During my visit to the US, I spent quite a bit of time searching for the best deal on kid’s shoes for my little guy.  After a week of price comparing, I decided to take a chance on a site I’d never heard of, 6pm.com.  I ordered a couple pairs of toddler shoes at 60% off retail price, I even got European shoes at much lower prices than I’ve ever found in Germany.  The shoes arrived quickly and I have to say, this is my new favorite shoe site.  You can search for type of shoe and size, then pick the styles you like.  I didn’t have a chance to buy shoes for myself, but that’ll be my first stop the next time I’m in the US (6pm.com ships only to the US).

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Anna und Paul are slightly cooler, soft-soled, first-steps shoes.  They’re also slightly cheaper than Robeez, but still great quality.  There’s a German website that also ships outside of Germany, but requires a bank transfer before shipment.  The English website exists, but I had some trouble navigating it, it kept kicking me over to the German site.

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Congratulations to Emily at Princess Granola, who won our shoe giveaway. Emily, please send us a picture of Zola in her new shoes when they arrive!

Thanks to all who entered. Stay tuned for more giveaways in the upcoming months.

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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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So far, my favorite shoes are by See Kai Run. They’re stylish, soft, flexible, and with the current dollar/euro exchange rate, a lot more affordable than the brands sold here in Germany. The story of the founding of the company, from their website:

Kai is the son of owners and founders, Cause Haun and Gang Chen. He’s also the inspiration behind See Kai Run. Unable to find shoes in modern, fun styles that still promoted the healthy development of little feet, his mom developed her own line of shoes – And See Kai Run was born.

My only issue with the shoes is that their sandals are too wide at the ankle for my son, so his feet slip out all easily. We don’t run into this problem with the shoes, just the sandals. A longer Velcro strip would be very much appreciated by moms like me with narrow-ankled kids.

See Kai Run has three lines: Smaller for pre-walkers (0-18 months), See Kai Run first walkers (6 months - 3 years) and Eleven for kids (3-8 years). They ship within the US and just recently added shipping to Canada. In Europe, you can order from the Austria-based site Kleines Ich. The website is available in English and German. They are also available in the UK from Over the Moon. Check the See Kai Run store locator for more locations.

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