Until he was getting around on his feet rather than his knees, my son only wore shoes on special occasions. In fact, he’s the only barefoot ragamuffin in our big family photo from last Christmas. Apparently his cousins have more refined sartorial tastes. But once he started cruising, I saw why my friends sang the praises of the leather-soled pouch shoes (like Robeez), which were soft and flexible and easy to get on his wiggly feet, but still offered some protection as he toddled about. And then the days of real walking, and running, arrived, and I faced a dilemma. The soft leather shoes didn’t protect the soles of his feet or help keep him steady, but stiff-soled tennis shoes and oxfords were hard to mash his feet into, difficult to judge if they fit properly, and seemed to trip him as he clomped around.
Fortunately, someone smarter than I had already come up with a solution to our problem. For the past month he’s been wearing a pair of Pedipeds Originals almost every day. These shoes are flexible and durable, made with real leather uppers and soles. They’re a step up from softer shoes, providing a bit more structure with a foam pad on the bottom and some kind of non-slip magic treatment that makes the soles super durable. He’s worn them to the zoo and the playground and the soles still look like new. I was worried about letting him jump around a muddy lawn in them, but they wiped clean and survived without a scratch. The uppers, made of Nubuck (suede-like) leather, have suffered a bit more wear and tear. They scuff more easily than the soles, but they’re still looking pretty good considering the abuse they’ve taken so far.
Like many popular high-end kids’ shoes, the designs are adorable. I’ve been stopped twice in the grocery story by grandmas wondering where they could get a pair for their grandkids, and even my father-in-law (not exactly Imelda Marcos) commented on how much he liked the look of them. Perhaps the grandparent crowd likes the traditional look of our “Jake” style, with faux laces to make them look like oxfords or tennies but with a sanity- and time-saving Velcro closure.
Pedipeds Originals are available through size 18-24 months (USA size 6, Euro size 22), and they’ve recently unveiled a new line of firmer-sold shoes called Flex in US sizes 5-12.5 (Euro sizes 20-29). You can purchase them at stores all over the world or online. At $32- $49 per pair, they’re not cheap, but the quality is high. And the great news for you is that one lucky Mamas Worldwide reader will win a free pair of Pedipeds shoes (size and style determined by the winner)! Just leave a comment on this post by midnight (12am) Pacific Daylight Time on Friday, October 31st (that’s 9am in Berlin on Saturday, November 1st for you Europeans). Be sure to include your e-mail address in the comment sign-in section so we can contact you if you win. We’ll choose one entrant at random.
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I have never seen shoes like these!
Are these like moccasins?
Thanks for hosting this contest. I love these shoes but cannot afford them. My 16 month old would love to run in them!
I love kids shoes. Pediped and See Kai Run shoes get rave reviews. Lately, I’ve been checking out http://www.babycheapskate.com for shoe deals— and managed to score $10 Robeez recently on Amazon. Lately, my favorite shoes are Geox. These are European and available at Nordstroms. They are very breathable, which helps with my 3yo’s FUNKY feet. He’s got fungus on a few toe nails, peely stuff, etc. — quite disgusting athlete’s foot … and he’s not even a gym rat. Thankfully, its mostly cleared up (without treatment) but he did lose a few toe nails during the process.
@Michael: They’re kind of halfway between moccasins and shoes. It’s soft leather, but with a bit of structure.
@Rachael: Hope your 3 yo’s feet clear up soon! Geox are great shoes, too. I wear them myself.
We just realized that the boy needs a new pair of shoes today. Maybe you can save us a trip to the, grrrrrrr, mall.
Cute shoes. When I had a job back in the US, I purchased a cute pair of See Kai Run shoes. I didn’t have Connor with me when I bought them so when I tried them on at home they were difficult to get on to his feet. They fit they are just hard to get on. We left for Berlin soon after so I never got a chance to return them. They were expensive shoes.
Once here in Berlin we needed shoes for Connor as our “Target Store” brand of Robeez had seen their last days (let me tell ya you get what you pay for). I went to a cute little children’s store nearby called Lifelines and purchased these cute suede”ish” blue Richter shoes. They look like high-tops but aren’t. They go on easy, fit well and Connor seems to like them, however, when we put him in the stroller sack (for warmth as we don’t have a car) that is in the stroller it’s hard to get his BIG ‘OL FEET in the sack. CRAP!!! We tired cramming his feet in but he cries and hates being in the stroller. UG! So now he just wears his “Target Store Specials” and life in the stroller is good again, but if he wants to walk I have to carry his other shoes along. GOOD GRIEF. What’s a mother to do???
Thanks for the tip on the Pedipeds. I’ll have to check them out. Since my husband and I are out of work at the moment we’ll have to wait until one of us (him, ha ha) gets a job. I LOVE LOVE LOVE being a parent!!!
Oh I should mention that my 8 year old son Logan wears Geox tennies and they are super. Logan manages to destroy just about every pair of shoes he wears, so that fact that these shoes have lasted three months and are still looking like we just took them out of the box is fantastic!!! I highly recommend this brand as well.
My 11-month old is about to start walking and I need some good shoes. He has such big, fat feet that he doesn’t fit into any of the winter boots (he wears a size 21 already), so I bought a pair of sneakers at H&M. They are cute, but when the cold weather comes I have no idea what I am going to do!
I love these shoes! I wish that I knew about them when my kids were babies! but still, my son would love a pair of these shoes - they are beautiful!
Great shoes, thanks!
Great reviews, thanks! Love the shoes!
Thanks for hosting this contest! My little guy is always the barefoot ragamuffin as well! He should start walking soon though, so we’re gonna have to do something about that!!
My little guy is getting to the stage to really think about shoes and especially with colder weather coming.
My little guy has neurological deficits due to food allergies, and is a bit clumsy in “regular” shoes. These would be a great compromise between going barefoot and being cold, while improving his stability. Thanks for the review!
My daughter is starting to walk and her feet are so chubby we have a hard time with shoes but these would be great! And it’s starting to get so chilly here that everyone gives me the evil eye when we go out and she’s barefoot!
thanks maria for letting me in on this
I’ve never tried these and would love to win a pair!
I have been a huge fan of Pedipeds for over a year now after discovering them when my daughter was born. I can’t say enough great things about them- as flexible as Robeez but with a more polished look and a great selection of styles. I am thrilled that they now make Pedipeds in larger sizes with harder (but still very flexible) soles called Pediped Flex so now older kids can experience the Pediped love. Check out Pediped Flex as well!
My son had a pair of Pedipeds and I loved them. Now that my daughter is almost 8 months, I have begun looking for a pair for her. They are a great shoe and very fashionable because they have the look of a shoe, but are soft enough to be comfortable and to give the foot the ability to be flexible.
They look adorable, I can’t wait for my 7mo old to start wearing them!
I had a pair of pedi-peds for my older daughter. They are great—good transition toward “shoes” from the little robeez. Thanks for the review!
I cannot wait to try these as my little guy gets older!
These are great! Thanks for the scoop : )
Thanks for the review. I wonder how Pedipeds compare to Robeez’s Mini-Shoez/Tredz… Buying good shoes for kids is a step in the right direction (pardon the pun).
Those look great, I am looking for a new pair of shoes for my 13 month old!!
This is so neat! Thanks for doing this contest. I am very excited and hope to win! (fingers and eyes crossed)
Loki’s little feet aren’t quite in need of shoes yet, but i hear kids grow fast.
Love the site, ladies, and will be here much more often as soon as the kid make his appearance.
Thanks for the fab review! We are in the market for something new and hip for Mr. soon-2-b-2, so you’re just in time! We live in France and while we have access to superb and spendy shoesies, we enjoy sporting something exotic american!
These shoes look great. Too bad we’re not pregnant… yet.
i love those shoes!