Baby Shoes - Clyde,MO

My son LIVED in those little leather sock type shoes until he was two. Unless they're going to be running on gravel or something, that's plenty of protection from the ground, and give them the flexibility to feel the ground and really develop balance.

The other nice thing about those leather shoes is you can be more flexible with the fit so they last longer (if you get hard shoes it's really important that they fit properly and aren't too big... which means buying new ones pretty frequently).

There are Robeez, but I always got my son the Target ones and they were fabulous.

HTH
T.

My kids didn't wear anything but socks until they were walking. Which they both were doing by 11 months. Per our doctor's instructions/advice, we let them go barefoot (or socks only) unless they would be walking on a potentially dangerous surface (inside at home is fine, grass is fine, the driveway is fine as long as it isn't July and the concrete is scalding hot and could burn their feet, etc). Anywhere in public would be considered dangerous, because you don't know what might be ON the surfaces--- spilled things, broken glass, bottle caps, etc.

Yes, soft soled shoes are what you want--because it allows them to actually FEEL the surface they are walking on. The OLD rule was to have them wear the stiff-soled shoes--you remember the "classic" white 'boot' that all babies wore?? Those types of shoes are NOT recommended anymore. I would think the same rule would apply to baby sneakers too, as cute as they might be. The sole will be stiff.

Th only time our daughter really wore shoes as a baby, is when she was walking outside on uneven surfaces. Or if it was super cold.

She walked unassisted at 6 months, but we mostly had her walking inside.

Since we live where it is not really super cold that often the grip socks, the barefeet is how she spent that fist year.. again unless we were outside.

Doctors will always tell you it is best for them to be barefoot while learning to walk,.

His little toes need to be able to flex and grip during the process of trying to walk. It's how he learns to manipulate his feet to work during walking, that's why the flexible soles. I always put shoes on the kids. It just does not look right to put a cute outfit on a kid and they have bare feet. They just aren't finished dressing until they have feet dressed too.

It's better for them to be barefoot so the muscles in their feet build up. If the shoes have too much structure, then the shoes do all of the work and not their feet.

We got our son his first pair of shoes when he was about 9 months old, but that was only because we were going to a wedding. It drove my MIL crazy that we didn't put shoes on him! Like you, I find it wasteful and unimportant. Plus, it was summer, so why not be barefoot? Especially when they aren't mobile. Now that my little one is running around, we usually buy him 2 pairs per size. But I don't go buying expensive shoes either. I get my son's shoes at Walmart, Target, or Payless, and I've never spent more than $15 on a pair. I know eventually I'll be in for a higher price tag, but right now I don't think it's worth it.

As far as bendy shoes vs stiffer soles, I'm not really sure. My son did better walking barefoot at first, so I guess the bendy shoes would be better. But, we had a little pair of boots for him when he was just starting to stand on his own, and I think it helped him some with balance to have the ankle support and stiffer sole. IDK, I guess try both and see what works best for your kids.

My son just wore socks pretty much until he could walk. He had these super chubby feet that just looked like round balls with cankles... LOL. Nothing fit him anyway. I did get a pair of the Robeez knock offs they sell at Target that he started to wear when he was 10 or 11 months. Then he got Crocs which was all I could get on his feet. Luckily, he was a summer baby and we live in California anyway.

My daughter didn't wear shoes until she was actually walking - and even then, it was only for when we went out. When she was in the house she was barefoot, or in non-skid socks. Her first shoes were from Stride Rite (took her to the store and everything to get her fitted right) and she's been in Stride Rite sneakers ever since.

barefoot as much as possible but yes, bendy shoes so they can feel the ground. I think if the shoes are hard they help the kid balance better and therefore the kid's muscles in their foot aren't engaged like they should. We used pediped shoes when they were starting to walk.

At home-barefoot.
If you want them to have some thing for now I'd get some Robeez. Or knockoffs.
When they are walking take them to Stride Rite to get some SRT early walker shoes. Super soft and grippy.
They often have buy one get one half off...and they also have outlets.
Or go get them measured and order off some cheaper website.
These were the only shoes my son had that didn't cause him to stumble. And he wore them for a good long time.
Bought in March and he only recently grew out of them. He got a lot of wear out of them.
I have always put my babies in soft shoes during winter because I am one of those crazy moms who constantly worries if my babes are warm enough. Because I am usually freezing! ;)
And like GammaG...I like my babies to be little fashionistas! ;)
Lol...though in summer when a non walker...yes, barefoot!

We also lived in Robeez. I love them!!! I started putting my kids in them b/c their socks wouldn't stay on and I used them to help keep them in place, especially during the winter! Our house is cold and when we'd go in the car seat, etc. I didn't want their feet too cold or their socks to come off. Plus, I pretty much let my kids crawl around everywhere...playgrounds, sidewalks, etc. so I felt it was safer for their little feet to be more protected. At home they did go barefoot a lot, but both my kids wore Robeez until they walked.

I did switch between the Target brand and the name brand. I felt the Target brand didn't have cute boy styles so I always bought my son the Robeez at the Stride Rite outlet, they were cheaper. Also, Baby Gap also sells them and if you catch them on sale I got a pair or two for like $12 each.

The shoe were bought when they started walking. They needed them to walk outside.