First Pair of Shoes

They really do not need shoes at that age unless they are walking outside.
I always liked Stride Rite shoes (the little white ones). I am an old fashioned
kind of girl. Robeez are great too.

until 2, they recommend the soft, flexible soles. the closer to barefoot feeling, the better. i liked pedipeds, but they are expensive. you can find lookalikes everywhere though. i always am looking online and usually can find last years designs on clearance. dont get caught up in the shoe because they will probaly get trashed anyway. at that crawling and walking stage, the shoes get use on top and bottom. just make sure the sole is flexible and not stiff. and then get a robeez type for when you will be indoors or going to grandmas house inside, or in the strollers. that way you wont wear out anything too soon by having alternates

i picked up a pair from walmart that has a hard sole. but mine has been walking since 10.5m- and barely wears shoes as it is. I hear that soft soles (like from srtide rite) are good for new walkers, but can be a bit pricey. good luck!

I'm a fan of Stride Rites for first shoes. They have several different styles for pre-walkers to runners, but all have flexible, lightweight soles. They are very good at properly sizing your child's foot and about guiding your shoe purchase. They're having a buy one, get one half-off sale, so you can buy a pair for now and a pair one size up, which is what I did when my daughter started walking.

Here is what our Pediatrician told us when our son was getting ready for shoes: "Don't listen to Stride Rite and their "proper foot formation" speech. All you need is environmental protection for now".

That being said, we have 2 kids with Fred Flintstone feet (1 wide, the other double wide - yes that is my daughter, poor thing), so we have to purchase many shoes at Stride Rite.

However, get she's willing to wear and doesn't trip over. We've had Crocs for the kids forever. I believe the first pair I found was a size 3 (knock-off brand). Water shoes were also great the first year for our son because they have really flexible soles and tend to be a little more snug on the feet.

I actually heard that barefoot is best for learning to walk, so that the child can feel how his foot works and use those muscles better and more deliberately. Obviously that's not always practical, so my pediatrician also recommended the Robeez or other soft soled shoes.
S.
PS get some good shoes for yourself too--you'll be chasing him! ;)

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Target has some good baby shoes - I think the brand is mini bobux??? Whichever brand you get, make sure the sole is completely flexible. They need to be able to feel every muscle grabbing the ground to learn properly. Pedipeds are the best, but they are somewhat pricey.

Keep her in Robies or some other soft leather soled shoe for as long as possible- even after she has been walking for a while. It is incredibly important to let their feet develop naturally, to allow them to discover their natural walking gait, and find their sense of balance. All of these factors are sent askew when you put a hard sole, or even soft rubber sole shoe on them. This is because it alters how they work through their foot. Our daughter ran all around the playground, climbed the play structure, and jumped in the leaves in her soft leather shoes- we only changed her to more formal shoes when it got cold and she needed some warmth.

Congrats that she's close to walking!!!