Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes

I've been putting off getting the kids fitted for shoes until they were both walking the majority of the time.  As I'm sure most of you know if you've read my previous posts, Brooke is walking everywhere.  Harrison is finally starting to prefer walking over crawling, so we headed to Fred Toenges this morning to get some kicks.  

While we were waiting for our number to be called, we took advantage of the nickel horse rides.  Harrison thought it was ok.  Brooke was the happiest kid on the planet. I'm pretty sure she would have kept riding as long as I kept pumping nickels into the horse.  Unfortunately for her I only had $.15.

After talking to the sales associate about what type of shoes were the best to not prohibit walking and foot development, their feet were sized and we got to pick out some snazzy footwear, and by snazzy I mean Velcro. After viewing the options in their size, we decided on navy Stride Rites for Harry and white with pink Stride Rites for Brooke.

H was so excited about his shoes that he insisted on carrying one around with him after they were done getting fitted.  He found himself in the mirror and decided he needed to check himself out.  Meanwhile, B was headed back up to try and get back on the nickel horse.

Our sales associate had some great advice for picking out shoes for toddlers.

• Shoes should have a flexible heel and a stiff, supportive back.
• It's best not to wear hand-me-down shoes since they are molded to someone else's feet.
• Shoes should last approximately 20 weeks. Make sure to get your children's feet measured every 4-5 months.
• Don't use socks with rubber grippers on the bottom when wearing shoes.  They tend to make kids' toes curl under.

This next bit of advice is not from the sales associate, but I figure it's good to mention anyway.  It's best for foot development if kids only wear shoes when necessary.  Bare feet are ideal.

I'm sure they aren't excited about their shoes, but I am. I'll finally be able to let them get down and walk around while we're at the zoo or the park.  Glad I won't have to fight that battle anymore.  

And now my shoe obsession can be transferred from buying shoes for me to buying shoes for them. Does Von Maur have a kids clearance shoe room?