These chubby feet were made for walking

My Sweet Pea just turned one last Saturday and to celebrate this milestone, he decided to start walking full time. Technically, he had started taking tentative steps around 10 months old, but he was only a part-time walker - preferring the speed and ease of crawling when he had to get somewhere. Now he lurches and sways around the house with the drunken gait of a sloshed sailor on shore leave. The cats are startled by this new biped in the house. One of them was rudely awakened from an extended nap by a delighted squeal and a rain of drool from above as the newly minted walker strolled by. I swear the cat did a startled double-take as if he were thinking, “What the…? I thought this one had four legs. I’m confused.”

I knew that it was time to go shoe shopping for real shoes, a ritual I dreaded knowing that I’d stroll into my nearest Stride Rite and the sales person would take one look at my son’s fat feet and steer me away from the display of adorable tiny Pumas and Addidas sneakers and point me towards the ugly, white orthopedic shoe that come in Extra Wide. Having gone through this with my older son (who thankfully now fits into regular shoes), I was prepared. As predicted, the nice saleslady didn’t even have to measure before she steered me towards the three Extra Wide shoes on display. At least they now offered two styles of extra wide shoes in less orthopedic shades of brown, but they certainly did not fulfill my cute shoe standards.

Thankfully, I discovered Tsukihoshi shoes, a Japanese sneaker brand built on an extra wide platform to accommodate fluffy toddler feet. They’re ultra lightweight, machine washable and even boast an antibacterial, removable insole infused with Green Tea. I have no idea why you’d ever want to treat insoles with green tea, but I still think it sounds cool. They’re much hipper than those Stride Rite shoes and retail for around $40. What’s not to love?

I bought my older son a pair in camouflage and they’re the best shoes ever. Not only are they featherweight and ultra comfortable, they are easy to clean. Within three days of purchase, my son plunged into a mud pit and stomped around. I sighed and told him to hose off the excess, caked-on mud so I could run them in the washing machine. But to my amazement, they rinsed off perfectly clean. The mud just slid right off the shoes (they must be treated with something) with a little water and they dried off outside overnight and looked as good as new.

You can find these shoes at www.tsukihoshi.com or www.zappos.com