shoes for 5 year old

[flitters]

Hi,

We have been very happy with See Kai Run, and then Eleven Collection shoes up until this point, but now I'm looking for an alternative (long story) for ds.

Things we like: softness, velcro, navy blue, and styles that don't get phased out super quickly... ummm, yeah, mostly that.

Huge extra thanks if you know of a shoe that resembles this:
http://elevencollection.com/_product_46063/Martin

Thanks!
-T

[crl]

Well these are sneakers, so not exactly what you are looking for:

http://www.zappos.com/tsukihoshi-kid...youth-navy-red

But I really like these shoes. They are lightweight and flexible. And not only are they velcro, but one side of the tongue is sewn down so it can't get pushed down into the shoe. That makes it super easy for little kids to put on by themselves. And, huge bonus for me, they are machine washable!

Catherine

[flitters]

Thanks for the recommendation! There's a few styles of that brand that might work...

Please continue offering suggestions.

[mamazee]

We've liked the Tsukihoshi ones too, as well as Geox shoes.

[flitters]

So I was all set to buy the Tsukihoshi shoes, even with my son's approval (highly unusual) because he said they look fast.

Then, in the Zappos margin, he spotted a pair of shoes that light up and now is heart set on them:
http://www.zappos.com/stride-rite-so...vy-silver-ooze

I'm probably just going to get the Stride Rite ones for him (as he has never coped well with shoe change before, much less asked for new shoes), but does anyone know how soft and foot-healthy stride rite is? I just kind of want to know what I'm getting into here...

Thoughts anyone?

Thanks!

[scbegonias]

DS recently picked out a pair of Stride Rights, and I was surprised by how super flexible (in every way) they were. Plus, his are also machine washable (although, I've always machine washed Stride Rite sneaks.) I have to admit that I didn't try other pairs in the store...I was too happy that a two yo picked out a pair I liked on sale and just got out as fast as I could.

[crl]

DS' stride rights that light up are heavier and not as flexible as his Tsukihoshi's. That said we have shoe change issues here too and I'm fine with anything he'll actually wear!

Catherine

[flitters]

Thanks for the info! We bought the stride rite blinky shoes and hopefully they'll fit and not be too clunky. I'm definitely going to keep the Tsukihoshi's in mind for whenever the importance of the blinky feature fades, cause I'm sure they'll be more comfortable for him (he likes to be barefoot, or as close as possible - shoes are definitely a must hiking around blackberry brambles!).

I'm imagining the blinky shoes to be stiff as boards, but it sounds like they won't be that inflexible, so (hopefully) I'll be pleased when they arrive.

Thanks! New shoes for ds is a big deal - I appreciate the input!

[crl]

I think they'll be fine--definitely not stiff as a board. If you ordered from Zappos they have free returns so be sure to have your DS try them on and walk around for awhile inside. If he decides they are too stiff you can send them back! (But if he's like my kid, the blinky thing trumps the slightly stiffer and heavier thing. )

Catherine

[flitters]

Well, we've had the shoes for about 2 weeks now and he had them on his feet once, for about 3 minutes to see if they lit up differently if he stomped very hard in them. He loves them, as a toy (or a device, he says). He likes to hit them to the ground and watch them blink, but has absolutely zero interest in wearing them as shoes. The last time we got new shoes it took months before he'd wear them, but I was hoping his excitment for them might speed that up (his current pair is getting old and small quite quickly!).

Now I'm thinking of ordering another pair like Tsukihoshi I might just leave around the house for him to get used to - maybe slip them in under the radar a bit that way. I'm worried that the blinkers might be permanantly categorized as non-footwear. Not sure... I hope he just decides to wear them (but then again, he still refuses to wear any new footie pajamas besides the one pair he has very much outgrown...).

Has anyone else since stumbled into a shoe that resembles the Martin in my first post and is navy blue? I'm guessing not, so we'll probably just keep waiting to see what happens.

Thanks.

[RufusBeans]

Originally Posted by flitters

Huge extra thanks if you know of a shoe that resembles this:
http://elevencollection.com/_product_46063/Martin

Thanks!
-T

Maybe email Soft Star Shoes and see if they can make their Saddle in Navy Suede? http://www.softstarshoes.com/index.c...Product_ID=629 The do have regular leather in Navy too, but since the Martin Shoes are suade maybe this would work
here is their suede colors (scroll down) http://www.softstarshoes.com/index.c...Product_ID=638

[Mirzam]

At 5, my DS wore Bear Feet shoes. I used to buy them from J-Ray Shoes. I just did a search and they don't seem to have the selection the used to. Anyway, this was generally the style he wore, navy but no velcro, http://www.jrayshoes.com/item.asp?i=618&cat=9&sn=2.

[alexsam]

I was going to suggest Soft Star Shoes...

My son, though actually refuses to wear anything other than Merrell Mocs: http://www.shoebuy.com/merrell-jungl...ds/7096/104846

[flitters]

Yay - more ideas - thanks!

Hmmm... the Soft Star Shoes might be the closest yet. I'll see what dh thinks in terms of the leather/suede and thinner sole in terms of ds' likelihood of wearing them.

I like the look of the Bear Feet shoes (and I wish we had found those when we transitioned out of the previous shoes we wore whose name I forgot but were notable from the bright yellow sole) but the laces would be met with full protest. He wore black converse exclusively for a couple years until one day when both his pairs got wet and the Martin's were sitting there dry (unworn for at least 3 months, probably 6) and we needed to go somewhere, so he tried them out and liked the velcro enough so that after about a week of switching back to Converse, he has worn nothing else since. I'm kicking myself for not stocking up in all sizes once he liked them so much.

I would love to try a pair of the merrell's or similar, but I'm worried they'll be hard to slip on and then he'd NEVER wear them. I could probably find a used pair of something like that to at least see how easy they are to put on.

I was pretty excited about these until I realized they were canvas (and expensive for a canvas shoe, at that) and I think ds likes the warm feeling of suede at this point:

http://www.shoebuy.com/superga-2750-.../320557/685905

Hmmm... Still not sure what to do. I'd like to think he'll wear the blinky ones (which are stiffer than what he's used to, but softer than I thought they'd be which made me happy), but if I found a shoe that was close to the Martin's I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

Thanks for the ideas! (I'll post again if ds ever puts on the blinky shoes!)

[alexsam]

I dunno, but I can say that the Merrells are not hard to put on at all. In fact, the #1 reason that my DS likes them so much is that he can literally stuff his foot in them on the way out the door; he doesn't even need to sit down to put them on. He has no time for velcro even. Just kind of angles them, pushes down while sliding forward and he's ready to roll. AND they stay on snug and are not tight (and... are purple. And as you can start to see, I also have a 5 yr old boy with extreme shoe preferences). Even though they slip on so easy, they are really sturdy and good fitting little shoes, as my DS puts ANY pair through a trial by fire of tree climbing and rocks and wrestling and tag and all that and the shoes have always done a great job for him.

The Merrells are definately not "flexible" like See Kai Run or Soft Star, but they are certainly not "hard", and are comfortable and have worn great (we live in Colorado and are outside every day and one pair will last all year, puddles and mud and everything). We have Soft Star too, but DS prefers the Merrells even to them (he likes the bit of structure and support of the Merrells I think for rugged play, as he says the Soft Star are comfortable like slippers! I personally love the Soft Star, but when he is running out the door to play, his choice is purple Merrell 100%). And, if your DS becomes addicted to them like mine, they go all the way through adult sizes and there is even an "eco line" for kids called "Era" http://www.shoes.com/p-ec1102681.shtml . Of course, those are not purple, so that is unacceptable to DS .

I'd try to find a pair to try on IRL. They are not too hard to find at stores.

[klt]

I second everything alexsam says about Merrells. They worked so well for my nephew, I wanted my son to have a pair. His foot/heel is really narrow and he refuses to wear them I am so depressed! The back tab bugged him too---I imagine that softens up after wear, or maybe the older the kid, the less that bothers your achilles. Toddler Size 11 for a 4 year old may just not work for Merrells.

[alexsam]

You could always cut that ribbon thing on the back off...

[flitters]

OK, I'm sold. Not in the least because of the size range.

I'm going to order a pair of Merrells for ds (in size 11 - he's a little 5 - and he'll let me know if the tab thingy bothers him and I'll cut it off).

Hopefully they go on easily - that's going to be critical - but he'll flat out refuse to try on shoes so we'll go for the usual get-used-to-it-for-months-sitting-near-the-door approach.

Thanks again for all the input! I'll let you know what happens.

[arniflora]

ds has a pair of Merrills for his "indoor shoes" at school. He loves them for the exact reason you all have mentioned - super easy to put on all by himself. They are good quality, too.

[noobmom]

Did your DS wear the Stride Rites outside? If he only had them on for three minutes inside, I'd return them.

DS had a pair of Tsukihoshi sneakers and they were very nice--flexible and lightweight. I recently bought him a pair of Primigi shoes, which I had heard were a good brand, but they were much stiffer than I expected. He loves them though, so they're staying.