Looking for Decent Socks/shoes for Beginner Walker

Hi K.,
There are some leather-like slippers at Target that we found really worked well. They were more affordable than a real leather brand that is out there (but probably won't last as long).
I believe Circo also makes some socks that have rubbery designs on the soles of the feet. Enjoy this new stage!
S.

We have used grippy socks from Children's Place, Target and Carters. They are all ok but none stay completely on. I would say Carter's were the worst. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Robeez. Both my kids have lived in them since birth. My daughter stopped wearing them when she was about 2. We kept her in them because of hardwood floors. I also bought a pair of Pedipeds for my son and we are happy with them so far. I think the Pedipeds will be a little bit better for outdoors because the sole is a little thicker.

The easiest thing I found, if you are a little crafty, is buying "puffy" paint at a craft store. I would take some cheap socks and apply dots of the paint or get creative and write his name, left/right, draw lines, etc on the bottom. Let it dry and then put them on. It is a very inexpensive way to make socks that don't slip on the floor. You can just throw them in the wash when dirty!! My favorite shows for my son are Pedipeds. They are a little on the pricey side but are soft-soled and the leather bottom is even good for outside. They make the soft-soled ones until 24 months and then have big kid ones that my son loves just as much.

I love gap and old navy socks and you can not go wrong with Robeez shoes!

Hi K.,
We used pediped. Now we only wear stride rite. Stride rites run small but they are great because for younger kids they have different levels for training and walking abilities. They are expensive and hard to find but you can find them on line. Five doctors in my immediate family and all of our kids only wear stride rite while younger and pediped when they were newborn to early toddler.
- S.

Any shoes that have soft soles should be good. They say that actually having them barefoot if you can is better.

I used the barefoot method for my three boys and my sister-in-law got me a pair of high top sneakers for my oldest. They are harder for the child to take off. In fact, I used those same shoes for all three of my boys. Of course I also had all different sizes as they grew. After my third child got done using them they were pretty well worn out but if I had to do it all over again, any type of shoe that comes up over the ankle bone seems to work the best for outdoor fun but while they're inside, barefeet is the way to go. As for socks, the ones with the grippers on the bottoms are great, if you can keep them on their little feet. At this age, the little ones seems to think that it's a game to see how many times they can take their socks off and you'll put them back on.

I had awesome luck with the Old Navy socks with the grippers on the bottom. You can buy a big pack of them too :).

I like The Gap's socks. They stay on the feet well and have the grippers on the bottom to prevent slipping.
For shoes, my son had very wide feet so we had to purchase shoes from Stride Rite. Now that he has been walking for a few months his feet are not as chubby so we have found shoes at the Gap and Walmart that fit just as well.

Barefoot is great. If you think his feet might be cold, The Children's Place makes great inexpensive socks with the gripper on the bottom that actually stay in place. We also had great luck with the Bobux shoes. They sell the off brand at Target, but the Bobux ones only worked for us because my son has very wide feet.

We had Robeez and loved them. They stay on and help keep socks on too. They can still feel and grip the floor, so it's similar to being barefoot. We didn't have any problems with them being slick. We did start out with Stride Rite shoes once he was really walking a lot and outside more.

Shoes: Robeez, Riley Roos (really good for age you're currently at), See Kai Run
I tend to buy these on ebay. With patience, you can get a good deal $20 or less for $35 shoes. Of course i also only bought one pair for any size and wear those to the ground :)

Socks: Gap (not roll down tube though; you can find great sale deals); Carter's; Old Navy (again not the roll down tube sock, just didn't stay on my son's feet well)

My 13 month old has been walking since about 9 months and we always let him run barefoot in the house because of this exact problem and because we seem unable to find a pair of shoes that fit him well. He has pudgy little feet and shoes are either too long or don't stay on his feet.

I've read it's better to let them learn to walk/practice barefoot - something about balance and tactile-based learning that goes on when they can *feel* the floor with their feet. The negative is that when we finally did put shoes on him to go outside (last month) he really fought that and still doesn't really like them.

When he was younger we used Robeez but as he started to try walking more we used Pedipeds and absolutely loved them!!

I've heard that bare feet are the most ideal for kids learning to walk, but we had pretty good luck with the socks from Old Navy. Once our son was walking more, we got him Robeez.

With the Bobux, Robeez, ShooShoos, or even the Little Stars at Target socks are optional. These little shoes are breatheable, they can feel the floor, yet have protection, and little ones can't easily get them off. Socks can get turn on the foot and little ones delight in taking them off! My 4 yr old granddaughter is still wearing her "ShooShoos" on occasion! No "new shoe" blisters to worry about either!

what i would recommend is just letting your baby walk barefoot. any shoe with a harder sole is going to actually cause more problems walking. babies need to feel the ground. or just look for socks with the little grippers on the bottom, they sell them just about everywhere.

good luck

You can use puffy paints that any craft store will carry to put dots or other designs on the bottom of his socks.
Leather Robeez or Bobux type shoes are awesome, too. They are the next best thing to bare feet, really hold up well, and can even be worn outside. You can get some at Target by the baby socks for about $13.

My favorite socks were from Old Navy! They have the treds on the bottoms and they wash up nicely.

we have used gripper socks from Old Navy, Target and Childrens place...they all work the same. I loved Pedoodles for first shoes. They are flexable and have a thin rubber sole so they don't slip like with the leather bottom shoes. THey have a website and it was cheaper to order direct than to buy at a retail store.

We used the Target brand "Mini Star" shoes. They're way cheaper than the Robeez shoes. They're made of soft leather, and they were perfect for when my daughter started walking---no slipping and falling. They also helped keep her socks on. My daughter is almost 3 and we still use those shoes when she's running aroung the house. (I just bought a pair on ebay for my son who will be born next month at a super great price...you might want to check out ebay!)

Great Question K. - I've wondered the same for my grand princess but they live in the south, so think Izzie just didn't wear shoes or socks mostly when learning to walk.

I look forward to seeing what other have to say as another grand is on her way ... yippy ... again in the south and learning to walk next summer.

Good luck, take care, M

Old Navy makes great gripper socks, they are my favorite. I have also seen that Faded Glory (sold at Walmart) started making some gripper socks, I haven't tried those yet but I might on the next size.

I don't know if this will help, i read it in parents magazine, put little dots of puffy paint on the bottom of your baby's socks and its supposed to work great to keep babies from slipping

Barefoot works best

otherwise try Robeez or StrideRite shoes

I agree. My pediatrician recommended barefeet. There are socks with grippers by gymboree, old navy, children's place. Carter's pjs with feet worked the best for us on our hardwood floors. The others just made him slip out.

We used and love the Children's Place socks! Great socks-they held up through 2 kids! And as far as shoes, we love the Robeez brand! Super cute and durable as well (however, they are leather so after the second child, the leather got a little "shiny" and started to not grip as much). Good luck!
~TJ

robees or target version

in my experience, letting my kids walk barefoot around the house helped them to pick it up quite quickly. they were both walking well by 10 months. otherwise, the cheap target socks with grips work well and pediped shoes are really cute and are pediatrician recommended. spendy, though.