Shoes

[Dov'sMom]

So DH is at StrideRite getting my two toddlers measured. The lady says DS1 is measuring right at 10, so his current (size 10) shoes are already too small b/c his toe would be hitting the shoe. So we should buy 10.5. She agrees that under this logic of shoe buying, we'd be buying new shoes every 3-4 months.

Does this sound right to you? Wouldn't it make more sense to buy 11 and give him 6 months in the shoes? Will that hurt him?


Also, second question, both DSs have wide feet. Are there any other shoes we can get besides Stride Rite? Their soles are so stiff.


ETA: FWIW, DSs are 37 and 23 months respectively, and both were walking by a year. So not new walker.

[tbone_kneegrabber]

I often find when I buy a shoe a full size too bigger ds trips a lot more, until the shoe is only a 1/2 size bigger.

[farviadix]

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Edited by farviadix - 2/13/12 at 7:05am

[JBaxter]

3-4 months is about right on shoe buying. I do a thumb nail at the end of the shoe any more than that they get to floppy and can rub blisters. Some shoes run big ( some small) If they are measuring a 10 then go 10 1/2 but check how much room you have at the end of the shoe.

[nerdymom]

I say go with the 11. My mom always bought our shoes 1 size bigger, we never had any problems.

[SparklingGemini]

Strider Rite=ICK!

I cannot stand them for kids. I wouldn't even put most of their shoes on MY feet.

I think you have options; See Kai Run, Pedipeds, Preschoolians, Pedoodles, Robeez. I'm pretty sure most of those have toddler and bigger sizes.

We also like Converse for everyday, running around, usage. The soles are too thick for new walkers but I think they're great for runners because the soles is pretty flexible.

As for the sizing, I rarely size up on DD because she tends to stumble too much and lose her balance too easily with bigger shoes. So far, for her, we've only gone through 2 sizes a year. And its really like one size lasts her about 9-10 months. I cannot see getting new shoes every 3-4 months and I don't trust Stride Rite people to be honest about the size and not telling me something because they want me to buy more shoes.

[Artichokie]

I bought a pair of stride rite sneakers for my dd (24 mo) and they started falling apart 3 mo after purchase. I called them to find out what their warranty is, since the sneakers still fit fine, and they told me the life of their shoes is designed to be 2-3 mo and I was S.O.L.

[Dov'sMom]

Originally Posted by SparklingGemini

Strider Rite=ICK!

I cannot stand them for kids. I wouldn't even put most of their shoes on MY feet.

I think you have options; See Kai Run, Pedipeds, Preschoolians, Pedoodles, Robeez. I'm pretty sure most of those have toddler and bigger sizes.

We also like Converse for everyday, running around, usage. The soles are too thick for new walkers but I think they're great for runners because the soles is pretty flexible.

As for the sizing, I rarely size up on DD because she tends to stumble too much and lose her balance too easily with bigger shoes. So far, for her, we've only gone through 2 sizes a year. And its really like one size lasts her about 9-10 months. I cannot see getting new shoes every 3-4 months and I don't trust Stride Rite people to be honest about the size and not telling me something because they want me to buy more shoes.

Are any of these good for wide feet?

re: sizing up, my DSs have huge feet comparatively speaking. 3 yo DS is 10.5 and 2 yo DS is 9 -- none of their friends come anywhere close. They also do seem to grow very quickly, as I did. I wore a size 9 woman's shoe when I was 8, and that was when my foot growth slowed down -- I still put on another size every year until I hit 13.

[Lynn08]

I work at a children's shoe store (not Stride Rite) and have had extensive training both from my company and the different shoe manufacturers.

Here's the deal. When buying new shoes, there should be about a thumb's width between the big toe and the end of shoe (this equals about a half size). You can go bigger (no more than a full size) as long as the child is walking ok in the shoe - foot not sliding out (which can cause blisters since the skin is so delicate), no tripping, not kicking with each step, etc.

Now, you should get their feet measured about every 3 months (and make sure BOTH get measured because it is normal for them to be different sizes and you want to fit the bigger foot). It does not mean that they need new shoes every time, but they may (for example, my 17mo dd was the same size for almost 6 months, then grew almost 2 sizes in less than 2 months!). While I also question SR's integrity and training policies (and not just because they're the competition ) they were being honest-ish about this.

And speaking of SR's integrity, they tell everyone that they need a wide shoe because SR charges more for the wider widths. Now, most children (esp the little ones) do have a wider foot, but a good children's shoe brand will take that into account and have a wider shoe as their standard. See Kai Run, PediPeds, Tsukihoshi, and Jumping Jacks are all very good for wider feet (and JJ's even come in wide widths for the super-wide foot). And I see children of all sizes, so I don't think your lo's feet are all that unusual - a tad on the bigger size perhaps, but not uncommon.

Lastly, I just want to say that the foot measurement is just a jumping off point. Each brand (and even different styles of the same brand) has a different fit (as a pp said). the best thing to do is find a style you like and keep trying on shoes until you find what works best for the child, regardless of what the size actually is.

Whew, that was a bit longer than I thought it would be. I hope it helps!

[JBaxter]

Originally Posted by Lynn08

I work at a children's shoe store (not Stride Rite) and have had extensive training both from my company and the different shoe manufacturers.

Here's the deal. When buying new shoes, there should be about a thumb's width between the big toe and the end of shoe (this equals about a half size). You can go bigger (no more than a full size) as long as the child is walking ok in the shoe - foot not sliding out (which can cause blisters since the skin is so delicate), no tripping, not kicking with each step, etc.

Now, you should get their feet measured about every 3 months (and make sure BOTH get measured because it is normal for them to be different sizes and you want to fit the bigger foot). It does not mean that they need new shoes every time, but they may (for example, my 17mo dd was the same size for almost 6 months, then grew almost 2 sizes in less than 2 months!). While I also question SR's integrity and training policies (and not just because they're the competition ) they were being honest-ish about this.

And speaking of SR's integrity, they tell everyone that they need a wide shoe because SR charges more for the wider widths. Now, most children (esp the little ones) do have a wider foot, but a good children's shoe brand will take that into account and have a wider shoe as their standard. See Kai Run, PediPeds, Tsukihoshi, and Jumping Jacks are all very good for wider feet (and JJ's even come in wide widths for the super-wide foot). And I see children of all sizes, so I don't think your lo's feet are all that unusual - a tad on the bigger size perhaps, but not uncommon.

Lastly, I just want to say that the foot measurement is just a jumping off point. Each brand (and even different styles of the same brand) has a different fit (as a pp said). the best thing to do is find a style you like and keep trying on shoes until you find what works best for the child, regardless of what the size actually is.

Whew, that was a bit longer than I thought it would be. I hope it helps!

Thank you for this post..
I do have striderites for Jack right now because we dont have any place local that sells Jumping Jacks pedipeds or See Kia runs. Jacks feet ARE wide as was all my boys at toddlers ( really the looked square for a while LOL) I'd love to fine someplace that sells them but we are kinda stuck with Stride Rite for now. I do regularly check where his toes are and after 4 kids I just measure him my self at the store

[seawind]

Lynn, (OP:if I may divert the thread a little), can you suggest which brands are best for narrow feet? Thank you!

[4Jet]

DD has wide feet and See Kai Run fit her perfect. The ones I found run narrow are the Pediped Flex.

[MeAndVee]

DS has Tsukihoshi shoes. He LOVES them. They are light and flexable and durable. Some people do complain that they loose their newness look too quickly, but they are KIDS shoes they are going to get scrapped up and dirty. You can machine wash them and air dry them and that helps keep them looking fresh. I paid $50 for them at Zappos so they are pricey but no more than SR shoes.

[JBaxter]

I guess Im spoiled. We have a stride rite outlet. I used to get the Robeez for 14.99 and Ive never paid more than 19.99 for any of my boys shoes till they were out of elementary school