I selected this shoe after a professional shoe store owner fit my 2 1/2 year-old son. Lots of shoes are cute, but I wanted him to have better support now that he's active, runs quite a bit, visits theme parks largely without a stroller, etc... My son has a chubb foot (i.e., wide) and has low arches. This shoe fit him like a dream and gives much better cushioning than the "cutsie" shoes from Target and Converse. I also appreciate that this New Balance shoe comes in half sizes, like most better-made shoes do, in order to get the best fit. Amazon has the best price for this shoe, I save about 15-20% buying here than in a store. I got the first pair of NB shoes at the store in gratitude for the store owner's professional advice, but subsequent pairs have been through Amazon.
As a side note, the shoe store owner recommended that while a child is seated with a shoe on, shove their toes to the farthest forward position in the shoe (without forcing them to curl), then insert your own index finger in the gap behind the child's heel. You should be able to insert your finger by neither jamming it in nor seeing a lot of wiggle room. The finger should feel just right. That's a good fit. When I was a kid we used to do a test by pressing on the toe end of the shoe while the child was standing up, but some shoes are so sturdy that you can't feel much using the toe-press test.
As a side note, the shoe store owner recommended that while a child is seated with a shoe on, shove their toes to the farthest forward position in the shoe (without forcing them to curl), then insert your own index finger in the gap behind the child's heel. You should be able to insert your finger by neither jamming it in nor seeing a lot of wiggle room. The finger should feel just right. That's a good fit. When I was a kid we used to do a test by pressing on the toe end of the shoe while the child was standing up, but some shoes are so sturdy that you can't feel much using the toe-press test.
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Just ordered theses shoes for the 3rd time for my 2 1/2 year old! He loves them and requests to wear them every time it is time to put on shoes. The navy is a great color that goes with all clothing and the style allows for a sneaker that isn't so sporty. Overall, couldn't be happier with these shoes!
