Shoe Fetish

Linus got his first pair of "real" shoes. Up until now, he's been wearing his Robeez and Robeez knock-offs. These were just fine for the few times he wanted to get down, hold our fingers, and walk around. Now that he's a much more proficient walker, he wants to walk more and more. This kid wants to walk everywhere... through the mall, at the park, down the driveway, everywhere.

With all this rough (and hot!) terrain, I thought it was about time to get a little protection between his feet and the ground.

Of course, buying shoes, like all things baby, requires a decent amount of research. Turns out, those baby shoes I wore when learning to walk (you know, the ones your mom has bronzed), aren't the best choice anymore. Most podiatrists recommend early walkers go barefoot as often as possible. And, when they do require shoes, those shoes should be as flexible as possible.

Luckily, I'm pretty up on my baby shoe brands thanks to all the mommy blogs I read. That knowledge combined with a bit of research* on product review sites and a quick email to my bloggy friend, Drea, and I had a winner.

Linus is now sporting a super flexible and oh so adorable pair of Riley Roos. Best of all, he LOVES them. When he's not wearing them, he can usually be found carrying them around the house.

There's only one problem we have had with the shoes... Linus thinks wearing his new sporty shoes means he should go fast. Get them on his feet and suddenly he's trying to run. Oh well, I knew it would happen sometime.

(*This is a link to a video that Drea made showing the difference between babes wearing hard-soled shoes and soft-soled shoes. It makes the choice really clear.)