How many pairs of shoes does your toddler have?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Question for those parents who have a lot of shoes and get them cheaply like at target or payless -- I hadn't done this because I thought you had to have good quality shoes on growing feet...so part of the reason my kid only has one pair of shoes is because they're $50 stride rites. Is this logic flawed?

9:32 poster here, who admitted to lots of shoes and some from Target... DD very very rarely wears the maryjanes from Target. Up until this summer, she LIVED in Converse or Pedipeds her whole life until she outgrew them (want to try the next step up, Grip-n-Go, but have not yet). Then it was mostly Crocs in the warmer weather and now back to Converse sneakers. I can understand the concern, but I've never bought Stride Right shoes for my kids. I preferred Pedipeds for DD from birth through early toddlerhood.

[Anonymous]

3.5 yr old DD has:

1 pr sneakers
1 pr rain boots
1 pr snow boots
1 pr crocs
she did have a pair of dress shoes I got at the outlets, but they no longer fit and I'm not replacing until next fall

6 yr old DS has:
1 pr sneakers
1 pr rain boots
1 pr snow boots
he just outgrew his dress shoes and crocs. The crocs will be replaced next summer. The dress shoes in the fall (if I find a good deal).

daily they both wear their sneakers to preschool/school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Question for those parents who have a lot of shoes and get them cheaply like at target or payless -- I hadn't done this because I thought you had to have good quality shoes on growing feet...so part of the reason my kid only has one pair of shoes is because they're $50 stride rites. Is this logic flawed?

You can get good quality shoes without spending $50 per pair - I've gotten my daughter Stride Rites for $15-20 at the outlets, and I just bought her two pairs of Pedipeds for $15 each online. I want her to have good quality shoes, but I'm not going to spend a fortune on a pair she may outgrow in a month.

[Anonymous]

Our 2yo DD goes to daycare. She has 2 pairs of shoes that she wears in rotation: sneakers and mary janes, both by stride rite.

[Anonymous]

My daughter always had TOO MANY shoes to count, thanks to grandparents who wanted to lavish her with gifts and a mother who wanted her to have comfortable, soft shoes good for walking.

Now, at early age 3, she has:

1. Rain boots
2. High-top sneaks
3. Regular shoes
4. Girly dress-up shoes

and, of course, ballet slippers for ballet class

She's grown out of so many shoes -- we're keeping the autumn set down to these.

[Anonymous]

For the record, I really dislike crocs for anything but going to the pool. They just don't hug my DD's feet, and she's always tripping on them or losing them. I saw that her preschool also prohibits them for the same reason... go figure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Question for those parents who have a lot of shoes and get them cheaply like at target or payless -- I hadn't done this because I thought you had to have good quality shoes on growing feet...so part of the reason my kid only has one pair of shoes is because they're $50 stride rites. Is this logic flawed?

We have all been indoctrinated into the Stride Rite cult.

Your child's feet will not become deformed if he/she doesn't wear Stride Rites every day. Just ask the billions who don't.

That said, I usually spring for one pair per season - from the outlets or on sale.

[Anonymous]

21 month old has
1) standbys - lace-up athletic shoes (she keeps taking off the Velcro ones, although this morning I think she has figured out how to take the lace up ones off too!)
2) 1 pair "mary jane" type shoes she rarely wears, to go with dresses she wears to parties or "Teddy Bear Concert" type events.
3) Snow boots (hand me downs)
4) two other pairs of athletic shoes to keep the others from getting too worn out
5) Croc-type beach shoes we wore a lot on weekends and pool days
6) sandals with soft leather straps but she did not like them
I'll get some used rain boots for her sister and she'll inherit her big sister's pair. We rarely used them.

[Anonymous]

The list above, for a 3 year old, add two pair of school uniform shoes, sparkly red "ruby slippers", and ballet shoes of course.

[Anonymous]

At 18 months my daughter had 2 pairs of sneakers. Now at 2.5 she has 10-12. It ranges from sneakers, snow boots, rain boots, and dress shoes.

[Anonymous]

My boys (6 & 9) each have one pair of sneakers (worn daily), one pair of crocs, one pair of "church shoes" (worn ~ 2hr/wk), one pair of cheap flip flops for the pool in the summer, and a pair of snow boots. I do not pass sneakers down from the older boy to the younger one, but I do pass down the dress shoes, snow boots, crocs (if they're not too beat up) and flip flops. So all I really buy for my younger DS is sneakers.

We also buy the necessary sports-specific shoes (older boy has football cleats, baseball cleats & basketball shoes; younger one has soccer cleats & baseball cleats).

My 10-yr old DD has a whole closet full of shoes: dress shoes, sandals, flip flops, crocs, Uggs, running shoes, etc.

Since our snow boots (and snow pants) are not used very much, with the exception of last winter, I just buy one pair of snow boots & pants in black each season for DD, and I pass the other ones down to the boys.

I really don't think I buy a lot of shoes but that kind of sounds like a lot!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Question for those parents who have a lot of shoes and get them cheaply like at target or payless -- I hadn't done this because I thought you had to have good quality shoes on growing feet...so part of the reason my kid only has one pair of shoes is because they're $50 stride rites. Is this logic flawed?

We have all been indoctrinated into the Stride Rite cult.

Your child's feet will not become deformed if he/she doesn't wear Stride Rites every day. Just ask the billions who don't.

That said, I usually spring for one pair per season - from the outlets or on sale.

Our ped specifically told us that stride rites were a waste of money. That all said, my son has extra wide feet and the cheaper brands just don't carry extra wides. We now make special trips out to the stride rite outlet and stock up. They are the exact same shoes (construction) but styles are from the season or year before. I was told this by an employee of a mall (non-outlet) stride rite. We got sneakers in the next 3 sizes for less than one pair of sneakers in their regular stores.

DS usually has 1-2 pairs per size. The times he's had two pairs were because I bought some shoes with ties before I realized what a PITA these would be since he loves to untie them and trip on the laces.

[Anonymous]

My 18.5 mo DD has 2 pairs of Mary Janes (we really only needed 1--went overboard) and 1 pair of sneakers. She also has 3 pairs of sandals from the summer but is growing out of and no longer really wearing them. So, basically, 3 pairs per 1/2 year (Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter), I'd say, but frankly we could make due with 2.

[Anonymous]

I am surprised by the sneakers being everyone's shoe of choice for their little ones. I was told by our pediatricin and a podiatrist (whom I saw for Morton's Neuroma caused by pregnancy) that you can prevent all sorts of later foot problems by having newly walking babies and toddlers wear good quality structured shoes with flexible soles, not absolutely not sneakers which offer almost no support.

When my children were that age they had one pair of very expensive leather walkers (classic hightop baby shoes) but with a more modern flexible sole. The went barefoot in the house and wore these shoes in public places. This was for both my DS and DD but, I admit I spent more on DD's. I just got my DS the standard Stride Rite white ones but DS had more fashionable looking ones that were made by Elephantino or Aster, I think.

Also, it was streesed to me by both doctors that the one thing clothing wise you should never use second hand is shoes for children. Shoes form/mold to the wearer's feet and should not be passed down. The one time I broke that was with show boots. I got super cute Eccos on sale and, as it smowed maybe 2-3 times for eacyh child, did use those for both kids.

Seriously, lots of people have foot problems later in luife that can be prevented by proper footwear while toddlers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am surprised by the sneakers being everyone's shoe of choice for their little ones. I was told by our pediatricin and a podiatrist (whom I saw for Morton's Neuroma caused by pregnancy) that you can prevent all sorts of later foot problems by having newly walking babies and toddlers wear good quality structured shoes with flexible soles, not absolutely not sneakers which offer almost no support.

When my children were that age they had one pair of very expensive leather walkers (classic hightop baby shoes) but with a more modern flexible sole. The went barefoot in the house and wore these shoes in public places. This was for both my DS and DD but, I admit I spent more on DD's. I just got my DS the standard Stride Rite white ones but DS had more fashionable looking ones that were made by Elephantino or Aster, I think.

Also, it was streesed to me by both doctors that the one thing clothing wise you should never use second hand is shoes for children. Shoes form/mold to the wearer's feet and should not be passed down. The one time I broke that was with show boots. I got super cute Eccos on sale and, as it smowed maybe 2-3 times for eacyh child, did use those for both kids.

Seriously, lots of people have foot problems later in luife that can be prevented by proper footwear while toddlers.

Ugh - I am the worst typist, sorry! That was meant to be SNOW boots (and snowed...) among other typos!