Toddler Sneakers?

We have tried different shoes and I love Geox for boys. We bought a pair in Oct.08 and he still has them. My son is 3years old now and loves to run and climb.
They're pricey, but worth it.
http://www.magicgeox.it/english/default.htm
I also buy his shoes at Circo in Chicago.
http://circoshoesboutique.com/

I buy Connor's shoes primarily at Kohls. Their Jumping Bean shoes seem to fit him very well and they always have a sale. They grow so fast, I can't justify spending a ton of money on shoes when these fit him well and he walks and RUNS just fine in them.

My son is very active. His first pair of hard-sole shoes were New Balance and I believe for his size (at that time 6) were approximately $30. His second pair we got at Stride Rite, but his third we went back to New Balance as we found we prefered those.

I buy Robeez b/c it is sturdy, yet has a soft and flexible sole, which is what they need for proper muscle development in their legs. If is too hard and sturdy, this limits mobility. I also like Vincent, which are made in the USA. www.robeez.com is having a sale right now..they cost $25-$40 and www.vincent.com is also have a sale. I buy some target brands for last minute stuff, but they don't last long.

J. W. MPH
Chicago Examiner Family Health Expert

I have found great deals on great shoes at Marshall's and TJ Maxx, I have found Target and especially Kohl's, which I like for clothes to be much more expensive for kids shoes.

Stride Rite outlet at the Prime Outlets in Kenosha, WI. About a 15 minute drive from Gurnee. We went there on Wednesday and got two pairs of shoes for $15 each, normally they retail for $50 each. Only difference between this and the Stride Rite at, say the mall in Vernon Hills is that the outlet carries last years models. Your son really shouldn't care about that and neither should you...but what to do with the extra $70 you save.... : )

Baby Smart brand is by the makers of Stride Rite as it reads on the tag. They are a cheaper version of regular Stride Rite shoes, yet still have the features of Stride Rite with the flexible soles and bit of a weighted heel, etc. So I really liked them. They are sold at Target and only about $15 instead of $40. Stride Rite shoes probably last longer, but I wanted new shoes for each kid anyway and they easily lasted through when each kid outgrew them.

stride rite has a good pr system, they make you think you HAVE to have their shoes or your kid will suffer.

But a Podiatrist (foot doctor) told me that there is no reason for those shoes over any other shoes. Buy shoes that are flexible (can bend in half completely) and fit well and that will be fine, no matter where they were bought or how cheap they were.

My mother has been selling shoes all her life in a country where it is not all about looks like here, but about the right size and healthy development. One thing she always nagged about when she saw the shoes of my son is that they are too hard. They look all cute and stuff, but if you cannot bend the shoe the kid cannot roll the foot while walking or running, which is bad for the bone structure.
Hope this helps.

stride rite please.your child will be walking a long time. get a good shoe.

I buy Stride Rite off of www.shoebuy.com. Free shipping both ways and they usually have 20% off or other incentives. I've also found that if I review the product they give me another percentage off. I've taken my daughter in to get her feet measured and then order on-line. Happy shoe shopping!

I'm sure that lots of moms will disagree, but we found target shoes to be pretty much junk. We've always bought stride rite, primigi, umi or the like for our now 4-year old son. The trick is to wait for sales. Nordstrom has awesome children's shoe sales. The Striderite store (or website) has sales too. In March, Striderite had buy one pair & get one for half off... We bought sneakers and sandals and now we're set for the whole summer. I've gotten numerous fantastic deals on shoes at nordstrom over the last four years... Sometimes I ask if they have anything on sale that isn't out. The sales people at the old orchard store are super. I had one bring me out a pair of striderites that were the same ones he had been wearing (so from the previous season) that were marked down to $35.
I know that the kids only wear the shoes for a short time, but the developing foot is pretty important to us. I'm willing to buy clothes at thrift stores and have the kids wear tons of hand-me-downs if necessary, but I feel pretty strongly that quality shoes are worth the money.

I have been buying my daughter shoes from Target and Payless and love them. I like Payless's Smart Fit. You can adjust them more to fit their feet (my girl has chubby ones) Also, Cros are super comfy and flexible too. Plus they are great for summer as water proof shoes. Those are my best pics. I have never purchased a pair of shoes from Stride Right as I think it is a waste of money. I don't even spend $50 on my own shoes let alone a little kids when they will be outgrown in 6 months. Good Luck!

I have a 20 mos. old daughter and I have been buying her baby "puma's" from Babys R Us. They have a nice selection of shoes there & I also love their baby "keds".
I do buy her more brand name shoes but mainly because I think their more durable for all the running around she does. I only spend slightly more then probably Target & I always buy slightly bigger to last longer.

When my kids were small, they got one pair of shoes at a time- used for everything. I found that Elephanten- purchased through Hanna Andersson were the best. They outlasted anything I bought at shoe stores and were still sturdy enough to donate to charity when they outgrew them. They come in lovely bright colors, blues, purples and reds. They cost a little more, but only having to buy one pair per child per year worked for our budget.

I used to buy my son everything from Walmart brands to Nikes and Stride Rite and all in between! He never noticed a difference in the more expensive ones compared to the cheapies! He will be 20 this week and his feet are just fine!

Now with my daugher (almost 3 yrs old) I can not afford to buy any of the more expensive ones. I will never buy used though since another persons foot has re-shaped the shoe for them. Whatever brand I get- from Walmart, Meijer or Payless- I always make sure that there is a good arch support and that the shoe is somewhat flexible. One thing that I regret buying her is some very cheap slides. The things are clunky and not flexible at all... she was running and did a face plant on the ground! Was not pretty!

Try both brands on and see how he is walking AND running in them and decide that way.

Good luck and many blessings!

I don't think $40 or $50 is unreasonable for sturdy, good-quality shoes, but like another poster my kids tend to have just one pair of shoes at a time (plus sandals in summer.) Stride Rite is really very good quality - they last like crazy and they're comfortable (and available in wide sizes, if you need that.)

I also love Tsukihoshi (available through Zappos and some shoe stores) - great quality, amazingly cute styles. Strangers will stop you in the street and ask where the shoes came from! They tend to run wide, though. Also about $50; recommended by orthopedists and they last forever.

hi when it comes to any kind of shoes for toddlers i recomend spending a little more. i was lucky my sister gave me hand me downs for my boy. i did splurge and bought a pair of stride ride. also look into pedipeds.

I have an 18 month old active kiddo who is doing extremely well in Payless brand called something like sure fit or right fit or something like that. We bought the new shoes last week and they are $12-$14 for this brand. The box is yellow I think. Good quality at a good price. Good luck.

You can't go wrong with Stride Right and Nordstroms has a great shoe section too. Nordstrom rack also has great shoes for 1/2 the price. Stride Right has sales a few times a year and I usually stock up for my 3 boys.

i agree that Stride Ride is more money than necessary - but I liked going for the first pair so their feet get measured properly - After that first pair, I bought sneakers at Kohls and Marshalls - Target is okay, but I found better quality at Sears, Kohls and Marshalls.

At that age, we bought our son's shoes at Stride Rite. They were real professionals (at Yorktown) and fit him properly and coached us on the best type of shoe for him at his age/stage. My Mom's advice to me was the two things worth spending money on are shoes and car seats. Best of luck!

Personally, I'm certain that I never had a chance to be more athletic because I always had poorly fitting shoes as a kid. I always buy my kids one pair of nice stride rite shoes after getting them fitted and buy everything else cheap. I know they will not have a problem for our longer fun days. You can buy them at the outlet store in the burbs

I've almost always used Target and the shoes always worked out great! I've bought sneakers, sandals for my son and daughter and they've been just fine. When my son was little, I also bought some plain white canvas sneakers from Payless and those were great too. Both my kids got use out of those. I don't think you need to spend a lot of money on shoes at this age - especially since they outgrow them so quickly. But I also know moms who swear by Stride Rite etc. I guess if I had used those, I might see a difference, but I've never felt the need to go out and get them. The Target ones have worked just fine for us and besides, I can get them 2-3 different types of shoes for the same amount spent on 1 shoe at stride rite.

Good luck on whatever you decide.

Aarti.

I tried Target and Stride Rite and hated both. I've been buying my daughter See Kai Run when they are on sale, picking them up for around 20 a pair. I think that's reasonable. I have a pair from Gap --they are OK, and a pair from Gymboree --they are OK too. I love my See Kai Run. More importantly, my daughter loves them. She asked me to take off her Stride Rite as they hurt her feet! What a waste of money.

There's a Stride Rite Outlet in Kenosha, actually I think it's considered Pleasent Prarie, WI. They have a big selection and I can usually get shoes for about $20-25. So, if it's not that far out of your way it's well worth the drive, plus there's a lot of other outlet stores there as well- Gymboree, Children's Place, Carter's and Osh' Gosh. It's called Prime Outlet.

If your little guy is very active I HIGHLY recommend Keens or Teva shoes for the summer. I was a little hesitant last summer when I purchased these for my daughter because I didn't know if I could justify spending $40 on kids shoes. Needless to say I bought another pair for this summer! These shoes are so comfortable, flexible, durable and they are like a sandal/sneaker so really you are getting two shoes for one.
They will last you through the fall until it gets too cold to wear them. Unlike Crocs they say on your kids feet and have great treads so you kid won't trip/slip. They can also get wet with no issues. I have turned so many friends onto these shoes and they all have thanked me saying it's the best money they've spent on kids shoes and so worth it.
You can get them at REI (they sometimes have great sales) and also some Stride Rite stores or department stores.
Good Luck!

I highly recommend taking your son to a good children's shoe store and getting him fit correctly (for Stride Rite or whatever brand shoes they sell - Jumping Jacks and Pediped are also good brands). At this stage, your son is still learning how to walk and his foot is still growing and developing. A well fitted pair of shoes can help him immensely, a poor fitting pair can lead to trouble down the road. I took my son to what I thought was a good children's shoe store for his 1st two pairs, but was unhappy with them so I took him to another shoe store, run by a podiatrist for his latest pair. She took one look at him walking and told me that I should get him evaluated because he was severely over-pronating (all toddlers are flat footed, but his was quite bad). Thanks to her we saw an pediatric orthopedist who recommended arch inserts, which she put into his stride rite first walkers. The good shoes themselves made a huge difference in his walking, but the arch supports help even more. They said that the right support now could help his foot grow properly and help him learn to walk. This will prevent real foot problems for him in the future. I agree with the mom below, spend $ on shoes and car seats. The money you spend now could mean help your son in the future. Good luck!
Oh and while the other store told me that kids his age should have 2 pairs of shoes, the podiatrist told me this was not necessary at their age, given how quickly they grow out of their shoes. One pair every 3 months should be fine. And I trust her, because she only would have profited from selling me a 2nd pair.

i maybe a little late for this one, but from my own experience w/ haveing a 3 1/2 yr. old girl, and a 1 1/2 yr. old boy i did go to stride right for her very 1st pair of walking shoes. but we also had the money to do at the time and it is a good investment. now having the 2nd child i actually got a pair of stride right shoes (barely worn) at a store by us called "once upon a child." i am very picking w/ hand me downs so they were in great condition and they were only $10!
now, i also went to payless to get him a pair of sandles and i asked them what the difference was between their shoes and stride right? i was shocked at the answer! the lady there told me that they are owned by the same company!
i was happy to know that i was getting similar shoes, but for about 1/2 the price. and they are brand new!
so good luck w/ all of your choices. also check at nice yard sales for great shoes. i have gotten stride rights already this yr for my 2 kids for about $2-$4 each pair. and they are in good condition.
C.

Stride Rite. Definitely.

I buy tons of used non-brand name clothes for my kids, but when it comes to the feet that they will be standing on for life, I buy Stride Rite. If you get on their mailing list, you can get coupons at least every couple of months. I often buy the shoes that are last season and on sale. I never by half sizes so they don't need shoes quite so often. Stride Rite does sell a cheaper version of their shoes at Kohl's. They are called Munchkins.

When my kids are done with them, I sell them for about $8 a pair on Craigslist to make back a little of the money.

I once bought myself a pair of K-mart shoes that looked just like a pair of Merrells that I have. Even with my orthotic insoles, these shoes literally hurt my feet. I imagine that Target is not that much better.

I too get my son's shoes at Stride Rite, but they don't have closets full of shoes. My older son has a pair of sneakers and sandals(actually last year's) from Stride Rite. We consider them to be an investment and we do not want to take chances with their feet.

My older son needed a pair of shoes to leave at school. Those we got at Target since he was only going to be wearing them a limited time.

Good luck!

Hi,

According to the book Baby Bargains, Target, Stride Rite, and Baby Gap all make good and reasonably priced shoes for toddlers (max. $20-30). Baby Gap also has a size chart online which you can print out, so you don't even need to take your son with you to the store.

Best of luck,
R.

J. K
I personally dont think its that important where you buy the shoe. I really like Childrens Place because they are cute and reasonably priced. Target is also great. I do spend alot on shoes as she has gotten older. Ive heard about how much better certain brands are for their feet and so on. But lets be honest, Michael Jordan's mom was not buying him $55 Stride rite shoes when he has a toddler!!!LOL

I have a 15-month-old daughter, and I bought her first pair of "walking shoes" from Stide Rite. (Prior to this, I bought her $10 shoes from Target or Walmart... she was tripping all over the place and could barely walk in them, poor thing!) They are a bit pricey, but I wanted to make sure she got sized correctly and that she had a really good pair of shoes during this stage where she's still working on perfecting her walking. I was told that the soles of the shoes for children at this stage should be rather soft and flexible (you should be able to fold the shoe in half). Now I order her shoes from Pediped.com (a little less expensive than Stide Rite). They have a Flex series that is perfect for toddlers. My thinking is this... spend a little extra at this stage in the game to make sure you're doing what's best for their physical and motor development. In a year or two when they are steady walkers/runners you can save $$ and buy slightly cheaper shoes. Good luck!