Toddler Sandals

We have had a lot of luck with See Kai Run. You can get them at Nordstrom, or you can go to their website online. Both of my kids love them.

Crocs, crocs, all the way. We have a CRocs outlet here, and all the kids love them. They can wear them in water, with or without socks, transitional weather, etc, and they don't break down. DON'T make the mistake of going off-brand though. They are NOT the same! Buy Crocs.

ETA: To the couple of moms who said Crocs cause tendon and ligament damage-there is no evidence that this is the case, although podiatrists recommend that anyone standing for 8-10 hours with no breaks wear a more supportive, measured-to-fit shoe. Crocs are perfectly fine for day to day casual wear of any normal kid who's outside for an hour swinging, running errands with mom, slipping them on to go poolside, etc. If you are looking for a scapegoat for the tendon and ligament issue, its flipflops. Silly mommies!

Payless shoes, has water shoes.
Here is the link:
http://www.payless.com/store/

Just type in the search word "Toddler water shoes."
It is very reasonable.
Here in Hawaii, MANY of the kids here get their water shoes from Payless.
My kids have these too.
It is fine and not stinky.
They have the "Airwalk" brand.
It is made of breathable materials, much like what surfer wet suits are made of.
With these water shoes, the kids use it for the beach, or walking on the reef or rocks, and even go hiking in it. It is very useful and most all kids have this, in Hawaii, where there is beach everywhere.

If a shoe is completely "waterproof" that means, it will not be of a breathable material and it will just retain the sweat & perspiration, in the shoes. Hence it getting stinky.

My kids love their crocs. Three of my four boys live in them all summer long and I have never once had an issue with smell. I think crocs on adults are super, hideously ugly, but for some reason, they're cute on kids :) And the best part is that my kids could put them on by themselves starting at 18 mos old.

Hate crocs... They don't smell... But they make kids do the CUTEST skippy hop flop gait... That screws up their tendons and ligament development. The ortho next door said they were his bread and butter, and should write the company a Thankyou note for his vacation condo he bought. The 10-15yo crowd is PACKING his office in ways they never were before with injury after injury. Sort of like how 'flat head' is the new norm (back sleeping), this leg and hip thing kids are growing weird with crocs is creating a huge demand for reconstructive surgery in the teen years.

Not the first time I'd heard this, though. My A&P Prof made us all solemnly swear never to let our kids wear them looong before the ortho group next door passed on the warning.

The thing about Tevas and others... Just lob them in the washing machine. Poof. No more smell. Repeat once every week or three. Or if you have a chlorinated pool, that works, too. And no screwed up tendons, ligaments, and bone growth.

My kids live in crocks in the summer. I do love Land's End sandals. They wear great and don't usually stink. I love See Kai Run on little ones (new walkers), but they aren't made to withstand the real wear and tear of super active toddlers or preschoolers.

Welcome to kids and sandals!! haha My 2.5yo daughter's feet do the same thing in her crocs, but not regular sandals (that are open-toed with only a strap across the foot and a strap around the ankle). My son went through the same thing with a couple pairs of crocs and one pair of sandals, but his smell level seems to have leveled off. I also remember having the same issue with a particular pair of sandals I had once. I just deal/dealt with it and their feet and shoes get washed pretty regularly around here :)

I also have to say that I LOVE my crocs flip flops!!!! It was a little rough for the first day as they conformed to my feet, but I've never found a flip flop (or shoe for that matter) that has been MORE comfortable and more supportive.

Old Navy makes great water shoes/sandals for 10 bucks!! We've had two pairs - he outgrew the first pair but we'll save em for the next kid because they're still in great shape.

BTW, I've heard about the stinky keens so you're not alone. You can always read about the ways to clean them.. I think right on the Keen website...

I got a pair of Airwalk sandals from Payless for my young toddler. They look comfortable, but they come off super easy. Any time I take him out of the park swing or shopping cart we always lose a sandal or two. Maybe all sandals are like that, but I kind of doubt it.

My kids have keens and I like them so much that I just deal with the smell, it isn't all the time. I originally bought my son Old Navy water sandals and returned them, they're not as sneaker like and my son had trouble running in them, the soles also left black scuff marks all over my house. As for crocs, they each have a pair and wear them to the beach. Crocs aren't safe for running around in, and now that I've read some of the below comments on them, I won't be replacing them when they outgrow them.

I'd check out keens website on how to clean them.

We have Geox that do the same thing, he still wears them but we're going back to Crocs.

My daugher has had (and still has, next size up of couse) water shoes from LL Bean. They stand up great, and if they get wet, I put them in the sun to dry and they are fine the next day. They get wet a lot since we wear them to the lake all the time! I actually have a pair too and so does my husband.

I agree with Riley. Crocs are horrid for your feet. Ask any podiatrist. Any of them. They are horrid horrid horrid for anyone's feet. I know several people who fell into the craze of them and ended up with the most screwed up feet, surgery, lost jobs due to time off their feet, etc. why would anyone do that to themselves or their child? Bad news!

Whatever you get make sure it covers their toes and they can run in them! As a daycare provider it's what I require in kids summer shoes!

My three year old twins navigated every park in Europe for the last months with crocs and keens in the spring and summer. Keens for nice, they get smelly after wet, so we use crocs for water fun and daily use. They love their crocs, no foot problems, all the kids in Europe are wearing them too. Nice change after the winter months and snow!

Saltwater sandals were always my favorite! Real leather but treated so they could get wet. Do a google search for where to buy.
I know SO many people love crocs but I just think they are awful. Who wants sweaty, stinky feet encased in plastic all summer? Yuk :(