I am having trouble finding good quality shoes for my one year old. I have looked at Stride Rite and wasn't thrilled with the selection. He is just starting to walk so he needs support and durability. I am looking for closed toe sandals and am getting really frustrated with driving all over to have 3 shoes to pick from. Please help.
I know you said you weren't impressed with Stride Rite, but have you looked at Nordstrom? They have Stride Rite, but also several other quality brands- there is a huge selection of kid's shoes on the third floor. Good luck!
The best shoes I have found so far are Tip Toey Joey on babystyle.com. They are super cute , flexible and have great traction for when he needs to wear shoes. They have some cute sandels that I really want but aren't available online yet. Tip Toey isn't available in the cities yet, as far as I know. Definitely try Uber Baby or Pacifier here in town for some ideas and cute shoes that no one else will have. :) good luck!
Shoe Zoo on Hennepin and 32nd has a million styles of shoes. Sometimes they don't have them in stock, but there are so many styles to choose from it's dizzying.
If you are looking for shoes without spending a ton I would try Marshalls. They carry Stride rite, as well as some european brands, and American athletic shoes for little people. You do need to size on your own, however. They turn over fairly quickly, so if youu don't find it on the first visit check back. The store in Roseville added a huge shoe section lately.
Good luck
We've had great luck at Peapods in St. Paul (Snelling Ave). Actually, the last time we went in there to get shoes for my 16-month old they were waiting for the "spring collection" of See Kai Run shoes and were low on selection... so I actually bought them online from Zappos. But it was helpful to try on the different sizes first. I've heard that Shoe Zoo in uptown is great too. Good luck!
Hello. I'm not sure how much you want to pay, but I'd try Famous Footwear or Journey Kids. Both are located in MOA. Hope this helps.
Norstroms (upstairs where they sell baby clothes) and the Shoe Zoo in Uptown have good selections. Both of them have websites you can preview their selections.
P.
Not sure where you live but Stride Rite has an outlet in Albertville. They have a huge selection and (I think) everything is $19.99 or under. That's where I've been getting shoes for my 3 year old with double wide feet and my son who wears braces in his shoes. The nice thing about Stride Rite is the people working there really know how to measure kid's feet to get them in to the right fit. I have my kids in the completely wrong sizes before -- oops.
They may have outlets in other malls but this is the only one I know. They also have Oshgosh, Carter's, babyGap, Gymboree, Children's Place and Old Navy up there (there are several other kids stores too but these are the ones I hit). You can go online to Premier Outlets (I think) and print off coupons for additional dollars or percents off.
It's worth the trip if you can combine with getting other things too.
I love the Shoe Zoo on Hennepin Ave. and 32nd Street in Minneapolis. After looking all over the twin cities, it is the only store I go to now for both my little boys. They have a wide selection of good quality shoes and the staff are very helpful.
J.
I was told by my doctor that when children are learning to walk the best shoes are no shoes. The natural balance of barefeet is best. He also said if he must wear shoes to wear soft soled shoes that will bend with the foot when walking for when you're out and about. Just a thought.
