Shoe suggestions for an early walker with a high instep?

[LightForest]

My daughter (12 months) is just beginning to walk well on her own and I am just beginning to think about getting her some shoes that will provide a bit of warmth and protection this winter. Her feet seem to have a regular width but a very high instep. I'd appreciate any suggestions on shoes that might work well for her this winter!

So far I've only had her in Soft Stars and Livie and Lucas. The Soft Stars (classic style with laces) in size 4 are working well for us now, but I'm concerned that the next size up won't work with the added thickness of socks in winter because of her high instep. I hate to pay the extra $$ for the "design your own" option (with more room for instep), but maybe I'll have to!!

The Livie & Lucas, btw, were too tight in height though they fit with room to spare in width and length. I actually ended up returning them because of the poor fit and craftsmanship :(

I searched the discussion archives but didn't find much. Can anyone share their experience with getting a good shoe fit on thick (but not wide) feet???

[chel]

My dd really liked her target brand robeez boots.

[LightForest]

Originally Posted by chel 

My dd really liked her target brand robeez boots.

How was the fit of the elastic around the ankle on those? I had a pair of the Soft Star moccasins for her in size 3 (similar to Robeez), but they were always difficult to put on and I finally just moved her up to a bigger size because the elastic made them so tight (even though she still had toe room to spare).

[Lazurii]

I would suggest a minimalistic shoe.  My daughter started walking at 10 months and does much better without shoes.  My kids are 95% barefoot now, but I'm looking towards winter and what to do.  I've found two tutorials on making your own shoes.  They can be made to accommodate thick wool socks for winter.  Here's the one that shows how to create the shoe pattern.  Here's the blog that shows how she adapted it for her young daughter.  I hope this helps!

[MJB]

We had the Target soft-soled boots last winter and have some for this year, too. I think the elastic might be too tight on chubby ankles. The brand of soft-soles that seem to be the loosest on the ankles are Bobux.