Author Topic: Toddler shoes  (Read 7898 times)

Millennialworkerbee

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Toddler shoes
« on: November 08, 2016, 09:19:44 AM »
Our baby will be walking in a few months. I've started looking at shoes and holy cow they are expensive and not as easily found used. What have you done for shoes for your little ones? Is there a time of year that they go on sale? Thanks!

SisterX

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #1 on: November 08, 2016, 10:00:03 AM »
We've gotten about 90% of our LO's shoes as hand-me-downs from friends. Less helpful if you're one of the earliest in your peer group to have kids.

Other shoes have been gifts from relatives. Great-grandpa got some nice boots for going splashing in puddles last Christmas. It tickles him to think that she's out there splashing around and we live in the PNW, so it's a win-win. In turn, we talk about Great-grandpa to keep him present in her mind. ("These were such a nice thing for Grandpa to send, aren't they?") Depending on your/your partner's parents, they might leap at the chance to gift baby's first shoes as a Christmas or birthday gift.

Also, we've never really had a problem finding shoes second-hand when we need them. Find a child specific used store, if there is one in your area. If you're urban or suburban that shouldn't be too hard. If you're rural, you might have more trouble.

Finally, if you're on Facebook you can connect with a local Buy Nothing group. Feel free to post any wants/needs. Usually there's someone out there who's very excited to get rid of kid stuff they don't need anymore.

Lastly, most kids don't really "need" shoes the minute they start walking. If you live someplace sunny year-round then, sure, you'll probably be taking the kiddo out to walk around frequently. But if you live in Minnesota, will your LO really be walking outside all that much? You might be able to push off any shoe purchases until the kiddo's a bit bigger.

KCM5

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #2 on: November 08, 2016, 10:05:22 AM »
Children's consignment shops. Should be about $5/each. Particularly young toddlers, a lot of the time they don't wear their shoes long enough to wear them out.

My child is almost 4 and I can still find shoes at consignment shops pretty easily, although she seems to wear them long enough now to wear them out.

La Bibliotecaria Feroz

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #3 on: November 08, 2016, 02:45:20 PM »
Semiannual consignment sales often have the best selection. The fall ones are over for the year but maybe see if your area has a spring and summer one in February or March.

kimmarg

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #4 on: November 08, 2016, 05:39:14 PM »
My daughter just started walking this month and started crusing the month before. I found she did need shoes for when we were out (If I wouldn't walk around barefoot in a waiting room why should she?) I found a good sale on Stride rite online and bought 1 pair. I also then found a big lot of toddler stuff on craigslist which had shoes.  I would go to a shoe store to get the feet measured so you know what size. Her first shoes are size 4 - dunno what happened to 1,2,3!

Cranky

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #5 on: November 09, 2016, 05:20:22 AM »
My kids all had very narrow feet, which made them hard to fit. I swear by Stride Rite, which makes a reasonable variety of kids' shoes in narrow widths. The store we went with spent a lot of time fitting them and working to find them a shoe that they liked (and they would replace them if they found them uncomfortable a week later.)

Not cheap, but nicely made, and we only bought sneakers there. I bought dress shoes (which mostly got worn to church on Sunday morning) at yard sales in the summer.

Milizard

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #6 on: November 09, 2016, 08:44:37 AM »
I had boys, so got away with one pair of shoes (Stride Rites) for most days, one pair of boots in winter, and one pair of sandals in summer (if needed at all), gotten on clearance if I could find the right size.  Seems like toddler girls "need" a lot more shoes.  ;-)

south of 61

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #7 on: November 09, 2016, 02:28:05 PM »
I had boys, so got away with one pair of shoes (Stride Rites) for most days, one pair of boots in winter, and one pair of sandals in summer (if needed at all), gotten on clearance if I could find the right size.  Seems like toddler girls "need" a lot more shoes.  ;-)

lol, my four year old daughter has only ever had 3 pairs of shoes at any time - same as yours but pediped some times and stride rites at other times.

I bought all second hand to begin with, but now that she can wear them longer before growing out of them, I will grab them on sale too.

PharmaStache

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #8 on: November 09, 2016, 03:28:29 PM »
You'll want robeez (or a knockoff) for a new walker (for indoor/light outdoor use). 

Beriberi

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #9 on: November 10, 2016, 05:45:19 PM »
Sierra Trading Post has good brands and high discounts - they often only have 1 or 2 sizes of each style, so you need to be flexible or willing to buy ahead.  I also go there for outdoor wear (rain jackets, snow bibs) that I have a hard time finding used.

nessness

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #10 on: November 16, 2016, 01:30:51 PM »
I like See Kai Run shoes - they're pricey but go on sale for $16-20 every couple months. Also Ross has stride rite and other high quality brands at good prices sometimes.

While I buy most of my daughter's clothes used, I've read that wearing used shoes can be bad for kids' foot development - something about how they mold to the foot. I sometimes buy used special occasion shoes, since she usually only wears them a couple times for a few hours at a time, but I buy new for the shoes she wears daily.

Milizard

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #11 on: November 16, 2016, 01:40:12 PM »
I had boys, so got away with one pair of shoes (Stride Rites) for most days, one pair of boots in winter, and one pair of sandals in summer (if needed at all), gotten on clearance if I could find the right size.  Seems like toddler girls "need" a lot more shoes.  ;-)

lol, my four year old daughter has only ever had 3 pairs of shoes at any time - same as yours but pediped some times and stride rites at other times.

I bought all second hand to begin with, but now that she can wear them longer before growing out of them, I will grab them on sale too.

A true Mustachian!  I had a discussion with a poster on another board about this.  I think her 2 yo daughter had 12 pairs of shoes.  At the time, my son hadn't had that many in his lifetime--and he was a year or 2 older.

hoping2retire35

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #12 on: November 17, 2016, 05:58:14 AM »
Second vote for hand me downs. Don't buy anything! About once a year someone (usually a different couple) gives us a couple of trash bags of clothes. Between that and grandparents needing to shop we have almost* never bought a thing.

*a few spendypants weakness moments when the kids were younger, but it has still been years. Almost bought a jacket for our oldest son then wife txts and says she found a fleece in the closet :)

GuitarStv

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #13 on: November 17, 2016, 06:02:14 AM »
Our son is just about to turn three, and we've yet to pay for a shoe.  Get to know other people with kids.  Kids grow out of clothing so fast that most people are just looking to get crap out of their houses as fast as possible once it doesn't fit any more.

EEBookDesign

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #14 on: November 19, 2016, 05:18:00 AM »
My parents in law give them winter for their birthday = fun shopping trip with Grandma + picking out their own shoes. Usually they will survive the winter and in summer they are in sandals so cheap. We are pretty strict in the kind of shoes they are allowed to wear as a prefer barefoot shoes for the proper development of their feet and archers. We also do hand me down shoes if they are in good shape.

lthenderson

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #15 on: November 19, 2016, 07:40:57 AM »
Two words: garage sales!

LadyFI

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #16 on: November 20, 2016, 11:02:48 PM »
No one ever tells you that kids shoes cost $50. It's insane.

I have a 4-year old girl and most of her shoes have come from a combo of yard sales, thrift stores, consignment stores and eBay. And they've been nice, well-made brands - Stride Rite, Primigi, See Kai Run, Pediped and the like.

Yes, many of the shoes at thrift stores/eBay/garage sales are gross and worn out. The trick is to find the ones that are new or almost new. I've found spotless high-end winter boots for $2, brand new KEEN sandals for $11 and barely worn Stride Rites for $4-10. Even with a budget of $20/pair you should be able to outfit your kid in new or worn-once Stride Rites without much effort on eBay.

Edited for clarity.
« Last Edit: November 21, 2016, 05:12:21 PM by LadyFI »

La Bibliotecaria Feroz

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #17 on: November 21, 2016, 12:59:50 PM »
... Even with a budget of $20/pair you should be able to outfit your kid in new or worn-once Stride Rites without much effort on eBay.

There is a Stride Rite outlet near me. FWIW $20/pair is their lowest price for brand new, but it doesn't come around all the time. I'm hoping it will come back after Christmas maybe... I can't get Little Brother (4) to wear any of the used shoes I own and his existing ones are about to fall off his feet, and Big Brother wants laces :-).

ChiefMomOfficer

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #18 on: November 22, 2016, 02:37:00 PM »
Definitely consignment shops and tag sales. If you can't find them at either place, Walmart has decent prices (but more than the other two options). I always have just one pair of sneakers at a time for the little ones-they outgrow the shoes way before they're worn out. I found my kids were about 7 before they started to wear out shoes before they outgrew them.

La Bibliotecaria Feroz

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #19 on: November 22, 2016, 02:39:41 PM »
Definitely consignment shops and tag sales. If you can't find them at either place, Walmart has decent prices (but more than the other two options). I always have just one pair of sneakers at a time for the little ones-they outgrow the shoes way before they're worn out. I found my kids were about 7 before they started to wear out shoes before they outgrew them.


This happened to my younger child by the age of 3. I do not understand what he does to his shoes. Big Brother does not have this problem with his shoes... but does with the knees of his pants. I am mystified.

GuitarStv

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #20 on: November 25, 2016, 08:29:05 AM »
Definitely consignment shops and tag sales. If you can't find them at either place, Walmart has decent prices (but more than the other two options). I always have just one pair of sneakers at a time for the little ones-they outgrow the shoes way before they're worn out. I found my kids were about 7 before they started to wear out shoes before they outgrew them.


This happened to my younger child by the age of 3. I do not understand what he does to his shoes. Big Brother does not have this problem with his shoes... but does with the knees of his pants. I am mystified.

If you watch them carefully you can figure it out.  I noticed that my son was destroying the toe of his shoes somehow and eventually traced it down to him riding his tricycle, taking his feet off the pedals, and then grinding the toe of the shoe into the ground to slow down.  :P

Milizard

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #21 on: November 25, 2016, 09:34:22 AM »
Definitely consignment shops and tag sales. If you can't find them at either place, Walmart has decent prices (but more than the other two options). I always have just one pair of sneakers at a time for the little ones-they outgrow the shoes way before they're worn out. I found my kids were about 7 before they started to wear out shoes before they outgrew them.


This happened to my younger child by the age of 3. I do not understand what he does to his shoes. Big Brother does not have this problem with his shoes... but does with the knees of his pants. I am mystified.

If you watch them carefully you can figure it out.  I noticed that my son was destroying the toe of his shoes somehow and eventually traced it down to him riding his tricycle, taking his feet off the pedals, and then grinding the toe of the shoe into the ground to slow down.  :P

That's exactly what my younger son likes to do--use his toes as a brake on his tricycle.  Brand new shoes were being completely destroyed within a few weeks until I got on him about it.

Tjat

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #22 on: November 25, 2016, 02:32:31 PM »
My daughter has two pairs of shoes, both purchased form stride rite. However we have 10 pairs given to us from friends that we don't use. I'd suggest seeing if your community had a "moms group", it should be easy to find someone with a lot of clothes to get rid off, probably for free

MikeMoeJackB

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #23 on: November 26, 2016, 01:09:18 PM »
Our baby will be walking in a few months. I've started looking at shoes and holy cow they are expensive and not as easily found used. What have you done for shoes for your little ones? Is there a time of year that they go on sale? Thanks!

My mother-in-law has insisted on buying stride-rite and keen.  We also hike a lot so I've bought salomon and merrell for both kids.  All in all, I think it has been well worth the investment because our kids are very fleet footed and have better balance then most kids their age on the playgrounds. There are also several studies that talk about the importance of good shoes from a young age, just ask google.

They are expensive, but like you said now is the time to buy. And you can always resale these higher end shoes on ebay when they don't fit anymore.  Hope this helps.

La Bibliotecaria Feroz

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #24 on: November 26, 2016, 01:15:29 PM »
Definitely consignment shops and tag sales. If you can't find them at either place, Walmart has decent prices (but more than the other two options). I always have just one pair of sneakers at a time for the little ones-they outgrow the shoes way before they're worn out. I found my kids were about 7 before they started to wear out shoes before they outgrew them.


This happened to my younger child by the age of 3. I do not understand what he does to his shoes. Big Brother does not have this problem with his shoes... but does with the knees of his pants. I am mystified.

If you watch them carefully you can figure it out.  I noticed that my son was destroying the toe of his shoes somehow and eventually traced it down to him riding his tricycle, taking his feet off the pedals, and then grinding the toe of the shoe into the ground to slow down.  :P

That's exactly what my younger son likes to do--use his toes as a brake on his tricycle.  Brand new shoes were being completely destroyed within a few weeks until I got on him about it.

Well, that's what I thought, but it didn't get better when he switched from the Strider to a two-wheeler. He does not brake with his feet anymore., he uses the coaster brake. Weird.

TabbyCat

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #25 on: November 27, 2016, 12:52:48 AM »
Target clearance section often goes down to $3-5 for good toddler shoes. It does involve setting foot within target which can be a bad call for saving money. Also, keep in mind what you can resell for. Sometimes an extra $5 spent for a nice shoe and/or known brand can pay off that and more when you are done with them. When you buy used, look carefully for wear in one spot - the previous wearers difference in posture or walk can wear down one spot and leave your kid walking on an uneven surface.

TomTX

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #26 on: December 10, 2016, 07:09:36 AM »
Water shoes/aquasocks. $5/pair at Academy - and the soles are flexible for arch development.

Kansas Terri

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #27 on: December 10, 2016, 07:28:33 AM »
I never used toddler shoes until the child was perhaps 2. Instead I put them in pretty socks. 

TheSecondLaw

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #28 on: December 12, 2016, 05:06:24 AM »
My lo has fat feet, wide and also thick. I have had no luck with used shoes with the exception of sandals with adjustable straps. Now that I know what brands/models fit him I try to buy on sale. My best tip is to wait to purchase shoes if you have seasonal weather changes. My lo changed from size 4.5 in summer to 6 in December. His summer/fall sneakers no longer fit but I sized up for his winter boots and he wears those every day.

If anyone reading this has a toddler with fat feet we use Nike flex sneakers and bogs boots. Both can be machine washed.

Kansas Terri

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #29 on: December 12, 2016, 08:45:16 AM »
Oh, I forgot: I DID use them when we went outside in bad weather! OK, never min what I said earlier: I did not just use pretty socks, though I did when they were just learning to walk. I think they find it easier to learn when they are bare foot or in socks, so they can feel the ground better. 

elaine amj

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #30 on: December 12, 2016, 11:40:11 AM »
I LOVED Robeez (and the equivalent knockoffs) when my kids were little. I actually organized semi-annual consignment sales back in the day and being a shopaholic deal hunter, ended up buying my son many, many more shoes than he could wear (thankfully for a sum total of $10-20). After trying multiple brands, I liked Robeez the best for flexibility, comfort, and "stay-on-the-foot"ness. I also liked that it was more of a bare foot feel for arch development. I got StrideRite fitted at the store for his older sister (first baby syndrome) and quickly discovered that we didn't like the whole structured shoe feel.

Knapptyme

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #31 on: December 12, 2016, 12:54:28 PM »
Bought way too many shoes for the first DS. (Think 4 pairs before 2.) Others are correct in stating that the kids don't wear them enough or wear them out to warrant their purchase.

Second DS currently has zero shoe purchases to his name. He is also the beneficiary of hand-me-downs, but even then, he's only worn shoes maybe ten times by 17 months. He went trick-or-treating barefoot. (He would not have tolerated shoes or socks, and it was a delightfully warm jaunt around the Florida neighborhood.)

If you can find them used, do it. If you can get them from friends or acquaintances, do it. When we did buy shoes new, it was at a big box store with the buy one get one 50% off deals with a coupon over a certain spending threshold. We got even better at life when we only bought a specific awesome sandal* in multiple sizes in one of these trips to maximize the purchase's longevity.

*Adidas Akwah

MayDay

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #32 on: December 12, 2016, 06:14:25 PM »
Until they grow out of Robeez, get one pair per size.

Around 2-3 years they outgrow them.  Get one pair at a time of Stride Rite early walkers that are super bendy (there are other similar brands- SKR for example- but SR is easy since every mall has one).  You want their foot to be able to move naturally.  The cheap shoes (Walmart, basic thrift store ones) are usually hard as a board.

Go to a regular Stride Rite or an outlet, get sized.  Get the right size to start.  Then just order whole sizes up (skip the half sizes) from Ebay or the like, used, whenever they outgrow a pair. 

They are only super expensive if you buy more than one pair at a time.  Both my kids wore one pair of tennis shoes all winter, one pair of sandals all summer.  They still do unless Grandma buys them more shoes.  If you buy the next size up on Ebay its 15$ every 6 months. 

I skipped boot until ~age 2.5-3 because they were so stiff and uncomfortable that my kids refused to walk in them.  I just carried them through the snow.  If they wanted to play in the snow I put a few layers of socks on and it worked fine (they wanted in after 10 minutes anyway). 

Once you do need boots, I highly recommend Bogs or similar (cheap on 6pm.com) as they are easy to get on and off, and work as both rain and snow boots, and are durable enough to hand down.

LiveLean

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #33 on: December 13, 2016, 10:57:41 AM »
We live in Florida. I'm not sure our guys had shoes until they were walking.

Seriously.

KS

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #34 on: December 13, 2016, 12:05:01 PM »
Our 13  month old has exclusively worn her one pair of DottyFish shoes so far and they've been great. (I hadn't heard of Robeez, looks like the same thing but American version. I'll have to see if the conversion from GBP and shipping costs come out with DottyFish still being cheaper or not when we buy our next size up.) Will depend on how much walking your kid does and in what environments though. For indoors and anywhere dry they are perfect and protect her enough without impeding the full movement of her feet. Now that it's getting rainy here we do need to get her a pair she can wear on wet ground though.

TomTX

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #35 on: December 15, 2016, 08:34:54 PM »
We live in Florida. I'm not sure our guys had shoes until they were walking.

Seriously.

Same here.

But that was at 8 months. Not cruising, not being helped to walk - solo walking around the house.

chemistk

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #36 on: December 16, 2016, 01:22:52 PM »
Our son seems to wear out shoes or out grow them faster than we can keep them on his feet! He's been walking since ~10 months and wore our 2 pair of Robeez within a few months. Unfortunately for us, the consignment stores don't have a huge selection of little boys' shoes (or other essentials). My wife goes about once a week to check things out and usually the shelves are pretty bare.

To compromise, our son has 4 pair of shoes - a "nice" pair that we keep clean to wear to Church/etc, a pair of quality cold weather boots, and two pair of sub $10 shoes (usually from walmart) - one pair of slip-ons for warmer weather and one pair of tennis shoes for all-around use. At the rate he's growing (already almost a size 7 at 20 months), we need to get new shoes every 6 months or so but it never costs more than $50 and often much less than that.

TomTX

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #37 on: December 16, 2016, 05:46:59 PM »
Our son seems to wear out shoes or out grow them faster than we can keep them on his feet! He's been walking since ~10 months and wore our 2 pair of Robeez within a few months. Unfortunately for us, the consignment stores don't have a huge selection of little boys' shoes (or other essentials). My wife goes about once a week to check things out and usually the shelves are pretty bare.

To compromise, our son has 4 pair of shoes - a "nice" pair that we keep clean to wear to Church/etc, a pair of quality cold weather boots, and two pair of sub $10 shoes (usually from walmart) - one pair of slip-ons for warmer weather and one pair of tennis shoes for all-around use. At the rate he's growing (already almost a size 7 at 20 months), we need to get new shoes every 6 months or so but it never costs more than $50 and often much less than that.

Do you let him scuff his feet all the time? I put a stop to that right quick, though I have occasionally to still remind him to pick up his feet. "But WHY?" "Because it might make you trip, and it wears out your shoes faster"

chemistk

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #38 on: December 18, 2016, 12:27:37 PM »
Our son seems to wear out shoes or out grow them faster than we can keep them on his feet! He's been walking since ~10 months and wore our 2 pair of Robeez within a few months. Unfortunately for us, the consignment stores don't have a huge selection of little boys' shoes (or other essentials). My wife goes about once a week to check things out and usually the shelves are pretty bare.

To compromise, our son has 4 pair of shoes - a "nice" pair that we keep clean to wear to Church/etc, a pair of quality cold weather boots, and two pair of sub $10 shoes (usually from walmart) - one pair of slip-ons for warmer weather and one pair of tennis shoes for all-around use. At the rate he's growing (already almost a size 7 at 20 months), we need to get new shoes every 6 months or so but it never costs more than $50 and often much less than that.

Do you let him scuff his feet all the time? I put a stop to that right quick, though I have occasionally to still remind him to pick up his feet. "But WHY?" "Because it might make you trip, and it wears out your shoes faster"

Unfortunately he started walking before we could really communicate that type of thing. Only last month did he reliably learn the meaning of no (and actually listening to it). He never wore out the soles, the uppers usually separate from the sole l, or holes wear in the top. His last pair of shoes had more superglue than stitching in them.

It would be great to let him play barefoot, but we have a large waterfowl population around here and therefore lots of duck and goose droppings.

Gin1984

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #39 on: December 27, 2016, 02:19:48 PM »
I worked at stride rite in college and the amount of parents who brought their children in because the orthopedic MD told them to was insane.  Bad shoes can cause a lifetime of damage or thousands of dollars to fix.  Don't buy crappy shoes.  Robeez and such if your kid can't go barefoot is THE best and then move to stride rites. Go to outlet, yes they are expensive given that kids out grow them every three months but trust me, it is worth it.  I still buy my daughter stride rites. 

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #40 on: December 30, 2016, 03:36:05 AM »
We have gotten lots of hand me downs, but find the ones given to us were ones that were barely used because they weren't comfortable to begin with!  So have to to buy shoes for their everyday. I do find the smaller the shoe size, the higher chance of finding shoes in great condition at thrift stores
 So if you have an early walker, best time to scope out your local thrift or consignment shops. Also, try amazon periodically. I havent been able to pinpoint when exactly, but randomly find stride rites for $10-15/pair. It can be tricky because the product page may show a huge range in prices like $9.99-54.99, and you have to click thru several sizes and style combinations to find the lowest price. And then find the lowest price is for the size you don't need, so that can get frustrating.

GuitarStv

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #41 on: March 12, 2017, 09:29:42 AM »
I worked at stride rite in college and the amount of parents who brought their children in because the orthopedic MD told them to was insane.  Bad shoes can cause a lifetime of damage or thousands of dollars to fix.  Don't buy crappy shoes.  Robeez and such if your kid can't go barefoot is THE best and then move to stride rites. Go to outlet, yes they are expensive given that kids out grow them every three months but trust me, it is worth it.  I still buy my daughter stride rites. 

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If one was really concerned about having children who develop correct/natural stride wouldn't it be better to keep them out of shoes entirely for as long as possible?  I've never seen any study indicating that wearing shoes is good for a developing child.

Gin1984

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #42 on: March 12, 2017, 09:32:31 AM »
I worked at stride rite in college and the amount of parents who brought their children in because the orthopedic MD told them to was insane.  Bad shoes can cause a lifetime of damage or thousands of dollars to fix.  Don't buy crappy shoes.  Robeez and such if your kid can't go barefoot is THE best and then move to stride rites. Go to outlet, yes they are expensive given that kids out grow them every three months but trust me, it is worth it.  I still buy my daughter stride rites. 

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If one was really concerned about having children who develop correct/natural stride wouldn't it be better to keep them out of shoes entirely for as long as possible?  I've never seen any study indicating that wearing shoes is good for a developing child.
Yes, you should keep them barefoot as much as possible as I said in my original comment but it is not possible to always do that especially during the formative years especially in places with actual winter.  During the times when they have to be in shoes, stride rite are the only ones designed for kids, not adults and robeezs are just a leather slipper.

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« Last Edit: March 12, 2017, 09:42:04 AM by Gin1984 »

ToTheMoon

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #43 on: March 12, 2017, 10:19:05 AM »
(Edit: Just a note - Pricing in links is Canadian dollars!)

We used Robeez in the summer and for the spring/fall/winter we swore by Padraig Cottage slippers https://www.padraigcottage.com/products/baby-slippers.  They are soft and warm, but also really breathable so are good almost year round.

Our first pair were a gift, and after that we did purchase them ourselves.  They are not cheap, but since they stay on, and do stretch, we were skipping sizes.  They got popular just as our kids were outgrowing them, and I see them at the thrift store frequently.

For wintery days, we used a Stonz overboot http://www.stonzwear.com/STORE/Shop-Booties/Department.aspx with the Padraig slippers underneath.  The Stonz boots are popular where we live, so finding used ones is easy.

Just as a mention, the Stonz boots for bigger kids are excellent.  They are shockingly lightweight (kids don't get so tired from tromping around in heavy boots), warm, and durable.  We live in a ski town and our kids wear them everyday about 6 months of the year. Highly recommend! 

« Last Edit: March 12, 2017, 10:20:55 AM by ToTheMoon »

Laura33

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #44 on: March 13, 2017, 06:59:55 AM »
Yeah, I remember the shock of this discovery -- they're so teeny, how can they cost *that* much.

I let kids go barefoot/in socks as long as possible and whenever the weather allowed.  And then I bought them the toddler StrideRites, the kind that are very flexible.  I have crappy feet (extremely high arches), so I figured there was a reasonable chance my kids would have the same, so this was one of the very few name brand items I sprang for.  The tradeoff is that I only ever bought them two pairs of shoes -- regular lace-ups that segued to tennies as they got older, and then sandals in summer and boots or some version of warmer shoe in winter.   

My kids also destroyed shoes (DD rubbed through every toe, DS I don't know what he does, they just basically disintegrate), so I was always looking for something cheaper.  Sometimes the $50 shoes lasted only 3 months -- but then the $20 shoes lasted only 1 month.  Plus both my kids ended up being sensitive to uncomfortable shoes (e.g., DD would pick a pair because they were sooooo cute and then never wear them).  So I always ended up back at StrideRite until the kids outgrew them.  Wasn't worth the continuing battle.

FLBiker

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #45 on: March 13, 2017, 09:37:55 AM »
Semiannual consignment sales often have the best selection. The fall ones are over for the year but maybe see if your area has a spring and summer one in February or March.

Yep, we're big believers in these.  We just hit our March one last weekend and got several pairs of shoes.  I also got a bunch of future sizes on sale at K-Mart for $5 a pair.  I think they were unloading "boat shoes" because it was winter, but I bought them several sizes up (and we live in FL).

Also, she didn't wear shoes until she was walking, and she doesn't wear them in the house (either barefoot or grippy socks).
« Last Edit: March 13, 2017, 09:39:32 AM by FLBiker »

kanga1622

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Re: Toddler shoes
« Reply #46 on: March 13, 2017, 09:54:45 AM »
My kids all had very narrow feet, which made them hard to fit. I swear by Stride Rite, which makes a reasonable variety of kids' shoes in narrow widths. The store we went with spent a lot of time fitting them and working to find them a shoe that they liked (and they would replace them if they found them uncomfortable a week later.)

Not cheap, but nicely made, and we only bought sneakers there. I bought dress shoes (which mostly got worn to church on Sunday morning) at yard sales in the summer.

I am going to totally agree with this. Both DH and I had "special" shoes as kids to correct foot/gait problems. We will buy any toy, clothes, and even cloth diapers used but shoes will ALWAYS be new for our kids. Once you wear a shoe, it starts to mold to your individual foot. Dealing with someone else's wear pattern is really not great when their little feet are growing so quickly and changing daily. We have two boys and they get one pair of shoes in the correct size that they wear for all occasions (sneakers) until they go to school. At that time they get a pair of snow boots also.

We use a Stride Rite store an hour away and they are awesome. We stop in any time we are in the area to have them quick size the kids' feet. They are honest and tell us if they truly need new shoes or if they still have growing room. We have purchased every pair of shoes for both my boys from that store and will continue to do so.
« Last Edit: March 13, 2017, 10:00:24 AM by kanga1622 »