We all know that barefoot is best, but sometimes barefoot isn't possible or practical (e.g. outside in the cold or on the playground). Stride Rite's new line of Natural Motion System (NMS) Early Walkers provide protection for your little one's feet and a thin, flexible sole to help their feet grip properly. They are also somewhat environmentally friendly (made of 30% recycled rubber, water-based inks, and natural stitching).
As a member of Mommies Clique, I was given the opportunity to try out the new line. This couldn't have come at a more appropriate time. When we got the shoes, HD was an almost-walker, always-stander, and shortly thereafter he became an early walker. We received a pair of monkey shoes like the one pictured below. How cute is that? But that's not the only reason why I love these shoes.
My favorite part about these shoes, aside from their cuteness, and the detail under the back flap that actually says, "cheeky monkey," (I love when designers think of details like that, even on a kid's shoe), is how easy they are to put on HD. He has a couple of pairs of shoes of different brands, and I do like them all, but none of them are nearly as easy to get on as his Early Walkers. The tongue of the shoe comes all the way out, so he can almost step into the shoe. Then you fold the tongue back and cross the velcro strap over the top and they stay securely on his feet - even when he runs an "air" marathon in his car seat.
We decided not to get boots this winter since HD isn't really walking that much and the amount of snow and ice is so difficult to navigate even for adults at this point. Instead, we've put him in his Early Walkers with his snowsuit on our snow outings. They're not intended for this use, but they have held up wonderfully well. His feet have stayed dry and the shoes still look new after several rounds of sledding and romping in the snow.
One last note: we went to the Stride Rite store to get HD measured for these shoes. This was a great thing to do because we found out that he was two sizes bigger than we thought (meaing he was two sizes bigger than the shoes we were cramming his little feet into at the time). So, if you're in the market for shoes for your early walker, make sure to get them measured.
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