I can’t believe that it’s only a few weeks before the kids head back to school. Charlotte doesn’t start until after Labor Day, but James’ first day is the week before, and I’m not ready. Both in the practical sense and in the emotional sense actually. I just realized that I need to start thinking of first day outfits (you know when we try to make a good impression and I take a million pics to cry over when they’re in school for two hours). I’m starting to stock up on back to school clothes for James, Charlotte and even Brooks (even though he’s too young to go to school) but generally, the first few weeks of school are pretty warm so they’re likely still going to be wearing summer clothes. But I’m realizing that none of their shoes fit them anymore so we really need to shop for back to school shoes for kids. Finding shoes for little ones can be surprisingly difficult, so I thought I’d round up the best places to buy kids shoes.
James will be in first grade and playing lots of sports and running around a bunch, so he’ll need sneakers and cleats and all that. But I also like to get nicer shoes for school and for going out to dinner and parties and events for fall and into the holidays as well. And Charlotte likes to wear dresses and cute shoes every day, so I get to have a little fun when shopping for back to school shoes for kids. I try to choose a nice pair for each kid to have for school and holidays and events and going to the club or dinner, and then a pair of sneakers for running around and sports and activities (and then cleats and whatever else they need for said sports).
I know a lot of you struggle to find the best places to buy kids shoes, so I thought I’d share my go-to sources and brands. Now, some people like to hit up local stores and have their kids feet measured at the same time. I prefer to measure their feet at home (I use this) and then order shoes from places that I can return them. I find shopping in person with the kids overwhelming and it stresses me out, so I’d rather just order a bunch of styles and have them try them on at home and choose or look with me online and then choose .
L’Amour Shoes is our one stop shop for nice shoes for the kids. Their styles are classic and timeless and they’re well made and sturdy so they can be passed down. This is where I get their “nice” shoes. I love that the shoes are easy to put on as well with velcro or ties, which makes my job a lot easier when I’m trying to get three kids out the door.
Nordstrom Rack is a treasure trove for name brand or designer (whatever we’re calling them) back to school shoes for kids. It’s probably one of the best places to shop for shoes for kids. They have our favorite brands at great prices, including Cienta, Superga, Nike, Adidas, Saltwater sandals, Crocs and Native. I always check there before ordering shoes.
It can be hard to find little kids shoes in certain sizes. I don’t know why but the inventory always seems to be low even on places like Amazon that usually has everything. I find Zappos has the best inventory of sizes in brands like New Balance, Nike, Crocs, Natives, Veja, Uggs that I like to buy for the kids, and even in the hard-to-find sizes like 13 and 13.5 and toddler half sizes.
I bought a shoe measurer from Amazon so I can buy the kids shoes online and I’ll always check Amazon when ordering shoes, mostly because my kids grow out of shoes in a day and then I find I need something right away. They have a lot of my favorite brands — Cienta, Crocs, Natives, Superga, Nike, New Balance, etc. and obviously they come with Amazon’s fast shipping and easy returns. They don’t always have the sizes I need, but it’s always one of the first spots I check because well, it’s easy.
Maisonette
The ultimate online retailer for kids and families has a great shoe selection and they’re all trendy and cute. They carry many of our favorite brands like L’Amour but are also a great place to find new sources for the best places to buy kids shoes because they’re always stocked with the latest and greatest.
Comment