Sizing up Shoes
Like most girlie girls, I love shoes. All shoes. High heels, flats, boots, flip flops, sneakers. If they're cute, they're comfortable... Blisters are bonuses... etc. So when I found out I was pregnant with a little girl, one of the first things I ran out and bought were tiny little newborn sneakers.
One of my mommy-friends tried to warn me, "Don't go crazy buying shoes," she said, "they never stay on. You'll be putting them back on every five minutes." I told her I didn't care about the inconvenience. Shoes are worth it. Even before she was born, Arianna had more shoes then her daddy, in sizes ranging from 0-3. Designer shoes, sneakers, sandals, slippers, boots, and even a pair of Uggs!
As part of Arianna's coming home from the hospital outfit, were little white and pink sneakers. They were adorable. Except I couldn't get them on. They were definitely her size - 0 - but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get her little socked foot in the sneaker correctly. It seemed that between her cartilage foot and her curling her toes, putting on shoes was nearly impossible. I gave up after a few minutes. Socked feet would have to do.
Over the next few months, Arianna only wore shoes on special occasions. While in our home and during the heat of the summer, I didn't think it necessary to make Arianna wear shoes. Honestly, I barely wore shoes either. From the few times I did put shoes on her though, I learned which types work and which types to avoid.
Avoid: anything with a shoelace, anything that is supposed to just slip on and stay on, sandals with thongs, and any shoe that it difficult to make sure the baby's heel is in the correct position
Attempt: mary-jane styles, velcro, and shoes that open up wide enough that you can place the baby's foot flat on the sole before fastening them into it.
So anyway, for the most part, Arianna was barefoot all summer long. She looked so cute kicking her little tootsies and wiggling her tiny toes. Once the fall rolled around, we switched to simply wearing socks. (From the Children's Place mostly). But now that it's winter, and Arianna pulls her socks off at every chance she gets, I've decided that Arianna needs to wear shoes when we leave the house.
Now, go figure, all of Arianna's shoes were either too big, too small, or sandals. So I went online and began searching for the best possible infant footwear. Then I stumbled upon "Pediped". I read their entire website - the reviews, the about us, how their shoes are made, I read about each individual type of shoe, and decided that these were the shoes Arianna had to have. Apparently, nearly 70% of adult foot problems comes from wearing the wrong shoes during the developing years (infancy-early childhood). While the American Podiatric Medical Association says that barefeet is best, they say that Pediped footwear is a "smart choice".
I printed out the foot size chart and tried my hardest to determine what size to get Arianna. I couldn't. But there was a store a few blocks away that sold them, so I loaded Arianna into the car and drove right over.
The store clerk measured Arianna and brought over the 3 styles they had in her size. Pink, black, or brown with flowers. The second Arianna saw the pink shoes, her whole face lit-up and she grabbed the left one and turned it over and over in her hands. She had chosen her shoes. .
I hesitated. I really wanted to get her black shoes. They just seemed more practical. But I got the pink ones. She loved them. And she's a baby. She'll have her own life to be practical. (I did, however, go back to the store a few days later to buy the black ones. We need them for her Christmas outfit.)
We've had them for about 2 weeks now. It's a little challenging finding the perfect outfits to match these little pink shoes, but they look adorable when I do. And miraculously - they stay on! And Arianna still loves them.
Am I crazy for spending nearly $70 on two pairs of infant shoes which have been designed to mimic bare feet? Maybe. But my baby, her foot health, and stylish shoes are definitely worth it.
One of my mommy-friends tried to warn me, "Don't go crazy buying shoes," she said, "they never stay on. You'll be putting them back on every five minutes." I told her I didn't care about the inconvenience. Shoes are worth it. Even before she was born, Arianna had more shoes then her daddy, in sizes ranging from 0-3. Designer shoes, sneakers, sandals, slippers, boots, and even a pair of Uggs!
As part of Arianna's coming home from the hospital outfit, were little white and pink sneakers. They were adorable. Except I couldn't get them on. They were definitely her size - 0 - but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get her little socked foot in the sneaker correctly. It seemed that between her cartilage foot and her curling her toes, putting on shoes was nearly impossible. I gave up after a few minutes. Socked feet would have to do.
Over the next few months, Arianna only wore shoes on special occasions. While in our home and during the heat of the summer, I didn't think it necessary to make Arianna wear shoes. Honestly, I barely wore shoes either. From the few times I did put shoes on her though, I learned which types work and which types to avoid.
Avoid: anything with a shoelace, anything that is supposed to just slip on and stay on, sandals with thongs, and any shoe that it difficult to make sure the baby's heel is in the correct position
Attempt: mary-jane styles, velcro, and shoes that open up wide enough that you can place the baby's foot flat on the sole before fastening them into it.
So anyway, for the most part, Arianna was barefoot all summer long. She looked so cute kicking her little tootsies and wiggling her tiny toes. Once the fall rolled around, we switched to simply wearing socks. (From the Children's Place mostly). But now that it's winter, and Arianna pulls her socks off at every chance she gets, I've decided that Arianna needs to wear shoes when we leave the house.
Now, go figure, all of Arianna's shoes were either too big, too small, or sandals. So I went online and began searching for the best possible infant footwear. Then I stumbled upon "Pediped". I read their entire website - the reviews, the about us, how their shoes are made, I read about each individual type of shoe, and decided that these were the shoes Arianna had to have. Apparently, nearly 70% of adult foot problems comes from wearing the wrong shoes during the developing years (infancy-early childhood). While the American Podiatric Medical Association says that barefeet is best, they say that Pediped footwear is a "smart choice".
I printed out the foot size chart and tried my hardest to determine what size to get Arianna. I couldn't. But there was a store a few blocks away that sold them, so I loaded Arianna into the car and drove right over.
The store clerk measured Arianna and brought over the 3 styles they had in her size. Pink, black, or brown with flowers. The second Arianna saw the pink shoes, her whole face lit-up and she grabbed the left one and turned it over and over in her hands. She had chosen her shoes. .
I hesitated. I really wanted to get her black shoes. They just seemed more practical. But I got the pink ones. She loved them. And she's a baby. She'll have her own life to be practical. (I did, however, go back to the store a few days later to buy the black ones. We need them for her Christmas outfit.)
We've had them for about 2 weeks now. It's a little challenging finding the perfect outfits to match these little pink shoes, but they look adorable when I do. And miraculously - they stay on! And Arianna still loves them.
Am I crazy for spending nearly $70 on two pairs of infant shoes which have been designed to mimic bare feet? Maybe. But my baby, her foot health, and stylish shoes are definitely worth it.
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