Where Do You Get Your Toddler's Shoes?

Well... we still shop at Stride Rite, and my daughters are 5 and 8! Their shoes last and seem to be so well made. Or maybe it's just that they have staff that know how to properly fit the shoes to the child's foot - but my girls have never had blisters on their feet (like they do when we buy from Target or Payless), and the shoes do tend to last until they grow out of them. I think it's worth the extra to buy the higher quality shoes. Just my two cents, having bought a lot of little kid shoes in the past 8 years!

I have to say that I continue to use Stride Rite shoes and my son is 6. I know they are pricier but I can rely on them throughout the school year. I usually buy my son's stride rite shoes at their discount outlet and I try to buy shoes that will fit six months to a year from now. Buying in advance I can usually get really good deals and pay lower prices. I just bought two pairs of slippers for winter/spring at $8.00 each because they were trying to get rid of their inventory. I tried going cheaper but I also ran into problems with shoes either not fitting right or starting to fall apart. Good luck!

Either Kohl's or the Reebok store. Reeboks last so long that I bought a pair and they went through both of my girls and still were in great shape! Kohl's has a good selection and they last until they outgrow them.

I usually buy my daughter's shoes at Nordstrom...they have a pretty good variety. She wears Crocs and Converse which are good every day shoes then I usually buy one nice pair. The crocs and converse are cheap and easy to replace as her feet grow. I bought her one pair of shoes at Target and she wore them once...I'd rather spend a bit more on a couple of pairs. Its so important to have good shoes...especially at this age (she's 27months). Are you near the city? I just found a store on Southtport near Addison called Petite Feet...best shoe selection I've ever seen. Expensive but cute...boys and girls.

We buy our daughters Stride Rite shoes on eBay. They have tons of new in the box Stride Rite shoes, usually with tags on for a couple of dollars. I bought my daughter 2 pairs of sneakers and a pair of sandles the other day for less than $20 including shipping, one pair looked like it had been worn before but hardly the other two still had the sale stickers on them. All three pairs were less than I would have been able to get one pair at Stride Rite.

Stride Rite outlets have good deals on those and other good brands. Worth looking into.

That's one reason why we went with striderite... they cost $50 but last 3-5 times longer than cheaper shoes... so end up saving us $40-100 in shoes per each pair bought.

Of course, my toddler only had 3 pairs of shoes at any given time, EVER. 1 pair of striderite Sneakers, 1 pair of Teva's, & rainboots.

I always buy 1 pair for each child in August from Stride Rite- because I know it will last the whole year through. I will buy Sketchers when I see a sale, like buy one, get one half off. The Sketchers store near us has some decent clearance. Also, Ross has Sketchers and other name brands for not as much. I have tried Payless a few times, but am always disappointed in how they hold up. Target seems to hold up decently. I am going to try the other mom's suggestion and do Ebay for my Stride Rite from now on!

I buy my boys Adiddas mostly....sometimes Pumas....sometimes Nike...but mostly Adiddas and they hold up GREAT! My youngest wears all his brothers hand me downs and they still look GREAT. I have found some really good deals at Fred Meyers...but usually I buy there shoes at JcPenny's or the Mall...and I never spend more than $40 for kid shoes!

We have been getting my son's shoes at Stride Rite, thankfully there is an outlet near by. He also has a great pair of New Balance sneakers that were about $30.00. He has outgrown his shoes before wearing them out. He also had a few pairs of Pedipeds, they really are not anymore expensive than Stride Rite and he really liked them too.

i buy from everywhere. if you are looking for long lasting without breaking the bank, try lands end, though they have a strange sizing system so i wouldnt buy them online if you have to pay return shipping. i have a sears near me so i return there. and their snow boots are the best i have ever used. indestructible. also, gymboree shoes have lasted beautifully. my kids usually have a pair of geox sneakers, too much money but they are also indestructible and clean up well, my son wore his almost every day for almost 2 years, wet, mud, everything, they still look great though he has finally outgrown them...

I not sure if you want to travel far, but Stride Rite outlet store in Kenosha is alot cheaper than the regular stores.

I try to hit Stride Rite during a sale. I have also used Zappos.com. If they don't fit right, I send them back. We had a pair of target shoes that lasted through both kids. Unfortanately, my son has very wide feet and they just don't make the shoes big enough to fit his feet at target or walmart.

When my daughter was 3 I got her a cheaper pair at target and she got the biggest blister on her foot. I promised I would never do that to her again. Pediped is great, Keds (made by stride rite) and of course Stride Rite. You are better off spending a little more to get good quality that will last you than cheaper shoes that could hurt your childs feet. Look for coupons and sales and it isn't so bad. Good luck!

Kohl's - Right now for my 2 year old son, I stick with velcro! I also make sure they are flexible!

Payless has a kids line that's decent. I'm not sure what it's called but it's something that reminds you of StrideRite and they have all the ergonomic stuff.

Anyway, take a look. They're not as cheap as some other options, but they're certainly less than stride right.

These days I mostly buy my son Keens. They're pricey but last FOREVER. My son wore a pare of sandals (closed toes but open slots on sides) every day last summer, and busted them out and wore them for most of this summer too until he absolutely could not convince me they still fit! He's got a closed shoe pair he's been wearing since May as well and they are still in great shape! They're basically indestructible. I get them at REI.

T.

I always get shoes for my young toddlers from pediped.com. They are the best shoes for little ones and they are so easy for them to walk in and are very high quality and last for a very long time, in fact all of the ones we have are now being passed down to my third son!

I buy my kids Nikes from Shoe Carnival or Famous Footwear when the have the buy one get one half off deals. Ive tried target and walmart shoes but they never lasted long.

I'd stick with Stride Rite. My daughter usually has a couple great pairs of shoes (Stride Rites and Nikes at all times) and then a few pairs to match certain outfits. Granted she currently has 7 pairs of shoes to get through fall and winter - I'm sure with more to come but I go overboard :) - and with that being said, the other shoes are either from Old Navy or Gap so they are much cheaper.
Her summer Stride Rites lasted from May until August. We definitely got our money worth.

www.pediped.com

They are the best!

I go to a Famous Footwear and actually buy my son Sketchers; they are pricey but they are usually really well built and last my son a year, year and a half. You should also try www.zappos.com

Good luck!

I bought a few of Target's shoes for my girl, I found that they are over priced for the shoe you get. I go to payless for cheaper shoes but they seem to last a while. Happy hunting!

When your child is young and feet are just forming, do him a favor and get good shoes from Pediped, Bobux, Kai Run (all on line and also sold in specialty shops). They make leather or firmer soles for outside but are flexible and comfortable. Go on their websites and read about the benefits. Putting stiff shoes on little feet just makes them walk like Frankenstein and can be very uncomfortable. Good luck!

We only buy Stride Rite, but we go to the outlet store up in Pleasant Prairie. They are much cheaper (usually $25 - $30 for sneakers) and have a good selection. They have W & XW sizes which is great! Plus they measure the kids each time we take them in to make sure we are buying the right sizes.

I go to several places, always looking for a sale. I've gotten shoes at Target, Walmart, Kohls, and JC Penneys. I start in the clearance and then look at the sale stuff. I got a great pair of Skechers at JC Penney for like $25 on clearance. My son has a wide foot and that has been my biggest challenge. He doesn't fit the elastic closure ones, I have to do Velcro and he can't get his foot in all of them. I've gottn most of my daughters shooes at Kohls.

I buy my toddler's shoes at Ross. They usually have the good name brands for the target price and they have a great selection for the younger kids. Not as good a selection for the tween crowd though.

I get my kids Nike,Reebok,Adidas,Payless,Target,Kmart,Kohl's,JCPenny's I usually spend less than $25.00 on a pair.I loved the Adidas toddlers shoes for boy's I bought them for several yrs.You can find them at Famous Footwear,Kohl's,JcPenny's.For my girls Nike.

We buy Stride Rite. We bought a cheap pair from payless to save money and my son did not walk as well in them and kept tripping. We decided to go back to Stride Rite and no longer have any problems. We get email coupons and sometimes go to the outlet. The have stayed in pretty good shape and have kept them to pass on to my baby.

I suggest searching online for Stride Rite shoes at a discount if you liked the quality. www.6pm.com is a discount site of Zappos that often carries Stride Rite shoes. You can still have your child measured at a store but purchase them online. There are other sites that can sometimes sell them discounted as well.

AE

My all-time favorite brand of shoes for toddlers is Primigi. In regular stores, it is pricey. however, Amazon.com sells them! Just do a search for Primigi shoes on Amazon and then select price range "lowest to highest". I've gotten my daughter some gorgeous shoes to pack away for when she's older. And, as a hint, keep checking back...one day the shoes can be 19.99 and the next day they're back up to 40 or 50...prices fluctuate a lot on Amazon.

I have had great luck with Clarks (there is a Clarks store near us in Natick). Have also bought stride rite and sketchers (tj maxx & marshalls will sometimes carry these at a good price). We skip the cheap shoes, and stick with neutral colors/styles as both my husband and I have had foot problems.

We buy the Carter's brand at Kohls. I only buy light up shoes for her, and these have always lasted until she grows out of them.

I have gotten decent deals at Kmart, Target, Kohls and sometimes Payless. I have gotten fun shoes at Children's Place (at the outlet they really mark them down at the end of the season). Right now I have a toddler and a preschooler so they out grow the shoes in 3-6 months with lots of wear left. Most of my son's shoes have been passed on to friends or my daughter.

Can you sew or glue a new piece of elastic on your son's shoe?

Nordstrom is the best. Very cute selection and excellent service. Not cheap, but worth it in quality and fit.

I buy stride rite. I had the same problem only once when I switched to a pair from J.C. Penny's. The cheaper pair cost about $25 vs. buying them at Stride Rite for $40. But, I almost always can get a pair on clearance at Stride Rite... which means I rarely pay more than $30 for them. I ended up needing to replace the pair from Penny's within a month, so I lost savings right away.

Now, my kids get 1 pair of good school shoes and a pair of tennis shoes from Stride Rite (they are 5 and 3 - kindergarten and preschool) and over the summer they each had a pair of sandals and tennis shoes. My daughter is 22 months, and she has a few pairs of less expensive shoes, but if she ever has to walk anyplace, I make sure she is wearing her good tennis shoes.

I think that in the end, if you just buy one good pair, you'll be happier than buying a few cheap pairs that don't fit right or don't hold up to wear.

Jessica

Believe it or not, but Palais Royal has really cute, long lasting shoes.

:)

my kids feet grow so fast there is no point in spending real money on shoes. I go to the Shoe Dept (a discount shoe store) that has good brands, but I only buy when they go on deep discount or clearance. If I can't find anything there, I go to Payless or Walmart. My kids have yet to have a pair of shoes so long that they had time to wear them out! That's why you find such nice shoes at the resale shop...they're the ones I just dropped off!

how about seekairun.com
These shoes are great and every month or so, they have specials. Like a pair of shoes for $20

I really only go to two places - stride rite, or nordstrom rack, where I get stride rites for about $16. They offer great support, and are cute. Then at home, we use robbeez for slippers, since they are very difficult for my kids remove by themselves.

Good luck!

Ebay is good too if you know the brand you want to purchase. Just type in Robeez or Pediped and a great selection will pop up and you can bid. Sometimes you can get a really good deal.

I get Robeez from www.rusticranchboutique.com! Awesome prices and great selection. :)

Today I was in downtown Geneva & walked into a kids 2nd hand store. I have never bought my kids clothes from 2nd hand stores. After looking thru the store I was kicking myself at a pair of converse shoes that looked brand new for my son that was 1/3 the cost that I just paid. There were some super cute things there like a very nice nike 3 piece outfit for $10, didn't look worn at all. Toddler shoes don't seem to get worn out since they don't play hard & they had tons of them that never looked worn but were super cheap. There is another website that has some amazing finds called bookoo.com. Otherwise TJ Maxx & Marshalls has great deals on brand new shoes. I also recently discovered some laces that are curly so the shoes don't need to be tied. When we were buying my son his converse shoes I told my husband no laces for any of the kids & the sales lady showed me these curly laces so it opened up my options so I didn't have to just buy velcro.

Hi, I think Stride Rite definitely has good shoes w/varying sizes but it can get expensive. I like to go to Nordstrom Rack to look for shoes. They have a good selection of brand name shoes and you can even find 'wide' sizes if needed. Also, you can just find a bunch of shoes and try them on right there instead of needing a sales associate. However, if your son just started walking it probably is best that you stick with shoes like Robeez or other soft soled type of shoes...I do believe that you can find them at Nordstrom Rqck too. Online shopping is always a good option, but sometimes shipping costs make it not worth it and dealing with returns can be a pain. Happy shoe hunting!!