Shoe shopping - frustrated and confused!

[Everrgreen]

Hey all,
So I bought DS his first pair of 'real' shoes today (he has worn Robeez soft soles). I went with Stride Rite soft motion shoes, they are the softest I have found that still have a waterproof sole (I had also been considering Robeez mini shoez, but they didn't seem entirely waterproof and everything else seemed too firm imo). He technically isn't walking yet, but it will be any day now I'm sure (he will walk holding my hand). Anyway, I'm feeling some major buyers remorse. I'm just not sure if I made the right choice. Should he still be in Robeez soft soles? Also, he has narrow feet, and I'm worried that these shoes are too wide (they are 'medium' width, but they still look wide compared to his feet, but then all the shoes I've looked at seem wide compared to his feet. And I'm worried that I should have bought a half size bigger. The lady at the store said these fit him perfectly, which is good for a new walker, but they were so expensive that I like the idea of them lasting a bit longer, but I don't want them too big that they impact his walking. And then I'll probably get him sandals for the summer (June), so how much will his feet grow in 3 months?
Ugh, seriously, I'm up right now and I can't sleep because I'm stressing over this. What is wrong with me!??!

I should add that I do tend to have buyers remorse over lots of things, so maybe I need to work on that!

[Chloe'sMama]

DD was in robeez until at least 18 months and did great! She hated stride rite when I tried them and I had to take them back.

My dd would walk through our grass right after the rain or sprinkler and her feet stayed nice and dry with the robeez.

[Toposlonoshlep]

How about Preschoolians? They are light, soft, and pretty sturdy. Plus, you can remove the sole to see how the foot fits inside as it grows and there are 3 different kinds of insole inserts, for narrow to wide foot.

http://preschoolians.com/?gclid=CJiH...FekD5Qodih_IVg

[alegna]

IMO new walkers should be in shoes so soft that they crumple in you hand (when they MUST wear shoes, barefoot better) I keep mine in shoes that soft until at LEAST 18 months. Between 18mo and 2.5 I keep as many crumple-able shoes as possible and add in a few SOFT soles where needed. Personally I never found any striderites I'd consider. Until at least 3 I won't buy kids shoes unless I can EASILY bend them in half with one hand.

-Angela

[Everrgreen]

Well, the striderites I bought are very flexible (I can bend them in half with just 2 fingers), they are meant to be for babies who are still crawling but also starting to walk a bit. But they aren't as soft as Robeez, which can literally be scrunched into a ball. In the house he is barefoot, so shoes are just for when we are going out and I'm hoping that soon he'll be walking a bit so I can put him down in the grass/sand at parks etc. I wish I could find the Robeez mini shoez somewhere, all I've seen are the soft soles.

I suppose I could get him a pair of Robeez and keep the striderites for when more protection is needed. Hmmm.... So much to think about!

[stephanie95]

We live in the country with grass and gravel. I buy my kids shoes with soles and rubber boots for outside. The gravel hurts through Robeez soft soles. Plus some days we have loads of mud. I really like the shoes by See Kai Run. I think their soles are more flexible than the Robeez soles (used to be Tredz but can't remember what they call them now). My DD loves them.

Kids' feet can grow very strangely. I find my kids tend to linger in a size and then race through one or two and then linger again. I would say use the ones you bought for when you need more protection. Don't buy them too big because that causes tripping and can be very frustrating for a new walker as well as mom. You will want to keep an eye on any shoes you buy to make sure as baby grows the toes still have adequate room. I like the sound of the shoes mentioned by the pp with the removeable insoles to check the growth. I am going to have to look for those.

[Peony]

We just do soft soled until about 18 months. I find that it doesn't matter if they have a pair of harder shoes because I still end up carrying the toddler all over the place when we are out and about. When we go to parks, they run around in soft soled shoes. And his feet could grow a lot in 3 months! When DD2 was that age she went up 3 sizes in 3 months, by 6 months she went up another size. And then didn't grow again for a year.

[4Jet]

what about see kai run, pedipeds, Robeez with treads, pedoodles or preschoolians? I've never found a pair of Stride Rite shoes I've liked.

[not_telling]

I'm feeling totally confused about sizing, too. DS has been wearing the same pair of size 5 shoes from Target (the ones with the very flexible rubber sole) since the fall. I am pretty sure that his feet have grown in this time (like, a cm or more), and yet the shoes still seem to fit the same as always (still enough toe room).

There are some See Kai Run shoes that are on sale right now that I'd like to get for him for next fall/winter. I'm trying to guess at what size would be appropriate for 6 months from now. Is that really dumb of me? According to their size chart, he'd be a size 7 right now (that would include ample toe room), so I was thinking of getting him a size 8 (an additional 1 cm) for 6 months from now. Should I go for it? (sorry to hijack your thread, OP)

[Everrgreen]

Yeah, the sizing is so confusing. DS's robeez are only a 6-12 month, but he has definitely grown out of them. His new striderites are a size 4.5 and they really fit well. Today I went to look at new Robeez and they are so much bigger! Did the sizes change recently? The 12-18 month ones were HUGE on him, and the 6-12 month ones fit him, even though the 6-12 months he currently has are too small The Robeez mini shoez seem to fit a bit snugger (in the width), but the store I went to only had 1 boys style and only in a size 4 which was just a bit too small, and they only had a size 5 in a pair of the girls styles, which I did try on him just to see, and they fit well. So if I could find some Robeez mini shoez that I liked in a size 5 that would be a good choice for him. But nobody seems to carry them!

So anyway, I'm feeling better about the striderites. They really are extremely flexible. They are actually quite similar to the Robeez mini shoez (a bit firmer, but not much). And they fit him so well, compared to the new Robeez (which seem a lot wider). I think I'll stick with what I've got for now.

I hope shoe shopping gets easier someday because I don't want to be stressing over shoes like this for the next 18 years!! I guess once he can talk it will be easier. Hopefully...