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Athletic shoes for younger kids?


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My girlies really need new athletic-type shoes. They're still stuffing their feet into ones they've had for 2 years from Land's End. We're going to Michigan in a few weeks where there will be lots of rock hopping, and also no guarantee of sandal weather, so we need to get them some new shoes very soon.

 

My question is, what kind? I can get them the trekker shoes from Land's End; $30 for shoes is fine with me. Since I expect them to walk a mile or two with me most days, do they need something more substantial, like, say, New Balance? My other concern is that Emma has larger, wider feet and could probably stand to have her feet measured for a good fit. I have not had good luck finding shoes that work for her at Target or Walmart.

 

Any suggestions? TIA!

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After years of 'bargain' shoes for my DS, we went to try on athletic shoes for a sports class. He tried a pair of New Balance, and his face lit up and he said, "Wow! These shoes don't HURT!". I'd had no idea that the other shoes were hurting his feet before, but trying on shoes in the past had always been a bit of torture for both of us. He wore those shoes out, and always talked about how comfortable they were. *I* would invest in a good pair of New Balance or other athletic shoes for a trip with lots of walking.

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Check out Famous Footwear. They have a wide variety of styles and sizes, and if you join their little club thingy, they'll send you awesome coupons. I got a 25% off coupon this last week and used it in conjunction with a sale to get a $40 pair of sandals for my son for $16... $20 with tax and shipping.

 

Not sure if this is the answer you're looking for, but I thought I'd throw it out there.

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My advice is, make sure whatever shoes you pick are very flexible and don't go overboard with the arch supports. Children's feet need to be able to flex and bend like barefoot as much as possible to develop strong arches, and arch supports under developing arches is about as useful as a knee brace on a healthy child's knee--it'll interfere with development.

 

DD currently still wears Preschoolians, has a pair of cheap, very flexible sandals from Wal-Mart, and a pair of aqua socks she can wear like sneakers. When she outgrows Preschoolians, I'll probably start buying her shoes from Nativearth with recycled conveyor belt soles, assuming we can find a way to afford them (I don't mind paying more for shoes, but then I'm also in the "one pair is probably enough" camp).

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try Keens or Salomons. You can get them less expensively from www.6pm.com

 

I *heart* my Salomons, they are incrediably comfortable no matter what you're doing. I wore them today to climb a rock wall (indoor rock climbing) and they worked quite well, despite being rock-hiking shoes and not for rock climbing.

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