The 3 Different Stages of Baby Footwear!

Since Charlotte is becoming quite the confident walker, we decided it was time to have her first real baby shoes fitted. I'm quite the experienced shoe shopper if I may say so myself, but shopping for your baby is a completely different ball game. Especially if you only want the absolute best for your child. Apparently there is more to buying baby footwear than getting their feet measured and picking up some cute little shoes. Here's what we have learned about baby shoe shopping so far!

Stage one/The Prewalker
During the first few months of your babies life all you need is something that will keep those little footsies nice and warm. But when it's time for your baby to start standing and doing her (or his!) first little steps, it's time for some more serious footwear. The shoes that are ideal for this first stage have non-slip soft soles and elasticized ankles to make sure the shoes stay on. Since your baby will still be crawling alot during this stage, it can be fairly easy to lose a shoe. These shoes vary from simple booties to real full-blown shoes. An example:

Stage Two/The Confident Walker
The shoes that are ideal  for this stage have flexible thin soles that have curved edges to preferent tripping and falling over (very important!). These are already real shoes that are perfect for the first steps outside the house. During the previous stage you could still get away with a simple inexpensive bootie, but during this stage it's time to invest in a good quality leather shoe. Get them professionally fitted and expect to pay atleast 40 bucks for them. Opt for a shoe that has a removable sole. It's easier to take it out and place it on your babies foot to see if it still fits properly. Expect a shoe like this to last for an avarage of 3 months before you have to start shopping for the next size up. An example:

Stage three/The Running Arround Like a Pro Walker
When your baby really mastered this whole walking thing it's time to move on to the next stage. A normal good quality shoe with a regular light weight sole. It's very important that these shoes have a good decent footbed and offer enough stability. Since we're not at this stage yet, I can't show you what these look like, so I just photographed my own Uggs. I'm embarrased to say that these are the only shoes in the house with a normal flat sole. But you catch my drift! :) The not so good example:

I'm very satisfied with the shoes we picked out for Charlotte and the advice we were given. We tried her new shoes out in the woods today and eventhough the underground was pretty uneven, she had alot of stability! I know for a fact that I will not shop for baby shoes online anytime soon. I really recommend getting baby shoes at a real store. They can really help you determine the right size and the right kind of shoe for your little sprout. Remember that those little feet have to last a lifetime!

Kisses!