The shoe saga continues

Remember how we bought expensive shoes because the cheap shoes we bought lasted one whole month?

Well, the expensive shoes lasted 3.5 months. About even, cost-per-day-wise, but I'd very much prefer to buy new shoes because they are outgrown, not because they are destroyed.

Since the toe seemed to be the problem, we went with Keen this time. They are known for their super rugged toe. Bonus: the designs lend themselves to wider shoes, so we didn't need to exclusively look at wide-width shoes (of which there is surprisingly little selection, and none meeting our criteria of rugged toe and waterproof).

I gave him a few choices of style and color, and he picked these rather consistently:

Keen Skyline Waterproof Multi-Sport Shoe in Drizzle/Black

I wasn't confident he would still like them when they got here a mere 3 days later, but he grinned like a fool when I showed him the box. Then when I tried them on him, he excitedly told me he could walk (And run! And jump! And hop!") in them, too!

Even better - they cost $10 less than the expensive 3.5-month shoes. Still more than I hoped to spend on toddler shoes, but not too bad, especially if they last. (And - gasp - maybe even can be handed down?!)

YAY new shoes!

New Shoes!

If that title sounds familiar, it should.  It was just 31 short days ago that we bought Dexter some new shoes, since he had worn holes in the last pair.

Today, that pair looked like this:

Yep. 31 days, and there's already a hole.  Cheap shoes aren't so cheap if you have to replace them every month.

So we went to the real mall, to (unnecessarily expensive) Stride Rite, where they actually tried shoes on and will (one would hope) refund or replace the shoes if they get a hole in one month.

The new pair (Stride Rite "Walker") seem a bit more durable, though they aren't waterproof (a desirable quality, since we are hoping these last at least a little bit into winter).

Desmond *also* had holes in his shoes. He got more than 31 days out of them, though, and he was going to need new ones soon anyway because he's growing so fast. 

He did manage to snag something that should be better in winter's slush and snow. Sadly, these did not come in Dexter's size.

So yes, we hope we are done with shoe-buying for a little while, though Dex might still need something to keep his feet extra warm this winter.  They both have room to grow in there, so as long as the shoes actually hold up (please!), we should be good for at least a few months. (I hope.)


Bonus: They were both pretty good (That's a relative term - it was a kids' shoe store, after all, so their usual shenanigans were more acceptable than usual.), so they got treated to some "m cookies!" afterward.

Serious shoes...

... call for serious cookie eating.

Dexter's New Shoes

People always tell you how fast kids go through shoes, but it's tough sometimes to believe it's actually true.

Here are Dexter's most recent pair of shoes:

(Seriously. I looked at them 2 days ago. They were looking rough, but there was not an actual hole in the front.)

He's had them for THREE MONTHS. Four, max.  They were a size 9.


Today, we settled on these:

Intact, for the moment. Size 10w. We tested his ability to run and jump in them while in the store. He even found another kid to run around with, so we know they stay on when he's in full play mode.

Fingers crossed that they last until we need to spring for winter boots.  Gotta love that growing boy. :)