Comments on: Ask Design Mom: Toddler Shoes

By: valerie

valerie — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 03:28:10 +0000

My oldest child is 3. If we did not recycle shoes by reusing them, we’d be broke! My daughter wore a pair of sun san sandles just like the picture above today in chocolate brown- $3 at a consignment sale and they looked like they had never been worn! They were 1 size too big compared to the other shoes she is in… and they stayed on her feet perfectly. We’ll get at least 2 years out of them! Can you imagine the amount of space kids shoes could take up in landfills if we did not reuse or recycle them somehow?

By: bettijo @ PagingSupermom

bettijo @ PagingSupermom — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 03:37:44 +0000

I agree. I think crocs are adorable on kids, and you gotta love shoes they can put on by themselves!

By: Shelby

Shelby — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 22:05:15 +0000

I am glad this was perfect timing! My kid just started complaining about his feet hurting in his sandels, and now we are shopping around for some stylish ones that will fit his feet.

By: Erin @ Letter Soup

Erin @ Letter Soup — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 02:49:00 +0000

For starters, they must be slip-ons, so we can actually make it out the door. We stick with Vans, Crocs, and something from See Kai Run/Eleven that can be worn with jeans or slightly dressier pants. (I only have boys.)
I like your boot suggestion!

By: Missy

Missy — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 23:06:24 +0000

My babies loved Robeez: http://www.robeez.com/. Adorable, long lasting, and the next best thing to being barefoot!

By: Tara J

Tara J — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:30:14 +0000

My boys each have 2 shoes:
1) crocs
2) Vincent shoes, they are stylish and super durable and great for dress up/ play.

I seem like if I buy the right size, the shoes will last 1 year and after that 1 year they are totally shot, so no hand me downs.

By: Kaylee

Kaylee — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 19:39:44 +0000

Salt water sandals are TIMELESS! I wore them when I was little and I JUST bought a pair for my daughters first birthday!

By: kimberly

kimberly — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:12:56 +0000

saltwater sandals are the best. I wore them every year as a little girl, and my little boys have a navy blue pair for sunday best. We do a versatile sandal for each boy–maybe a pair of keens scored at the Nordstrom Rack for $12. They are practically indestructible but can be worn with anything not too dressy (no weddings). Also converse slip on in a bright color, which I think look really great with a church outfit. This was our first year for flip flops and my pre-schooler loves them.

By: Bridgette

Bridgette — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 03:08:44 +0000

When my girls were little they ALWAYS had a pair of white saltwaters for summer. They also wore white leather keds. The beauty is they are both machine washable and dry in a flash in the summer sun.

On Sundays I would add white eyelet socks to the sandals. Clean and classic…win win:)

By: just

just — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 02:15:28 +0000

whats even better is that they come in our sizes too!
i want them so bad.
i like the keens a lot too though.

By: LP

LP — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 01:50:02 +0000

Oh no! No one mentioned Birkenstocks. Absolute must. Timeless, comfortable and great for the feet. We love them but hard to find in Canada in kids sizes. I also love Pom D’Api sandals for my girl. They come from France and are pricey but who cares? They’re only young once and now they will let us choose their clothing for them so I go for the gusto and love vicariously through them and their shoe collection.

By: maythi

maythi — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 23:16:40 +0000

Also, forgot to mention a great site for shoes at discounted prices. They have lots of Morgan & Milo, Willits, etc. it’s http://www.littlemonkeytoes.com – I have found shoes on the site for as low as $9.99. Shipping is quick and customer service is excellent.

By: EvaBabeDesigns

EvaBabeDesigns — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 18:20:39 +0000

I love dressing up Converse shoes with a little bling: http://evababedesigns.blogspot.com/2010/07/everyone-loves-little-bling-on-their.html

My favorite sporty shoes are Tsukihoski Shoes. These are anti-bacterial (with green tea infused in the sole), very sporty & comfortable. I buy one pair for each size for my daughter. We loved the hot pink & gold ones so far.
This site has the best prices:
http://www.6pm.com/tsukihoshi-kids-shoes-on-sale

By: Hannah Mackie

Hannah Mackie — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:35:32 +0000

I love Saltwater sandals and always wore them as a child. But the summer my daughter was 2 1/2 and my son was 6 months old, I bought her a pair of green Crocs. She wore them EVERYWHERE. The beach, church, the city, grocery shopping…everywhere. Not only did she willingly wear them, but she could put them on herself which turned out to be a huge time-saver when trying to get out the door. And if I couldn’t locate her in a sea of children, I would just crouch down and look at their shoes. I found her every time:)
Up until two months ago we’d been living in an area where there’s snow 7 months out of the year, so we would invest in a solid pair of winter boots and then great inside shoes for school, usually Geox. They really hold their shape and the kids never complain about blisters, so I’m guessing they’re pretty comfortable. Where we’ve moved to has no snow, but it rains pretty much all year round. Having grown up in this climate I know the winters are wet, cold, and pretty miserable, so I bought them each a pair of Bogs boots because they are temperature rated and water-proof. I’m hoping the kids don’t grow out of them before the winter is through!

By: Kaely

Kaely — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:47:12 +0000

I’m in the “no hand-me-down shoes” camp. Proper foot development is too important to risk it. When my son was a young toddler he usually only had one pair of shoes that fit him at any given point. I love Soft Star shoes. I think that their shoes look great with both casual and dressy outfits and that eliminated the need for more than one pair of shoes per season. Now he’s six and has several pairs of shoes that fit, 1 pair of tennis shoes, 1 pair of saltwater sandals, and 1 pair of crocs (we use them mostly as pool shoes). My one year old doesn’t have any shoes yet. She’s not walking yet, she probably won’t get any shoes until it’s cold enough to need socks and shoes on outside. I prefer to not put shoes on early walkers unless absolutely necessary. It’s much easier to walk barefoot.

By: Meredith

Meredith — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:37:33 +0000

Tried salt water sandals years ago for my first daughter. I was sucked in by the classic design and that they would wear well and go with everything. She and I hated them then. I tried them again for daughter #3 when shopping at Nordstrom and was reminded again why I hated them. Slick soles. No arch support. Oddly fitting ankle straps. Yuck.

Really my favorite sandals right now for my toddler are legacy ones from my now nine year old daughter. Elefantens. Can’t get them anymore – they became the company Umi. But I have bought the old designs on Ebay. They used to cost about $40 new and I have bought some new ones in the old designs on Ebay for $20.

By: Rebecca Weiss

Rebecca Weiss — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:29:25 +0000

I am terribly guilt-ridden, but I like sandals because toes poking out the front can be catergorized as cute somehow. Now, not so cute in loafers. Not sure what I’ll do come fall. JK! :-D

By: Kristi

Kristi — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:36:43 +0000

Thanks for the suggestion. The See Kai Run shoes are really cute and no more expensive than StrideRite.

By: melanie roepke

melanie roepke — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 12:56:31 +0000

We visit Nordstrom Rack twice a year (like a clearance store) and scour the racks for Vans and maryjanes in too-big sizes. Then I keep them in a bin until they fit. I don’t ever pay more than $20.
I also troll yard sales in the wealthy parts of town for gently used shoes (and clothes). I bought a pair of $80 Aster maryjanes for back-to-school for $10 (barely worn!).

By: Carla

Carla — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 12:55:13 +0000

What great advice from everyone! I buy the seasonal standards and then buy one time dressy shoes (especially during holiday season) at Target. Their shoes always fit my girls well and at under fifteen bucks a pop, I don’t feel bad getting shoes they’ll only wear once or twice. Now I need to take my own advice for kids and update my own shoe wardrobe!