Dancing Feet - Toddler Shoes from Livie & Luca and See Kai Run

The scene for infant and toddler shoes has changed radically in the past 6 years or so.  When my daughter was a toddler, there were cute shoes available.  But if you wanted good quality shoes that you could feel comfortable were supporting your new walker's feet, while being flexible enough to handle a kid's active lifestyle, you were pretty much looking at European brands.  We had a closet full of shoes from Primigi and Naturino.

Now there are many more players on the market, and my favorite two lines are domestic.  See Kai Run and Livie & Luca  have the cutest stinkin' shoes I have ever seen.  They are particularly playful when it comes to boys' shoes, which is hard to find.  Move over Stride Right.  These shoes are comfortable enough for a kid to live in, and durable enough to hold up long after your child has outgrown them.

Both brands are available on their own websites and retail for about $40-45 (both also offer a slightly cheaper first walker line, but I like the toddler ranges a lot better - the shoes just look better - and I've generally found that by the time your kid needs to be in shoes the toddler range works just fine).  They can also be found at all of the usual suspects, Zappos, Shoes.com, Endless, Piperlime, the Children's Fashion Stylist on Amazon store, and your neighborhood boutique.  They rarely go on much of a sale, so if you see some you like, I would just go ahead and get them.  (I've even been known to buy the same pair in two or three sizes, since a toddler's foot tends to change sizes every three months or so.)  If you do see them marked down, please let everyone know!