first pair of shoes

I think my son is ready for his first pair of shoes so I took him to Stride Rite thinking that this brand is the best kind of shoes for a kid (I was indoctrinated when I was young). The salesperson told me that for my son's feet, he would be better off with "jumping jacks" brand, which caught me off guard. I've never heard of this brand and on the box, it said that wearing these shoes is even better for kids learning to walk than being barefoot, which doesn't make any sense at all.

Is there someone out there who can give me some advice on this? When does a kid need shoes? What brands are respectable? What do I look for? HELP!!

Thanks in advance.

I bought shoes as soon as my daughter was walking well enough to walk outside on her own (and so not necessarily on clean, smooth surfaces). She was maybe 14 months?

I mostly looked for good flexibility in the sole. Look on the inside of the shoe, make sure it is smooth and soft.

Other than that, I'm not sure brand matters. Cheap shoes tend to be stiff. It's not like they'll get all that much wear before they're outgrown.

I swear by Elefanten shoes. I bring my son to Nordstroms to have them fit correctly. The bottom is very flexible and they are top quality leather with no exposed seams on the inside. Well worth the extra money while your child is learning to walk.

I swear by Elefantens. My daughter (15 mo) has had 2 pairs and they are great. We get them at Nordstrom or Nordstrom Rack- I have never paid full price for a pair. I recently got her 2 more pairs (the next 2 sizes) for the Fall/Winter at the semiannual sale for $35 a pair (regualarly $50). What is good about buying them at Nordstrom is that if she can't wear them or if she doesn't fit in them when she needs them I can simply return or exchange them! The salespeople say they are the best - but also say that the Stride Rites are very good too - they have a special line that is for new walkers.

Frankly I never understood why people go on and on about these fancy brands of shoes. My pediatrician told me that it doesn't matter which shoes you get, pretty much all brands are similar. However no shoes are preferable to shoes, unless the child is outdoors.

I got my first set of shoes for her at Payless. They are $10 and I thought they were a little pricey. Since then I have bought sneakers and sandals at Target for $5 each pair. They have worn just fine (especially since she can wear them for 6 months max before she grows out of them) and look good enough that I will be able to hand them down to Baby #2 (if Baby #2 turns out to be a girl, I'm only 19 weeks along).

Heck, I wouldn't spend $50 on a pair of shoes for myself, why should I spend that much on a toddler who can only wear them a few months?

please don't pass shoes on to a second child... i know you are trying to save money but pediatricians would agree that a baby's foot will change the shoe's shape and this would impact on the next child to wear the shoe... with baby's feet constantly changing and growing - it's just not wise to have them share shoes...

I have never heard of this. Thanks for the warning though.

But actually it won't matter because I found out Baby #2 is a boy. Somehow I can't see my husband letting him out of the house in sneakers with pink flowers on them. :-)

I went to a Stride Rite outlet today to see what all the fuss was about. The CHEAPEST shoes they had were $20 a pair and looked pretty much identical to the ones I normally get at Target. I think I'm going to Target next week in fact since I could not bring myself to plunk down money at Stride Rite.

FWIW, though I think Target does have some great deals on shoes, they are different from the more expensive shoes on the inside. The Stride-Rites are smoother inside and are more flexible in the foot. I find the Target shoes to vary quite a bit on the quality of the materials and construction. Some of the lower-end materials will not form to the foot much, if at all.

At least, these are my experiences with my feet and with what I've seen when shopping.

I agree with you about some of the shoes at Target, however Stride Rite makes the BabySmart and KidSmart brands carried only at Target. I compared the StrideRite leather sandal with the KidSmart leather sandal and MUCH preferred the KidSmart. The leather was much smoother and softer and the inside was more cushioned. Even better it was only $13.00 :). It just depends on what brands you get at Target.

ct

I finally realized that I must just not have good luck at Target. I had forgotten about KidSmart being made by Stride Rite, but I can never find them in DD's size when I go. In fact, I had a great deal of trouble locating any shoes in her size - I can't figure out how this particular Target organizes their shoes, and then even if I can find the boxes, the shoes in the boxes aren't the same size as the one on the box....

After about a half hour of trying to find something suitable, I finally decided that the extra $10 at Stride Rite was worth it...

(Actually, I also noticed that JC Penney has a pretty good selection of different brands in toddler sizes, including Stride Rite, and they tend to have sales.)