old is about to move into a size 9 shoe!!! She has very wide feet that i have to buy "Mary Jane" type of shoes to fit her. The top of her foot is so high I cant even fit flip flops on her feet.

We buy Walmart/Targe/Gymboree shoes and never bought Stride Rite shoes...but we may have to try them out soon if her feet keep getting bigger!!!!

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My son wore his Robeez forever. Barefoot is good when they're learning to walk and Robeez are second best. My personal philosophy is that it's good to skimp on clothing and buy second hand, etc, but since my son has a wide foot we have stuck with better shoes for him. I hear Target carries some Stride Rite shoes and you can often find them at Marshalls, etc. Granted, he only has one pair at a time usually, but they do hold up well. We don't always (actually rarely) buy Stride Rite brand, but other brands they carry there (or at Nordstrom's). Wide feet can be more expensive and hard to shop for. :)

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Walmart and Payless make toddler shoes with the arch support that children need for a lot less that StrideRite. Saying that, I bought StrideRite for my children BECAUSE my mother bought StrideRite for me and swore by them. Sigh...

BUT, I did it different than my mom. I went on eBay and picked like new shoes for $10 - $20, instead of paying $40+ at the StrideRite dealer.

Do I think StrideRite is a better shoe... yes. Will I pay those prices.... no. Second hand is just fine because almost all the time, the shoes show little to no wear.

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We use Stride-Rite (new and used) and have never had a problem with them. I don't think they are a necessity. If you have wide feet, it does limit where you can buy your shoes, as not all shoe stores carry wide sizes for kids.

FYI, New Balance also carries kids shoes and in wide sizes. My child has a wide foot, so I'm always on the look out for other places than Stride Rite that have wide shoes. New Balance has plain tennis shoes for kids, nothing fancy with lights or firetrucks, etc......

I usually get our Stride Rites on sale or at a consignment store. If you subscribe to Stride Rites emails they will tell you when the sales come up.

There's suppose to be a Stride Rite outlet somewhere, however I don't think it is around in this area. I could be wrong. My family (in-laws) told me about that and they are in the Houston area.

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Absolutely not. In fact I have a friend whose daughter was seeing a professional therapist about a walking problem, and she was told that Stride Rites are generally no better than any other brand including Payless or Target shoes! Just look for something that seems strong with good arch support. Also, I have heard (and experienced myself) that some Stride Rite stores are more likely to say you need a Wide or even X-Wide shoe so that you buy from them rather than elsewhere. I have also visited a couple of different stores and they measured my son at different sizes! I am sure some of their stores are great with good employees who really care, but don't be fooled by great marketing. They are just a shoe store!

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I am thinking that you are being played by the salesman at stride rite.
i never used stride rite and wouldn't even know where to purchase them. i have 3 sons and none are warped from wearing shoes from wal-mart or pay-less.
the brand may be better. and have many good points. but a necessity??? doubtful.
as long as he has a good shoe, he will be fine. the purpose is to support the soft bones of the ankles and the weak muscles down there until they are strong enough to do the jobs themselves. the shoes just offer support. any shoe can do that.
i think that in the old days most kids went barefooted and there is not a whole generation of people with foot problems, so i think the salesperson sees an easy target. a new momma who wants to do everything right, and has played on your insecurities about being a new momma and not always sure of yourself or not knowing what is "best"
i wouldn't even go back to the store because it re-inforces the sales tactic that you don't know any better and a stanger knows more about your son than they do and plays on your feelings and insecurities to make a sale.
Pashaw!!!!!
All my sons, all 3, walked at 9 months. we left them barefooted most of the time around the house. my middle son was so chunky he had bow legs. the bones were so soft and he was so heavy they bowed. He outgrew that as his bones and muscles got stronger and all without stride-rite or any orthopedic intervention.
so take heart that all will be fine. shoes will not break or make anything at this point. and that no developmental milestone will be missed.
you sound very observant of your son and his needs. if there are any problems i am sure you will be able to identify them and take action accordingly.
good luck.
L.

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Absolutely NO!! Actually, the best thing for your son right now is to walk barefoot whenever possible. My doctor told me not to waste my money on the expensive shoes, that there are no advantages to wearing them.

That being said, I have had to buy most of my sons' shoes at Stride Rite just because they both have wide feet. My older son has always been an extra wide. The only shoes I could buy him that were not Stride Rite are sandles that are adjustable over the top of the foot. Also, he just recently started wearing Crocs, which also fit him but are obviously not a replacement for sneakers. My younger son is just a wide, which is a little easier to accomodate. I can occasionaly find sneakers or dress shoes that fit him if they run a bit wide. Payless sells wide shoes also (they were never wide enough for my older son).

If you want to get Stride Rite, check out their outlet at the Allen outlet mall. You can definitely save some big bucks going that route and the best part is that they are trained to check the fit of your shoe there too!!

Good luck!!

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I love Robeez. Look at robeez.com and check them out. The soft soles are just like walking barefoot, plus you don't get kicked all the time with hard soles.

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J.,
I agree the answer is absolutely no. I have three kids and not one of their feet ever touch a Stride Rite shoe and all three are perfectly normal. Makes you wonder what people did for centuries before Stride Rite was invented so they could have a better chance of walking "more normal". The other mom was right in that the salespeople were playing on your desire to do everything just right for your child. Remember, with the economy like it is, only the minority can afford to provide those kind of expensive shoes for their kids but the majority walk just as well as soon without them. Payless has adorable toddler shoes, and at $17.99 a pair I just paid for my two year old twin's tennis shoes the other day, I don't consider that "cheap".

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