Baby Shoes

It is best to let there feet be free until they start walking. Less restriction the better. I bought my son Robeez. They do not restrict and get them started on the idea of having something on their feet. Also works when it is cold outside. They are not for running in the rain or snow. Mostly indoors. You can get them at Nordstroms for the same price as online. Also a girlfriend told me Target has some knock-offs that are almost exactly the same.

My little one is starting to try and get around himself so I know what you're feeling! If you get any good advice I would be curious to hear it as well, if you don't mind forwarding it on to me! I had always heard, when they are learning to walk shoes are for appearance more than anything and they should learn to walk barefoot first. When they get good at that, then you try shoes occasionally. But I wouldn't know what kinds to recommend. Good luck and thanks! Angela

Hi B.,
I thought I'd reply since just today I bought my son his first pair of "real" shoes. Well, he's actually had other pairs. Here's how I broke it down, but first I'll add that Jaden didn't start crawling until almost 9 months and he started walking at 12 months:

- Jaden wore socks up until he was almost 11 months\
- At 10 months I bought him some little tennis shoes thinking he'd need them. I think he wore them once. :o(
- At 11 months he wore sandals (it was summertime). I bought him some Robeez shoes too and those were great. Almost like socks, but made of durable leather. He wore those all the time!
- After 12 months an walking, I bought him a larger pair of Robeez sandals and he wore those almost every day.
- Now he is 15 1/2 months and the weather is getting cooler so he needs something a little warmer. Plus, we go hiking a lot in the Fall and Robeez don't protect the bottom of the feet from rocks and sticks, etc. so today I bought a new pair of StrideRite tennis shoes and we are ready for the outdoors!

In a nutshell, I wasn't as concerned about shoes until he was truely walking around and doing it outside. That's when I figured the shoes were required! Otherwise, socks were fine!
Good luck!
B.

Hi B.,
I have been told no shoes is best unless the surface or area is not safe/sanitary for the child. Going barefoot strenghthens the muscles in their feet, so unless there is a reason he should wear shoes while creeping around the furniture, I would go barefoot. I have had my daughter wear shoes when we go outside (even though sometimes I have her walk barefoot in the grass) and when we go to public places and I think she may want to walk.

We found shoes at Payless---we looked for ones that the sole was rubber and not too stiff that we could not bend the sole. You don't want them too stiff; yet you need a good sole for protection, so we steered clear of the 'cardboard' type of shoes.

Hope this helps. It is exciting your lil' guy is cruising already. Mine did early too. She is a full-walker and just turned 10 months Monday. She started taking independent steps just prior to turning 9 months. I don't think I was ready for that.

Let me know if I can help....kind of new at this myself, so if you hear any good advice please share.

K.

B.,
I read and followed what the "what to expect" authors wrote...no shoes until they are walking - better for building strong arches. And soft soled shoes to start...my son is 15 months old - and LOVES ROBEEZ. You can check out their website - I buy from Ritzy Kids Furniture in w Plano @ the tollway & Park - I found they have the best price - and Angie the manager will order in what you want. Hope this helps!
L.

I have always read that babies do not need to wear shoes until they start walking. If your child is already "traveling" along the furniture, it might not be a bad idea to start. That is when I started my daughter (now 11) in shoes.

I have always read and heard that babies shouldn't wear shoes until they are walking outside. With bare feet they are able to grip the floor and learn to balance better. I didn't put my first son in shoes until he was stable enough to walk by himself outside (where he really needed to protect his feet). Our younger son is cruising around the furniture and I let him go barefoot all the time as well. He is 10 months and wore shoes for the first time because we were going to the park to enjoy the cool weather. Good luck!

Stride Rite is your best bet for baby shoes. I do know that there is one inside Stonebriar Mall in Frisco, which would be close to you. The experts there can give you advice on when to start wearing them, but I believe they told me to start them as early as the child was wanting to pull-up on things...Good luck to you!

Naked feet are best from what I have read/heard and I did this with my first. Even when they are walking, if they are inside they should not be wearing shoes. For the first pair of shoes I would splurge and go to Stride Rite because they will measure and have special shoes just for new walkers. They also have half sizes which many toddler shoes do not come in. If Stride Rite is too expensive look for a brand called Munchkin which is a less expensive division of Stride Rite. After that just look for shoes that have flexible soles (you should be able to bend them).

Wow, 5 1/2 months and has mastered crawling...you are in TROUBLE!

Everyone you talk to is going to have a different opinion, so my advice is do what feels right to you.

Here's what I did: My peditrician said shoes are only necessary to protect the feet (weather, water, rocks, etc.) I've read that babies learn best how to walk barefooted or with soft soled shoes. I used Robeez (found at Nordstrom) on my son and was completely happy. (http://www.robeez.com/) They are leather shoes with a soft suede bottom that just protects their feet and helps provide more traction. Now that my son is 1.5 yrs old, I have him in Stride Rite shoes. He's now running all around indoor and out.

Good luck.

check out preschoolians.com...they have a lot of good information on shoe-wearing for children. They also have a lot of cute shoes. We're only going to do soft-soled or bendable soles for the first 5 years of his life- much better for the feet. No clunky rigid soles. You can get used preschoolians on ebay, too.