If you have a walker.... And mooks

[christidee]

What kind of shoes do you have? Jake has been walking rather steadily for a week or so now, and the only shoes he has are soft baby ones for when we go out places. 

Is stride rite the only place for good, sturdy shoes for walking babies?

[laurack]

Soft shoes are what they should be wearing I believe. Matilda has been walking for over a month and I still put only the soft soled ones on her, we have Robeez.

I do have a pair of clarks first shoes that are semi firm soled, but I'm not sure when to put those on her as I've heard firm shoes are not good for them when they are new to walking?

I've also heard people raving about See Kai run lately.

[dixeedeluxe]

Edie started in Squeek Me shoes. She was a toe walker and that squeek brought her heel right down. Plus, her feet were REALLY small and REALLY fat (like tall). So no sneakers fit her. Robeez (and the like) never fit her ever. But, ones her feet got less tall, Target has been our go-to.

Adeline is in WalMart shoes right now. They are Edie hand-me-downs. But once her feet get less tall, she will probably also get Target shoes. Or, maybe, some Squeek Me shoes with the squeeker removed. I really loved them.

I would really love to get the girls some Livie & Luca shoes. But I can't justify the money.

[dixeedeluxe]

Feb 28, 2013 8:54:26 GMT -5 jamaicam said:

I hate this. I need to get A some shoes as he is using his walker and lives outside but I need to buy online as nowhere here sells soft shoes. He has fat feet (like tall ones) and they are fairly short (I know this as his aunt bought him some gap sandals and they are too tight at the top but too long) so I have no idea what size or style to get.

The only place here that measures shoes is a payless but all of their stuff seems so hard.

Sounds like he has feet like Edie. 

[laurack]

A friend of mine from the mothers group said her baby has fat feet and the see kai run shoes were what worked for them.

Matilda has small feet, she is in the robeez shoes labelled 3-6 months and her first walker shoes are still too big even though they are the smallest size that was available.

[christidee]

I have no idea what any of these brands are. I feel like a newb again. Off to do some googling.

[carawestt]

We went into Stride Rite yesterday and they had a really good selection. The lady we talked to was very knowledgable too. They have different "steps" of shoes, depending on the level walker your baby is. I still don't put real shoes on Lincoln, even when we are outside because I don't think they're necessary yet. But we did buy him a pair of soled shoes for his 1st birthday. We also got him measured at Stride Rite, which was a good thing to do. We found out he's actually a 3.5. When we got him measured at Payless, they said he was barely a 3. So that's good info to have to!

[bebeetmoi]

You should be able to bend the shoes for first walkes between two fingers. They are supposed to be SUPER flexible. Stride Rite has a great reputation for first walkers. I got DD's shoes from See Kai Run as per Charlie's recommendation and they are wonderful. 
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[dixeedeluxe]

I just remembered MIL took Edie to Stride Rite for her first shoes and they didn't have a fit for her!

[dixeedeluxe]

Have you looked at Skidders? I didn't know they made them smaller than a size4, but it looks like they do! These would probably work really well for him.

skidders.com/thomasfullspeedaheadxy3505.aspx

[dixeedeluxe]

Feb 28, 2013 9:58:25 GMT -5 jamaicam said:

Feb 28, 2013 9:48:43 GMT -5 dixeedeluxe said:

Have you looked at Skidders? I didn't know they made them smaller than a size4, but it looks like they do! These would probably work really well for him.

skidders.com/thomasfullspeedaheadxy3505.aspx

Thanks for the recommendation - that looks like it might work as something fairly safe to buy without trying on. Do you have any? If so, are they basically a sock with a good sole?

Yup!  I bought a pair for Edie after she got her cast off.  I needed something that was really soft on her heel because she had a gaping deep tissue wound from the pressure of her cast.  I got these, but they fell right where her wound was. 

They have a thick rubber sole that is very flexible.  I'm trying to think of something to compare it to.  Maybe like a bike tire?  That thickness and flexibility.  But definitely safe for outside walking.

[charlielove]

I like See Kai Run and their shoes are great for beginning walkers.

[greenkitty98]

I really like the Stride Rite shoes. We go to an outlet so they are cheaper.



Although for DS, his first non-Robeez shoes were actually Pumas. I can't find the ones that he had anymore, but they had super flexible bottoms, and he looked so cute.

[fusion]

I'm a huge see kai run fan. I always buy when they are half or more off though and get many sizes to get free shipping. They always need a pair of sneaker like shoes for every size and it has worked well so far with DS. I could never justify $40+ for a pair of baby shoes.