[prayingmommy]

I've always bought Stide Rite shoes for DS. I've noticed that Marshalls carries last season's Stride Rites.

[Ms.Judi]

I, too have bought stride rite shoes but I only paid $8.50 at a connsignment shop and they were in excellent condition. Elaina has lymphedema in one foot so I have to pretty much buy a size to a size and a half bigger to fit her foot. She just has to be with me to try on shoes at this point. So happy to hear that you can buy stride rite at Payless-it's Mommy's favotire too because I also have WIDE feet!!!

[Leebert2]

Here here on the stride rite outlet! I was in the one in my area today and they had a HUGE Labor Day sale. I bought two pairs for each of my girls and didn't pay more than $19.99 a pair. I was so thrilled because I bought two pairs of tennis shoe type mary janes )a black pair and a brown pair) for my four year old that were $13. each!

[maramal]

Woohoo!! Thanks for the heads up. I was going to go to stride rite this week to get shoes but I looked it up and there is an outlet by me. I know where I will be tomorrow!

[carolynpep73]

I have the opposite problem...Olivia's feet at very narrow. Finding shoes to fit her is also a challenge. I agree, stride rite is the best. Ebay is wonderful! I've purchased many pairs from there. Just be careful. Sometimes it's a "knock off" version of stride rite. I don't know exactly what is different, I can just tell it's not the same as a true stride rite shoe.

I found Target and Payless to have good shoes too. Especially if you're looking for dress shoes or sandals. Stride Rite is too expensive for mary janes and white summer church sandals that they only wear a few times.

Good luck! Definitely hit those outlets!

[Angel99]

thanks for everyones responses- I will look for a stride rite outlet- if I can't find one I'll buy the stride rites- they are the best fit for Jess!

[lyssie]

Many times Marshalls and Ross stores have quality name-brand shoes at a deep discount ($10-$20 a pair)...I love to shop for our kids there!--for cute clothes too!

[megaphonemo]

i hit the stride rite outlet this weekend! Great savings, but very little selection - I think I got DD#1 the last 2 pairs of 10.5W in the place...

It was also absolutely chaotic with Back to school sales, but it was worth it. 2 pair for $35!!

And of course DD#2 has extra narrow feet - so much for hand me downs!!

Mega

[jgriese1]

Our Kohl's department store also carriers some of the Stride Rite shoes as a lesser price.

[Angel99]

Thanks again guys!

I actually found some Munchkins brand (made by stride rite) at Kohls this weekend and I ordered online some stride rites that were 20% off!

My sister found wide stride rites at her Marshalls in New York so she'll keep an eye out for me too!

[sak9645]

How old is your child?

If your child is not yet walking, she does not need shoes. Socks that keep the feet warm are all that is needed. If a child is just starting to cruise, buy socks with nonskid soles. If the child "must" wear shoes to an event, buy things like Robeez that are ultra-flexible and accommodate a wide range of sizes.

Once your child begins to cruise and then walk, doctors no longer recommend stiff, high top shoes, like they did when I was a child. They recommend lightweight, breatheable shoes with very flexible soles made of a floor-gripping material. They say that sneakers are fine, as long as they fit well.

Older children can wear any shoes appropriate to the occasion, if they fit right. It really doesn't matter whether they are from an expensive store or from Payless, if they fit properly and are not so "style" conscious that they cramp the toes by being too pointy or force the foot into an odd position by having high heels.

The main problem that cheap shoe stores present is that their staff may not be trained to measure feet carefully in length AND width, and to look for anomalies such as high arches, narrow heels, etc. that can affect fit. Also, the cheap shoe stores rarely carry shoes that fit kids who have unusually narrow or wide feet.

In general, toddlers and young children start out with very wide feet. Most toddlers' and children's shoes have "wide" as their standard width. (Toddlers' shoes also tend to recognize that toddlers start out flat-footed and only later develop an arch.) Medium and narrow shoes are very hard to find. And I would assume that extra-extra wide shoes are also hard to find.

Believe me. I know about narrow shoes. My daughter, who came home from China at 18.5 months of age, had feet like pencils. Even shoes bought in China did not fit her properly. NO local store, even Stride Rite, had shoes that fit well, with the exception of one ultra-expensive boutique that featured mostly European shoes and specialized in hard to fit kids. Even there, the owner said she had never seen such narrow feet, and we were lucky if we could find one pair of sneakers and one pair of dress shoes, each time she changed sizes. Her feet did not widen enough for "normal" shoes until she reached 12 years of age.

What I would recommend that you do, each time your child appears to be outgrowing hers, is to go to a very good, probably expensive, shoe store and let them measure your child's feet. Make sure that they measure both length and width carefully. Ask if there are any unusual features related to the heel, the arch, differences in size between the two feet, etc. Have your child try on some shoes and let the salesperson show you why they fit or do not fit well.

Then, don't buy those shoes unless the price is right. Have some difficulty making up your mind and say that you want to think about the purchase. Go to some of the discount stores, and use your newfound shoe education to pick a pair of shoes that fits your child and doesn't lighten your wallet too dramatically.

Of course, if your child's foot is wider than the standard wide width sold in the discount stores, you may not have any choice but to go to a pricey store that features unusual sizes, just as I didn't have a choice other than the expensive boutique. I was darn lucky if I got away with spending $50 for Becca's shoes. There were plenty of times when I dropped $65 or more -- AND had to contend with questions like, "Why can't I have those cool sneakers with lights on them?" (Because they don't come in widths narrow enough.)

Just remember that, in general, it's not so much the price tag that counts as the fit of the shoe. If you really know fit, you can shop at a store like Payless and do fine. While it is true that many of the cheap brands will wear out faster, kids often outgrow even cheap shoes before the shoes begin to fall apart.

Fit is critical, especially in a child who may not be able to articulate things like, "the toe box isn't deep enough" or "my heel rubs when I walk". If you don't trust your own ability to assess fit, even after talking to some knowledgeable shoe store people, then you may want to go to the stores that feature those knowledgeable people, even if they cost more.


Sharon

[miam]

I like Stride-Rite but I like to shop around and found that buster brown are less expensive. I did buy good shoes for my son and got a good price. (Macy's web site)

[reds]

I just wanted to mention to everyone that you can google Bugaboo Shoe Company. It was started by a couple that adopted a daughter from China and had problems finding good shoes for her. They have an adorable selection!!!!!!!!

[Clare'sMom]

Being the Mom of mainly girls.... and all of them match their shoes to their outfits....$50 shoes for little ones just dosen't fly in our joint. I also have a four year old leukemia pt. and her meds make her entire body swell so her normaly wide feet just get super wide.... I just got back from payless today with three pairs each for two of the girls (three pairs in WW).. they are buy one get one half off!!! So the Princess sneakers Millie can't live without made the cute little blue kicks $10... I didn't even spend $100 on six pairs of shoes.

I leave for Guat next week and will have to take the other four for new shoes. Thank heavens they have a Payless at the Tikal Mall.... Buy 8 get 8 at half price!!, actually I will only buy 6 pairs while I am there, our oldest DD in Guat is into $$$ sneekers (thanks to her big sisters who visit with gifts!) and the littlest DD will get one pair of hand me downs, thank heavens her feet are smaller than her other two 4yr old sisters......and they have purses and socks to match down there too!! Hey it's all about they style with our girls....hehehehe

We also pass shoes down here wich is nice, I have a couple older nieces who have the same shoe thing so we have shoe boxes in the closet of every size and color....

Just wait untill they get older and you hope the shoes ONLY cost $50....

Happy Shopping! Ann

[asauer]

We get our kids shoes at consignment sales. The kids are only 19 mos. so there's very little wear. I'm almost always able to find brand names like Stride Rite for around $15.00.