This is an archived article and the information in the story may be outdated. Please check the time stamp on the story to see when it was updated last.
My daughter is brutal on her shoes. I’m not sure if she walks, runs and plays particularly hard or that it has more to do with her pounding the pavement here in New York City, but she tends to wear out her kicks long before she outgrows them.
That being said, I’ve been through a whole lot of shoes since she started walking. There were some flops, but there were also some really great brands that have been my go-tos ever since.
So if you’re in the market for durable, cute toddler shoes, check out my 5 favorite brands. Trust me, they’ll never let you down.
1. Stride Rite. This brand has been around forever and has only gotten better with time. These days Stride Rite offers everything from snow boots to sneakers with cool technologies like SRT (sensory response technology), which helps keeps little feet comfortable and safely supported.
2. Naturino. This Italian shoe brand has a store right around the corner from my house, so that’s how I discovered them. The shoes are a bit on the pricey side, but they’re so durable and comfortable. They’re always the first shoes my daughter reaches for in the morning and even after months of wear, they look almost as good as when I first bought them.
Bonus: Both Jennifer Garner and Maggie Gyllenhaal put their daughters in Naturino toddler shoes.
3. pediped. I’m not the only mom who loves this brand–Nicole Richie puts her daughter Harlow in pedipeds, too. pediped kids’ shoes have also received a seal of acceptance from the American Podiatric Medical Association for contributing to better foot health.
4. Primigi. Primigi is another Italian brand and it must be said–those Italians know a thing or two about quality shoes. I am especially fond of Primigi’s dress shoes for both boys and girls because they are fancy without being uncomfortable for kids. My daughter runs and plays in her Primigi mary janes just like she does in sneakers. A lot of Primigi shoes also have the Sky Effect System, which is a special insole that’s flexible, lightweight, shock-absorbing, breathable, and anti-bacterial.
5. ECCO. Every shoe ECCO designs is created with one goal in mind: to create a comfortable walking shoe. So for the same reason people who are always on their feet turn to ECCO, these are my go-to shoe whenever my little girl will have to be walking a lot (think in airports or at amusement parks).
Find more of the best toddler boots in our buying guides.
Sign up for our newsletter to get even more finds delivered right to your inbox.
Click here to email Jeanine, the author of this post.
