Baby's first walking shoes

I have some friends that believe it is very important to get the best
(most expensive?) shoes you can buy for the first pair of shoes your
baby will be walking in. As soon as their babies take their first
steps, they take them to a fancy shoe store to be measured and fitted
for shoes. I, on the other hand, have no problem buying shoes for my
baby at Target or Old Navy. Is it really important to have such
high-quality shoes for baby to learn to walk in when they probably won't
even fit him for for more than a few months? I know someone that spent
$41 (U.S.) on one pair of shoes!! I don't even spend that much on a
pair of shoes for myself. Does anyone have any links to articles on the
web about this topic?

Anna

"AnnaS" wrote in message
...
I have some friends that believe it is very important to get the best
(most expensive?) shoes you can buy for the first pair of shoes your
baby will be walking in. As soon as their babies take their first
steps, they take them to a fancy shoe store to be measured and fitted
for shoes. I, on the other hand, have no problem buying shoes for my
baby at Target or Old Navy. Is it really important to have such
high-quality shoes for baby to learn to walk in when they probably won't
even fit him for for more than a few months? I know someone that spent
$41 (U.S.) on one pair of shoes!! I don't even spend that much on a
pair of shoes for myself. Does anyone have any links to articles on the
web about this topic?

Anna


Its actually best if baby learns to walk barefoot. I have spent lots of
money on my children's shoes, for DD #1 I had an obsession for name brand
shoes, DD #2 wears orthopedics that cost over $100/pair and DD #3 has very
wide feet that warrant Stride Rites. But when they're learning how to walk,
my kids have all been barefoot.

In article ,
AnnaS wrote:

I have some friends that believe it is very important to get the best
(most expensive?) shoes you can buy for the first pair of shoes your
baby will be walking in. As soon as their babies take their first
steps, they take them to a fancy shoe store to be measured and fitted
for shoes. I, on the other hand, have no problem buying shoes for my
baby at Target or Old Navy. Is it really important to have such
high-quality shoes for baby to learn to walk in when they probably won't
even fit him for for more than a few months? I know someone that spent
$41 (U.S.) on one pair of shoes!! I don't even spend that much on a
pair of shoes for myself. Does anyone have any links to articles on the
web about this topic?

Anna


this is a seriously outdated view --- babies are best off walking
barefoot -- if they need shoes for protection [cold, rough surfaces etc]
then a flexible inexpensive shoe is good --given baby growth rates, the
less money spent the better

x-no-archive:yes


AnnaS wrote:

I have some friends that believe it is very important to get the best
(most expensive?) shoes you can buy for the first pair of shoes your
baby will be walking in. As soon as their babies take their first
steps, they take them to a fancy shoe store to be measured and fitted
for shoes. I, on the other hand, have no problem buying shoes for my
baby at Target or Old Navy. Is it really important to have such
high-quality shoes for baby to learn to walk in when they probably won't
even fit him for for more than a few months? I know someone that spent
$41 (U.S.) on one pair of shoes!! I don't even spend that much on a
pair of shoes for myself. Does anyone have any links to articles on the
web about this topic?

My mom had a thing about having shoes fitted properly and never
passing shoes down because all her older female relatives had terrible
feet with bunions (as she does too to a certain extent) due to
improper fitting shoes etc. When I was a kid it was considered unsafe
/improper not to have hard soled shoes for children as it was thought
that sneakers or soft shoes would 'ruin their feet'.

I am obsessive about shoes that fit properly, but I let my kids go
barefoot a lot, and I think the hard sole shoe thing has been
disproved by now. But that may be the root of your friend's thoughts.

grandma Rosalie

In ,
AnnaS wrote:

*I have some friends that believe it is very important to get the best
*(most expensive?) shoes you can buy for the first pair of shoes your
*baby will be walking in. As soon as their babies take their first
*steps, they take them to a fancy shoe store to be measured and fitted
*for shoes. I, on the other hand, have no problem buying shoes for my
*baby at Target or Old Navy. Is it really important to have such
*high-quality shoes for baby to learn to walk in when they probably won't
*even fit him for for more than a few months? I know someone that spent

Well, I think it depends on the baby. I know I bought my kids their first
shoes at Stride Rite for the simple reason that absolutely NO shoes at
Target or Old Navy or anywhere else I tried would fit them. They both have
very wide feet and very - gosh, I don't know what you call it. Tall feet.
The top of the foot, by which I mean the fleshy part which overlies the
metatarsal bones, is very thick. They are hard to fit.

--
hillary israeli vmd http://www.hillary.net
"uber vaccae in quattuor partes divisum est."
not-so-newly minted veterinarian-at-large

AnnaS wrote in message ...
I have some friends that believe it is very important to get the best
(most expensive?) shoes you can buy for the first pair of shoes your
baby will be walking in. As soon as their babies take their first
steps, they take them to a fancy shoe store to be measured and fitted
for shoes.

I just spent 40 U.S. bucks on my baby's first "real" shoes yesterday!
She has been walking for over a month and now needs to be able to walk
outside, so she does need shoes.

The reason I splurge on shoes for toddlers (this is number 3 for me)
is that I am not confident about fitting the shoes correctly myself.
And I have tried. With each of my kids, I tried buying cheaper shoes
at, say, the gap and target, and it just seemed like the babies had
trouble walking in them. IME, a new walker needs a shoe that is softer
than the typical "sneaker" but has more form than the typical "baby
shoe" you would buy in, say, the infant dept. at Sears. I buy at
Stride Rite, where I find the staff (who fits the baby for the shoes)
to actually be knowledgable about their product (imagine that!), and
where the "first walking shoes" seem just right to me (hardness-wise),
and I generally keep going back there for all shoe purchases other
than water shoes until the kids are old enough to be able to tell me
with some accuracy how a shoe feels -- usually around 4 YO. I do hate
spending so much money, but I feel I need to. YMMV of course

Nevermind wrote:

AnnaS wrote in message ...
I have some friends that believe it is very important to get the best
(most expensive?) shoes you can buy for the first pair of shoes your
baby will be walking in. As soon as their babies take their first
steps, they take them to a fancy shoe store to be measured and fitted
for shoes.

I just spent 40 U.S. bucks on my baby's first "real" shoes yesterday!
She has been walking for over a month and now needs to be able to walk
outside, so she does need shoes.

The reason I splurge on shoes for toddlers (this is number 3 for me)
is that I am not confident about fitting the shoes correctly myself.
And I have tried. With each of my kids, I tried buying cheaper shoes
at, say, the gap and target, and it just seemed like the babies had
trouble walking in them. IME, a new walker needs a shoe that is softer
than the typical "sneaker" but has more form than the typical "baby
shoe" you would buy in, say, the infant dept. at Sears. I buy at
Stride Rite, where I find the staff (who fits the baby for the shoes)
to actually be knowledgable about their product (imagine that!), and
where the "first walking shoes" seem just right to me (hardness-wise),
and I generally keep going back there for all shoe purchases other
than water shoes until the kids are old enough to be able to tell me
with some accuracy how a shoe feels -- usually around 4 YO. I do hate
spending so much money, but I feel I need to. YMMV of course

I second this. Although I do try to watch Stride rite for their sales, and
usually find shoes in the 25$-30$ range. For a new walker I wanted
a really bendable sole on the shoe, and could find those at Stride
Rite (the Target shoes always seemed so stiff). I then discovered
Nike sneakers for toddlers, which are great, very flexible. I keep
buying these same shoes for her as she grows. I've always been
able to find these for ~20$ on sale at places like Sears or Kohls.

Mary

The reason I splurge on shoes for toddlers (this is number 3 for me)
is that I am not confident about fitting the shoes correctly myself.

Ditto. I think I spend about $40.00 on the kids' first pair, or actually
until they are well into their 2nd year at which time their feet seemed to
change shape. I go to Stride Rite to have them fitted and I've always been
pleased with my purchase. Yes it's a lot but well worth it for my kids to be
comfortable. I still buy nicer shoes for them now but they can tell me if
it's comfy or not, and I have much better luck with pricier brands feeling
better on their feet. My son will flat out refuse to wear some of the
cheaper ones I've tried because they are too stiff, etc. And the same with
cheaper dressier shoes for my daughter but I have found great luck with Bear
Feet shoes, if anyone has heard of them, they are pricey but she LIVES in
hers!!

Kari

AnnaS wrote in message ...
Snip
Is it really important to have such
high-quality shoes for baby to learn to walk in when they probably won't
even fit him for for more than a few months? I know someone that spent
$41 (U.S.) on one pair of shoes!! I don't even spend that much on a
pair of shoes for myself. Does anyone have any links to articles on the
web about this topic?

Anna

I agonized over this too. As noted by the other posts - barefoot is
best when learning to walk. Sometimes barefoot is not possible b/c
it's cold. DS was an early walker. (10 months) He started out in the
Soft Shoe from One Step Ahead. These were great for learning to walk.
He wore them for approx. 2.5 months (from crawling to walking). DH
wanted him to have "real shoes." We went to JCPenney where the the
sales clerk knew NOTHING about children's shoes. She didn't even
measure his foot - she just guessed. All their toddler shoes had very
thick soles. DS could hardly stand much less walk in them. This was
the main problem I found - shoes with really thick bottoms don't work
for new walkers. Instead, I spent $25.00 for a pair of leather Bobux
shoes which were great! He could walk in them and they kept his feet
warm (can also be worn with socks). They are light and easy to put on
and they stay on. Then, about a month later, I found shoes ("real
shoes") at Baby Gap that have a very plain, thin, flat sole. They
were $6.99 (sale). At first DS seemed unsure about walking in them
but he soon took off. At 14 months, he's still wearing this type of
shoe and I bought the next size up so I plan to keep him in this shoe
for a while longer. I love them.
HW

AnnaS wrote:
Is it really important to have such
high-quality shoes for baby to learn to walk in when they probably
won't even fit him for for more than a few months?

Babies should learn to walk barefoot, as it promotes good arch development.
I would only use, for a child under 2, soft leather shoes that mimic
barefootedness, like Robeez, Buskins, etc. Cheap shoes from discount stores
might seem like a better budget choice, but bone development in these early
stages is very important.


--
tristyn
www.tristyn.net
"i have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.
i do not think that they will sing to me."