5 great summer shoes for preschoolers (and moms)

If you’re anywhere close to my age, you probably remember when Keds were the coolest shoes on the block. As it turns out, they’re still pretty cool. And even though getting my daughter to wear sneakers in summer is almost as hard as getting her to eat spinach, there are lots of summer activities that make tennis shoes the best choice. We don’t have any Keds (most of our shoes are hand-me-downs, and I’m not about to spend money on sneakers that I know she’ll only wear when I insist), but if I were going to buy her some sneakers, these would be a good choice. They’re not sparkly, but the pretty color and decorative strawberry might be incentive enough for her to wear them. Occasionally.

3. Birkenstocks.

Neither my daughter nor I have ever owned a pair of real Birkenstocks. (I did have a knock-off pair back in the early 90′s.) But when I went last week to buy shoes with arch support, desperate for something that would enable me to walk again, the salesman told me Birkenstocks had the best arch support of any shoe in the store. I tried them on and it was true. They’re pretty amazing, especially considering how simple they are. I don’t think I’ll be willing to spend that kind of money on shoes for my daughter till after her feet stop growing, and hand-me-down Birkenstocks are a terrible idea since they’re made to conform to your individual feet, but someday I will own a pair. They’re probably the best walking sandals you can find.

4. Keens.

Unless the best walking sandals are Keens. These are my new Keens, which I’m wearing right now. I picked them over the Birkenstocks, and I’ve been wearing them every waking minute since. My arches are still sore, but I can walk without pain in these Keens. And I know preschoolers like them, because I see them all over the playground. My daughter, of course, will not own any till they come out with a sparkly version.

Which brings me to her new shoe:

5. Pedipeds.

I’m still in awe that we found these shoes. Despite the sparkly exterior, they have some strong (yet flexible!) treads. You can see the toe protection. I would never have bought these for full price, but we found them at Baby Love consignment store — new! — but at a huge discount. There was one pair left in this style, and it was in my daughter’s size. Clearly, these shoes were meant to be.

The only trouble is that when she outgrows them, I’m going to want to buy her another pair.

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