Best first shoes for walking baby?

[daisymommy]

Hooray! Joshua is walking! Or maybe I should run and hide everything breakable he can now reach...;) At any rate, I figure its time he had some good walking shoes for stability and protection. I was thinking Stride-Rite. Does anyone else have any suggestions?

[newbelly2002]

I'd suggest going with something high-top for the first few months. We bought DS a pair of "boots" and he walks quite well in them now. A few weeks later we bought a pair of knock-off merrel style Oshkosh slip-ons from Target and he struggles a bit. The price was certainly right, but I think an everyday style (until Josh is really stable)with more/higher support is better.

Congrats on the new walker. It's quite an adventure!
Paula, Mama to Dante\r\nhttp://www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b32384e84594 -6/25 update

[blnony]

I would recommend taking Josh to either Stride Rite or another baby shoe store to get his feet measured first.
From recent experience, I bought a cute pair of BabySmart Mary Janes at Target for Audrey, and I thought I had tried them on her correctly, but when we got home, they didn't look right.
So, I took her to get her feet measured and she has Extra Wide feet!! :) So, we had to get the Stride Rites, because thats all I could find around here that have baby shoes in XW and I had to return the Target shoes.
Even if you don't buy the Stride Rites, which I really do like a lot, esp. the Natural Motion shoes, you'll at least know the correct size to start Josh out with. One recommendation someone had was to spend the money on one good pair, esp. since they are his first real walkers and he's still getting used to the idea, then buy a lesser expensive pair at Target or something.

[parkersmama]

I agree with the others, take him to a quality store and get him measured for an acurate fit. In the early walking stages it's normal for him to outgrow shoes every 3 months or so. Be prepared...it gets expensive!! Also, I think lace-up shoes are a must until they are walking really well. Even some older kids struggle with keeping the slip-on/no-tie kind on their feet. My favorite brand of all time is Elefanten but they can be quite pricey. Next favorite is Stride Rite. Have fun!