Toddler Shoes

i have a 13 month old who likes to be barefoot too. we had pretty good luck at a place called Tippy Toes. We went in and kept trying them on until we found ones she left on. We ended up with stride rite sandals, tskuihoshi gym shoes, and a pair of keds mary janes. the store had toys and kids tables and chairs, so she was content enough there while i found the shoes and stuck them on her. she'd still rather be barefoot, but we don't get fights over these shoes. someone gave her crocs, which she stopped arguing about, but they never stay on. i don't like robeez for outside - they offer little protection when it comes to stepping on things.

www.tippytoesonline.com for locations/selection

I swear by See Kai Run shoes. I don't know what I'll do when he grows out of them. You can get them from happyhealthybaby.com ( THE CUSTOMER SERVICE ON THIS SITE IS AWESOME) and I have heard that Nordstroms will carry them as well. Check them out I bet you will love them too. GOOD LUCK

I agree that Robeez or Preschoolians are great shoes. Good luck!

The best thing to barefoot is Preschoolians shoes. www.preschoolians.com

They are expensive but worth the money. My daughter loved them.

Good Luck finding shoes that your daughter likes.

She'll probably like Robeez if she doesn't like anything on her feet because she will still be able to feel the ground in them.

Hi...just a bit of advice from me...my daughter went through the same stage. I went to the store and bought her three different pair of shoes, a pair of velcro gym shoes, a pair of slip on shiny silver shoes and a pair of flip flops. I also bought them a little big and put them all out for her. She started to play with them and now i cant get her to take ANY shoes off. I bought them big because she likes to wear my shoes and her big sister's shoes so she might think that they belong to someone else! Hope you succeed with whatever you try!!

stride rite too love them gives real support

When my son was about that age he wore Robeez through the winter when we were mostly inside. When the weather got warmer, and we started spending more time outside though, they didn't work for us anymore. The soles literally started wearing through. That is when we switched to Pedipeds, which are awesome! They are soft-soled like Robeez, but offer a little more protection for outside wear. You can buy them at Von Maur, or online at pedipeds.com, I believe. Maybe Zappos.com too. After pedipeds, we switched to See Kai Run shoes, which are also softer, but the sole is a little thicker for more rainy/snowy weather. My son is 22 months now, and still occasionally wears his See Kai Run shoes.

Like many others, I recommend Robeez. My 20-month-old still wears them since he has extra wide feet and also doesn't like to wear shoes. One responder felt they didn't offer enough protection, and this is a concern, but we haven't had any problem with them. They are doctor recommended and help your child to walk/run naturally.

I think Stride Rite shoes are great. My son is 17 months now, and he's had 3 pairs of Stride Rite's.

Stride Rite- they make wonderful shoes for babies called "Baby Stages". They offer more flexible soles, comfort, etc. Plus, the salepeople there are generally very knowledgable on baby shoes and issues, they may have some more suggestions. Make sure that you are putting her in the right sized shoe. Kids that age can outgrow shoes in 2-3 months, so make sure you get her sized often (stride rite is happy to size her whenever you want). Another thing that stride rite is great with is determining width. She may have wide or extra wide feet. Stride Rite offers their shoes in Regular, Wide, Extra Wide (and maybe XXW I think). That may be another reason why she doesn't like shoes. Finally, make sure you tie her shoes in double knots, then maybe she can't take them off. Good luck, and keep at it. She has to get used to shoes for her own safety.

You can buy stride right shoes at the store, but I have found on line to be cheaper. I get most of mine from endlessshoes.com. They also have a stride rite outlet store in the Prime Outlets in Pleasant Prarie, WI- just over the border. They are usually about $14.99-26.00, and have a pretty big selection for girls. Baby Stages, and widths are a little more limited there. You may want to call before you go and see if they have any baby stages or special widths.

It might help to take her somewhere like Stride Rite and have her measured and help pick out her new shoes. Make a big fun experience out of it and hopefully she'll embrace wearing them a bit easier. Or you could still get away with her wearing Robeez soft shoes which will give her a level of protection but aren't so constricting.

Good luck!

You might want to look at www.robeez.com. My son doesn't like shoes but he will wear these. There is a knock off version at Target (do a search under baby shoes on the Target website), but I would not recommend them for a walker because the construction is not as quality. Hope this helps.

Hi A.,
I had really good luck with Robeez shoes. I order them online at www.robeez.com or find them at Nordstrom, Vonmaur and I think Stride Rite carries them. They are $26.00 and you can also find ones like them in the baby aisle at Target for about $12.00. My daughter hated wearing shoes and pulled them off all the time but kept these on and LOVED them. They have a lot of colors and designs for boys and girls.

Good Luck,
K. :~)

Robeez!
I also agree that the Target version are not as good, although I did find a few pairs on the clearance shelf for $3 when my daughter was about 3 months. Now that she is moving around I will only get her the real Robeez.
Have you tried the Stride Rite shoes? They are a bit easier to get off, but the stage 1 are soft soled and seem comfortable.
The nice thing about Robeez is that if they get really muddy at the park you can put them in the wash, and air dry them, and they come out good as new :)