Recommendations for Baby's First Pair of Shoes?

I never really liked the Stride Rite because they still seemed a little stiff and klunky for new walkers. I LOVE preschoolians shoes. Check out their web site preschoolians.com My 2 year old daughter still wears them. I also recommend pedoodles brand--just one baby step up in support from the robeez. Either way, I recomend getting them on ebay--lots of barely used stuff at a fraction of the price, and better quality

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I really like Pedipeds.

Here is the website - http://www.pediped.com/Home/Home.aspx

They sell them at the Red Ballon on Clark St. in Andersonville.

We love preschoolians as well. My twinkies are 16 months and they had their summer sandals from here, there inbetween and I just ordered some winter shoes. You can send away for their free measuring device to ensure a great fit. Highly recommend.

I really had a great buying experience for my two kids at Nordstrom's. They have a variety of higher end shoes, but the people who work there are qualified to help children (of any age, especially new wearers) and this made the experience great. Apparently the people who work in shoes must take classes in how to measure children's feet, etc. They are knowledgeable and I was happy to have their recommendations for 1st shoes....they really knew. There is a coloring table there is you have other children with you and Nordstrom's gives the child a balloon also. Don't forget to take your camera!

If your baby is beginning to walk then I would recommend moving away from Robeez to something with a little bit more of a sole. Pediped would be a good choice as they have a layer of cushioning between the inner and outer sole and protect the feet better than Robeez. They also have a velcro closure instead of elastic so you don't have to worry about cutting off your son's circulation. Another great choice would be Rileyroos. Rileyroos are still soft sole shoes but have three sections of rubber on the sole to make them better suited for outdoors. The rubber also curls up over the toes to help baby make the transition from crawling to walking. And they are very stylish:) Finally, once your son has been walking for awhile I would recommend something like See Kai Run, which actually has rubber soles but they are very flexible. This is a great first walker shoe. I carry all three of these brands at my children's shoe store, Sole Babies, and would love to help you find the perfect first pair of shoes for your son. You can visit me on the web at www.solebabiesboutique.com for more information.

Thanks,
T.

I believe there is a difference between Stride Rite shoes and other shoes you get at stores. You can just feel the difference in the soles. I like Stride Rite shoes, and I make my kids wear them until they are out of their Toddler Tech sizes.

Another vote for Pedipeds (on our third pair) and we just bought our first pair of Preschoolians (www.preschoolians.com). Love them both!

Our favorites are See Kai Run!! They are awesome! Buttery soft leather with light weight, flexible soles.
Also, Robeez now has the Tredz (sp?) line which are more for walkers. I prefer the SKR brand because they are much softer.

You should look into pediped shoes at pediped.com You'll find a great photo gallery and testimonial section; I think they are wonderful shoes, similar to Robeez but without the elastic which I didn't like either. They are now sold at Nordstrom and Von Maur which is nice so you can try them on your baby.

If your son isn't really walking yet, make sure you only buy soft soled shoes (maybe a larger pair of Robeez or Pediped). You should only get him real shoes about a month after he's been walking well. Also, if your home is warm enough, try and keep him barefoot while inside -- that's the best for his feet's development.

I took my kids to Fred Tenyas...

Stride rite.. they will messaure your babies feet and get them in the right size and width. The width is where many people go wrong. Not all shoes are the same. For instance Nike's are a 1/2 size to a full size diffrent then most shoes on the market. Kswiss are one of the better shoes to buy honestly. For my first walking shoe I would go to stride rite and get the walker shoe and be sure to have them fitted to your baby. Hope this helps!

My daughter is 11 months and we just got her 1st pair of shoes at Stride Rite. They fit her very comfortably and she does really well with them. They were a little pricy for my blood but I have read that it's really important they have proper shoes for growing feet (and grandma and grandpa paid, thank God!) Good Luck!!!

As you can see there are lots of great shoes for new walkers:) Your best bet is to find a good childrens shoe store(doesn't have to be Stride Rite....there are some wonderful indpendent stores that carry a variety of brands. We go to Gotskinds in Naperville...I'm not sure where you are located). It is important to get their foot measure correctly. I personally had a bad experience at Nordstrom where she measured my son's foot and told me it was a size smaller than he was currently wearing(he had previously been measured at a children's shoe store).

My pediatrician told me there is no difference in Stride Rite shoes or the shoes you buy at Target but my kids were a wide and double wide when they first started walking so we had to buy Stride Rite. Just be sure to get him measured correctly!

Stride Rite is the best of course. Target actually makes shoes called Baby Wise (if I remember correctly) that are by the makers of Stride Rite. They are a cheaper version, but still have the great features of Stride Rite like flexibility with support and the weighted heel. They are like $15 instead of $43. We used them for our boys for their first shoes.

I swear buy See Kai Run shoes as well as the Pediped. I also LOVE the customer service that I have received from happyhealthbaby.com. I do believe that Nordstroms has both brands too. I would stay away from Stride Rite. My son had the same problems with the Robeez and every Stride rite shoe did the same thing. The sales people told me not to worry about the marks, but I would never wear shoes that left marks on my feet why would I do that to my son. For a soft like robeez shoe that worked for my son was Bobux. Good luck!!!

go to stride right. the shoes are soft and they will measure your childs foot properly..

Hi DL. We found Buskins by accident and loved them. Our daughter wore them until she turned 2. (there are boy designs; look past the first few)

http://www.littlebabyshoes.com/buskins.html

good luck!

It's important that until your toddler has really mastered walking, you stick to non-stiff soled shoes. If Robeez are too tight, I like the cheaper brands from Target and Babies R Us. Also, socks that are sticky on the bottom are just as good. If you don't hvae grippy socks, you can just buy some fabric paint (puffy paint type) and draw or write on the bottom of the socks. They need their toes to walk and can't use them in stiff-soled shoes.
Good Luck!