On our shopping excursion with my children’s grandma and grandpa, I selected several pairs of shoes to be retrieved in two different sizes for my son to try. Once I had the first pair of shoes fitted, I asked him to walk around to see how they felt. He walked around and found a play area complete with a large train set. The shoes felt fine to him and he was more interested in playing with trains than trying on shoes; no surprise there! I coaxed him back and quickly tried four more pairs of shoes on him and hastily picked the pair that seemed to fit him the best. Then we were off to find his sister some new shoes at a different store. While grandma, my daughter, and I set out for another children’s shoe store, grandpa and my son stayed to play with the trains. I have a very specific aesthetic when it comes to clothing and shoes for my children (and my husband and I). That being said, I knew that I wanted to get my daughter some shoes that would be simple and could be dressed up or down. The shoes immediately caught my eye were a pair of black patent leather Mary Janes that are specifically designed for the early and new walker with a very flexible sole. While the shoe looked a lot like a traditional Mary Jane, the sole and insole of the shoe were more reminiscent to a tennis shoe. I was also drawn to a pair of gray boots with pink stitching (I think I would have prefered a more neutral gray stitching) which were deceptively lightweight with a more flexible sole as well. My daughter was quickly sized and the shoes were retrieved for her to try on her little feet. I was shocked when it was confirmed that my, not quite eleven month old, daughter is a size five and a half wide! She was not a fan of trying on shoes and when I put her down to let her walk in the shoes she just sat down and cried. Still the shoes were a good fit and grandma was pleased to get her granddaughter both pairs!
(To be continued …)