baby steps
Good morning everyone! I hope you had a great weekend!
I just wanted to take a minute to address all of the Mommies out there, especially the Mommies of infants & toddlers. I know that it was an issue for me, so maybe it is an issue for you, too….shoes. I think between all of the articles we read on the subject – to shoe or not to shoe – it just gets overwhelming.
For me, when it came to my son Seven, I chose not to put him in shoes for the first several months. He wasn’t walking anywhere,and to be honest, he didn’t like them on his feet. Even after he started crawling, I was pretty non-committal. In fact, my mom made most of the slipper shoes he wore – he even had a pair that had his picture on them! His feet were growing so fast that I couldn’t justify the high dollar pricetags of “real shoes” to keep in fashion for 3 days after which time his foot was too large to wear that size anymore. But once he started walking? All bets were off.
Walking brought about stress. He needed soles that were sturdy, but not so sturdy that his foot couldn’t flex. And being the persnickety Mom that I am, the shoes needed to be cute, too. I found a great solution with SeeKaiRun shoes, and he wore them almost exclusively while learning to get his bearings. They were stylish and yet foot friendly, so I was a happy camper.
Another great choice is Stride Rite. I love that they are made not with just fashion in mind, but your child’s well being. Their baby feet need support, and Stride Rite makes it their business to provide us Moms with great solutions. Now they’ve taken it a step farther with their new Sensory Response Touch shoes, which, according to their press release “improves the way a child learns to walk via a sensory feedback system, an ultra-flexible design that allows for more freedom of movement, and a unique construction that reduces the number of stumbles and falls.” Add to that THEY ARE CUTE! – and I’m sold.
SRT’s features promote a healthy lifelong walking pattern and improve baby’s ability to respond to their environment. Highlights include:
* Greater feel of terrain: Sensory pods in the forefoot of the outsole move independently of each other offering multiple reaction points, increasing a baby’s feel of the ground beneath them. This allows a baby to stabilize their gait and better respond to their environment.
* More natural support: Unique "hourglass" construction in the midfoot mirrors a baby’s foot structure to help supporting bones and muscles that are not yet fully developed. A smooth, rounded transition from outsole to upper prevents catching an edge, reducing the number of stumbles and falls.
* Freedom of movement: Ultra-flexible design allows the foot to move in many directions to help baby learn how to adapt to uneven surfaces.
You should definietly consider Stride Rites for your toddler – don’t they deserve the best? And just FYI, your can check out the entire press release here.
And now you can follow them on FaceBook!
Best of all, Stride Rite is GIVING AWAY 5 PAIR of these great shoes! Just fill out the form to be entered to win. Entries will be accepted through the 28th of September, so fill out the form!
5 winners will be chosen at random by Stride Rite to receive one pair of SRT shoes, available in sizes 3 to 8 infant/toddler (including medium and wide). Each pair is a retail value of $50. In order to enter, you must fill out the following form. http://bit.ly/zb2Qb
Good Luck!
