One minute your kid is sitting on the floor and trying to eat his Robeez. The next minute, he's crawling and pulling up on the furniture, and you realize that baby needs a new pair of shoes. Real ones. You may think to yourself at this moment: I wipe this child's bum every day, but I have no idea what size shoe he wears. You may also think: Does this mean I have to get him those white lace-up ankle shoes with the hard soles, the type that people have bronzed and turned into bookends? Ugh. Not to worry. These five brands offer stylish kicks with the flexible soles that the good doctors at the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend for early walkers. We tested them under home, daycare and playground conditions to ensure they wouldn't fall off or get destroyed. — Meredith Broussard
This family-run Seattle company makes fun, stylish shoes with a flexible sole that seems like the next best thing to barefoot. For summer, check out the fisherman sandal, which looks exactly like the grown-up version but is rendered in buttery soft leather that won't chafe little feet. My son's friend Matilda tested a pair of fuchsia Mary Janes and found the Velcro fasteners both delicious and long-lasting; she liked that the closed and peep-toe styles protected her from stubbed toes. Matilda's mom and I loved See Kai Run's bright colors and contrasting stitching, with unexpected accents like an orange starfish or the two-toned sneaker styled like a bowling shoe.
Shoes for New Walkers : Runners-up
While normally it's better to avoid laces on baby shoes, since you'll spend hours re-tying them, these fat Converse laces stayed double-knotted all day. Infant sizes are available in a rainbow of solid colors and classic high- and low-top styles, some with appliqués (like stars, baseball stitching, or flames), contrasting patterns on the tongue or ragged edges. My son wore his Converse to the park and got into a stroller-pushing race with another toddler, who he totally smoked. Was it the shoes? Quite possibly.
For comfort, you can't beat Ecco shoes for grown-ups ? and the kids' shoes seem to be cozy as well. Eccos are a excellent choice if you're the kind of person who thinks about orthopedic engineering as well as playground protection. The sole is oh-so-flexible, the heel has something called "shock point" engineering, and design elements like the rubber toe cap will prevent scuffing when your kid is in that still-crawling-sometimes phase. Sneakers, sandals and other styles are available in gendered and unisex colors; for cool weather, try the styles lined with breathable Gore-Tex to keep tiny toes warm and dry. I loved this summer's Mini-Racer, a sneaker with a strap and a cutout over the arch, which comes in a pink-yellow-green combo as well as a blue-and-green that I found sufficiently masculine for my wee bairn. At my local shoe store, the Children's Boutique in Philadelphia, about a hundred of these go out the door every month.
This juggernaut of children's shoes is the biggest fish in the pond for good reason. Stride Rite has everything from old-school ankle booties to fun modern styles decorated with stripes and polka dots. They even have the hard-to-find wide widths for chubby feet. Cute summer styles include the Lucy Sykes boat shoes that look like miniature Topsiders, and a sporty double-strap sandal made of breathable mesh (good for wading in fountains or trips to the beach). If you are the kind of person who likes to go to the store, find your kid a pair of cute shoes and be done with it, go to Stride Rite.
I asked my pediatrician if I needed to get fancy shoes with arch support and stuff, and she told me no ? kids don't even develop an arch until they've been walking for a while. She said I could go to the fancy shoe store, or I could go to Payless. So I did. For $14.99 I scored a pair of Airwalk slip-on skateboard shoes that look like Vans but were available in an infant size three ? a huge plus, since I'd been cursing the fact that many cute shoes are only available starting at a toddler size five. Payless has every type of shoe in every size, as well as wide widths, and since all the inventory is out there on the racks, it's easy to test which shoes have the flex you're looking for. Payless is also entertaining; my son enjoyed pulling shoeboxes off the shelves, much like he pulls the books off our shelves at home. He chose Airwalks with a skull and crossbones pattern. I figure he's going to learn to skate as soon as he learns to walk.