Soft Sole Shoes

I had no idea you needes special shoes. I've just been buying the walking shoes from Baby Gap! Thanks for posting this question.

The children's place is now carrying more shoes for kids. I just got my daughter some soft sole pink shoes. They have a bit of rubber grip on the bottom. I think hers were considered infant shoes, not sure how high the size goes.
I've always read that barefoot is best unless you're taking them outside or on a surface their foot needs protected from. It's suppose to help them with their balance, etc. going barefoot.
Target also has robeez or a knock off type in the infant aisle.

pediatric podiatrists say to stay in soft soled shoes for as longs as possible..at least age 2. DD's 2 1/2 and I still have her in very flexible shoes (Play n Wash, See Kai Run). I think Stride Rite is too stiff. A great site for only soft soled shoes is www.foosies.com (they're in arlington heights). There's a lot of information from the experts there on why soft soles. I think for outside at 1 and 1 1/2 (when it was summer for us) we used Bical (water shoes, but great for the park) and IsaBooties (as soft as Robeez, but impenetrable soles w/ material that rescue dogs wear) . Also See Kai Run - excellent shoe for the park and everyday at age 1 and on.

I love preschoolian shoes or robeez. On the preschoolian the sole has a clear part and you can see when you need to swap to a larger size. Pluse they are so soft for the baby that it's like walking like barefeet. I had two kids with either preschoolian or robeez and they both loved them. They also don't come off like most other shoes. Both of my kids were able to were them all day with no problems.

Good luck.

You'r probably right. I'm not a shoe expert but personally I don't like shoes with really hard soles either. Nobody's perfect and we all do the best we can, I think of it like this, if I wouldn't be comfortable in it my daughter probably wouldn't be either. Walking shoes are usually a hard shoe and sometimes some shoes are harder than others. The manufactor usually has reasons for child development that explain it, but not everyone including doctors and other people will always agree. So stick with you'r judgement. If it's to hard find a shoe that's supportive with good grip at the bottom, and make sure they are comfortable and fit good. My daughter has wide feet so I usually by her wide shoes, I always try them on her to be sure. Good Luck. God Bless. L.. Merrillville, IN.

Your feelings about those harder soles are correct - not too good at that age. One year old seems a little young to invest in shoes that you have mentioned. I recommend sticking with Robeez until your little Angel is closer to 18 months. Their little feet grow so fast and our pediatrician was a big fan of either barefoot or a soft shoe like Robeez.

We had Stride Rite stage 2 for our son when he first started walking and were very pleased with them. He only wore them outside and in public (was barefoot most of the day). But I thought the Stage 3 seemed a little stiff for all-day use. If he's going to be wearing the shoes most of the day (ie in daycare etc) I would probably go with the Pedi Peds (that's what we ended up with, for those reasons). They seem to be pretty sturdy but soft. The only thing I don't like about them is that they seem a little slippery. I don't know Preschoolian shoes so can't comment.

I think Stride-Rite will definately help you with your decision. They were very helpful in finding a pair for my daughter when she was that age. They ask you appropriate questions and then from the answers, suggest the appropriate type of shoes.
We used Robeez when my little one was 1 years old - they're great. Stride-Rite, Nordstrom's, and many other shoe stores carry them. They're popular for a good reason!

stride rite generally are better later on cause they are solid great shoes for walking tumbling, etc. I would wait on those another 5-6 months. Pedi-peds are also not that soft. If you are looking for genuinely soft you're better with a bobux or that other brand (I can't think of it off hand) They have them online or at nordstrom's and they are truly soft soled. I had my daughter in them and they worked great. For the winter I had her in these booty socks/shoes from hanna anderson which are also great for indoors, not an outdoor shoe really though, especially for the winter.

Like a lot pf people mentioned, I like Stride Rite for out door/public use. As far as soft sole shoes goes I tried Robeez and Pedi Peds. Never got around to ordering the cute Preschoolian shoes.

Pedi Peds has more cushion than Robeez, but I think my little one would slip more on hardwood floors with Pedi Peds.

This may seem really basic, but see what shoe fits your child. I would buy the size correct for my child (not based on age like Robeeze suggests but on actual size of the foot), but it was often too big and I had to wait before we wore that particular shoe. As a result, I often would use whatever soft shoe brand fit my child at that time. When my little one's foot grew she would often fit into the other soft sole shoe we had on hand. I hope that makes some sense.

I LOVED the Pedi Peds. They were tho only shoes that didnt leave uncomfortable looking marks on my childs feet. Stride Rite as well as Robeez were the worst. Good luck.

I always put my son in Robeez or Robeez-knock offs that you can buy on Ebay. They are completely soft leather bottoms and seem the closest to bare feet to me with the added protection that they need.

Target sells a soft sole shoe like robeez, but way cheaper.

Hi E.,

I'm the Owner of Sole Babies Children's Shoe Boutique (www.solebabiesboutique.com) located at 2033 W. Division. I would highly recommend Pedipeds. Pedipeds were recently endorsed by the American Podiatric Medical Association for proper foot growth. They are suitable for indoors and outdoors because they have a layer of cushioning between the inner and outer soles. They have soft upper leather and a wide toe box. They are non toxic and wipe clean with just soap and water. My store specializes in fitting infants and toddlers. Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Also, for all the moms out there that responded I wanted to mention we carry See Kai Run as well and will soon be carrying Bical Grippers. These are all fabulous shoes for prewalkers and first walkers and they are very stylish :)

T.

You should take your son to the Stride Rite and tell them your concerns......we loved them and give them as gifts often to the little ones in our lives. It sounds like your son should be in stage 2 shoes, not 3.

I buy preschoolians and pedoodles for my daughter. I LOVE preschoolians!!! She walks like Frankenstein with a too stiff shoe. The Robeez are great, but I don't like them for outside, they don't protect her feet against rocks and things. I buy all her shoes on ebay, because she outgrows them so fast, I can't afford good new shoes. But apparently all kids grow that fast, because all the used shoes I've got on ebay have all been barely worn. Hope that helps.

I used to love Pedipeds, until I came across Riley Roos. They are the best I've found- you can buy them here:
http://store.urbanbabyrunway.com/blacksportie.html

I never had good luck with Stride Rite shoes- the three pairs I bought fell apart quickly and didn't even look good after a little wear. I bought Robeez slippers for my kids (www.robeez.com- they also sell them at Stride Rite). They seemed to be comfy and kept their feet warm and protected. You can also find cheaper versions at Target, Payless, Wal-mart that seem to be just as good. I always threw them in the washer too, which was convenient.

I LOVE the PediPeds...I started my son off with a pair of stride rite shoes and he wore them only a few times, the soles were much too hard when he switched from walking to crawling and they just ended up falling off. I got a pair of PediPeds and I absolutely love them for him and they are perfect for walking, crawling and they look so cute. They are also only $30, a bit cheaper than Stride Rite shoes.