[guerrillamama]

I am so frustrated. Hoping y'all can help me find the perfect summer sandal for 18 mo T-Bone, cuz I am out of ideas. Here are the requirements:

Sole -
Obviously I need a very flexible sole, but not as thin as a Robeez type sole. Now he wants to walk everywhere, and we live in the city, so that means pavement, broken glass, random garbage, who knows what. I'm just not comfortable w/ that thin glove leather anymore. Right now he has L'amour sandals which have a very flexible rubber sole and I really like these but haven't seen this type of sole on any other shoe. Yesterday we went to Macy's and spent over an hour trying on every Stride Rite sandal, and they all had such thick, inflexible soles! There has to be something in between, right?

Width -
My baby has the fattest feet in the world. Don't say Buskins Sandoolz, they're much too narrow. These L'amour sandals almost fit, but they are still just a little too tight. He really needs something that comes in wide sizes (like stride rite).

Ankle -
Can't have ankle straps, it makes his eczema worse.

Any ideas, please?

 

[jenaniah]

What about something by Bear Feet Shoes like this http://www.bestdressedchild.com/befeshboorgi.html

Theya re pricey but worth it...they are very similar to the L'amour shoes you have (saw the pic in the nurse-in thread). I'm not sure how their width runs though.

Another shoe I've heard good things about is See Kai Run like this

http://www.seekairun.com/marek.php

They have the brown Danny style here http://www.tuttibella.com/see-kai-run-shoes.html

Ecco's are usually very flexible (another priceier option) so maybe something like this http://store.nordstrom.com/product/p...tyleID=2861069

So are Umi Kids (they used to be elefanten) http://www.zappos.com/n/p/dp/4971703/c/494.html

Hope this helps some

 

[sweetfeet]

Look at stride rites natural motion line. They are made for walkers but the soles are then and super flexible. Try to find a free standing SR store as they are more likely than the dept stores to carry that line.

 

[guerrillamama]

jenanaiah - those see kai run shoes are like the cutest thing I have ever seen in my life. unfortunately there's no retailer in NY. I just emailed a couple of online stores tho...

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetfeet Look at stride rites natural motion line. They are made for walkers but the soles are then and super flexible. Try to find a free standing SR store as they are more likely than the dept stores to carry that line.

oh, I saw these at Macy's but only in infant sizes, so I assumed they only came in those sizes! I just checked the website and I see they do come in bigger sizes, so that's a possibility.

 

[akelae]

I had a similar problem with finding a sandal without a rock hard sole. We went to LL Bean today (I'm sure they're also available online) and got a pair of their sandals for toddlers. The sole is pretty flexible though not as flexible, obviously, as the Robeez. The velcro makes for a nice snug but also adjustable fit. And the price wasn't too bad (20.00). Worth checking out. My 1 1/2 year old seems content with them!

 

[megincl]

we got some soft star shoes for DS last year. He has majorly tall (chunky in height and width) feet. I talked to the owner/shoemaker in person to explain about Quinn's feet. All shoes from them are custommade and the sole is very thin and flexible, yet also sturdy. I'd definitely recommend them, and their turnaround time was really fast (a week or less, I think), which was surprising for something custom-made. I think they probably cost about as much as some stride-rites (30 bucks or so....but I'm not too up on sandal costs).

good luck!
megin

 

[PancakeGoddess]

yea, I think soft star sandals are a great choice - the sole material is called "crepe" whatever that is, but it's totally flexible - can bend in half - but much more protective than leather. I like wearsthebaby.com, and you can ask for special measurements.

 

[sugarbeth]

http://www.preschoolians.com

Their toddler shoes have a thin rubber sole.

I just ordered some of these for Toby's fat feet. Hopefully they work. If not, their return policy looks wonderful.

 

[mamaroni]

another vote for preschoolians. Karis just grew out of 2 pair and I ordered a new pair. super flexible, but safe for outdoors, very cute styles (several from which to choose) and excellent customer service/awesome return policy. I also have a pair of tennies for Chan that we

I have 2 new pair on the way

 

[sbmama]

Another preschoolians fan here. I would get the sandal version for summer, though. We have the sneaks and they get pretty toasty.

Heidi

 

[polka hop]

*

 

[jstar]

see kai run shoes sound PERFECT for your ds. thin flexible sole and they are super wide. i bought the marek sandals that fit my ds in length but they're kind of floppy because his feet aren't wide enough

they are a little spendy - $28. but very nice shoes. they have sneaker styles and sandals for boys. they velcro around the ankle but it isn't very high up on his ankle. just like normal shoes. not sure where the eczema is.

see the styles here:
http://www.tuttibella.com/see-kai-run-shoes.html

we bought the 'marek' sandal which looks a lot like the danny sandal but is navy with white zigzag stitching. (not shown here)

 

[ChloesMommy]

www.groups.yahoo.com/group/babyshooscoop is finishing up a coop on www.pedoodles.com Maybe you can squeeze an order in? Only $13 for the pre walkers and $15 for the walkers and $1 shipping to the coop runner and then shipping to you. They look super durable, and I've heard they are wide.

 

[guerrillamama]

I went ahead and ordered preschoolians. They are so expensive and not nearly as cute as see kai run, BUT he's still so new to walking, I want him to have the most flexible sole possible. Hopefully his next pair of shoes will be SKR. Thanks for all the great suggestions, everybody!

 

[425lisamarie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by guerrillamama I went ahead and ordered preschoolians. They are so expensive and not nearly as cute as see kai run, BUT he's still so new to walking, I want him to have the most flexible sole possible. Hopefully his next pair of shoes will be SKR. Thanks for all the great suggestions, everybody!

I just wanted to tell you DS has THE chubbiest tallest feet, and preschoolians are great for him!

 

[weebitty2]

why not try toddler-sized tevas? I know they make them.. i've seen them at EMS, but I can't for the life of me remember how much they were.

our dd's feet are WAY too fat for the l'amour sandals (anyone want a sz6 pair?) but she does fine in tevas, and in converse all-stars.