Hellobee Boards

We did Robeez until she became a confident walker (after a year), then we did Converse.

We got our SKRs for 18$! Def keep an eye out for sales!

I would keep an eye out for sales, but don't cheap out on quality. Good shoes are really important for foot development. Soft soles are best until she is realy confident, running a round, etc. Robeez and pediped are great.

@Mae: yea shopping is tedious, just google see Kai run sale! The Google shopping bar pulls up a bunch under 20$!

I love See Kai Run, and I have never paid full price for them. We also have the Target shoes in the picture below.

We bought all of J's shoes at either Target or Old Navy. Old Navy has more soft-soled shoes, which I prefer when he's not outside as much, and the ones we have from Target area bit thicker-soled for walking outside. I think we paid $15 for the Target ones, less for the ON ones.

Shoes for new walkers arent the place to cheap out or buy used. I found a pair of stride rite on sale on zulily. She measured a 3.5 and I sized up to 4. I read at this age (13 mos) they will Prob need new shoes 2x/yr, which isn't horrible for something they will wear every day!

@Mae: Be on the lookout at the Nordstrom semi-annual sale. It is a couple of months away though but I found some great quality Stride Rite shoes on sale last summer. They were $12 so I bought 2 sizes in the same design. I also look at Nordstrom Rack a lot too.

I was also surprised how expensive good quality "first walker" shoes cost! But you could tell the difference in feel so dramatically. If you're not patient to stalk sales, I'd be inclined to just get the Robeez-style shoes at Target - MiniStar. They're only $14.99 and buy 1 get one half off right now!

http://www.target.com/bp/ministar

I also would check Nordstrom Rack for StrideRite, SKR, Robeez, etc.

I don't think it's wise to go cheap when it comes to first walkers. At this age, it's crucial they wear shoes that are supportive, but have a flexible sole for their developing feet (like stride rite first walkers or SKR "smaller"). I would look for this style of shoe, either on sale (the site 6pm.Com always has great deals) or used. She will probBly wear the shoes for 5 months or so, though, so you'll get more use than you think!

All my kids shoes are bought at Walmart. Lol. They are usually $10 or less around here. DDs first pair held up until she outgrew them.

I got M some cute shoes at family dollar for about $6.

We used some hand me down robeez style shoes with leather soles from ll bean when we were at that stage and waited to buy real shoes for when he was walking more than crawling or being carried (I think around 13 or 14 months). He was totally fine at the playground with the soft soled shoes. I found some cheap ones one sale at target that were similar. Maybe something like that could hold you over until you are outside more often and maybe up a size?

@Mae: I got S a pair of pedipeds and see kai run that were brand new/never worn from consignment shops for $3 and $4!

Yeah, I'd go to a proper shoe store and get measured. It's going to cost you more to buy a pair of shoes from there, but it's so necessary and worth it. I go to a local shoe store that carries many brands and I tell them up front i am only buying one pair of shoes and here's my range of price.

@SproutBee: I agree. We still go barefoot or Robeez in the house, but as soon as LO starting walking, she wore "real" shoes out most of the time because she always wants to get down. Plus with the nicer weather I assume you guys will be outside a lot more than once a week? If it makes you fee better about price, my LO's feet don't grow nearly as fast as I've heard. Her first pair of stride rites lasted 5 months.

@Mae: My husband shared your perspective, but our son has big fat feet and was also an aggressive toe curler. It was very hard to find shoes that would fit him. We bought them a few weeks ago, right around his first birthday. (He was also an early walker like your daughter, but previously it was too cold and wet to go to the playground so we made do with socks and fleece booties.)

We went to a store that carries a few brands include Stride Rite, and the woman was an expert at fitting babies. She explained the toe-curling issue and agreed that he needed the extra wide (not even just plain wide) size to fit his chubby little feet. There were only two models that we were able to get on his feet, and then he struggled to walk in them the first few times we put them on.

I share your sentiment about shopping. I avoid it like the plague. But in this case I think it was really helpful to make sure we got the right fit and also to get some assurance that his initial shoe hatred was normal and he would adjust quickly.

I bought D's first shoes from a consignment sale. Around here there's usually at least a couple that come up in the spring. Also, do you have a Stride Rite outlet? They usually have a clearance section and the one by me always has tons of girls shoes. I got a pair of early walker shoes for DS that were $12 (normally $40). At the regular Stride Rite I got a sale pair for $24.

I hate to spend $40+ on shoes too. And I love to just be able to find something online and order it and call it a day. But if you want a deal, you may have to do some leg work.

DS1 didn't go to daycare when he started walking. But he still wore his shoes all the time! He loved being outside running around. You may be surprised at how much she'll wear them.

I agree about not buying cheap 1st walker shoes. Try the outlet or sales!