Do you know what you are looking at below?
Besides a baby dressed adorably in a faux fur vest?
The last documented picture of my child wearing shoes.
And as you will notice, she wasn’t quite sturdy in her person yet, so was really in no position to argue about foot ware.
Well, she is now. And like many things in her short little lifetime, she has a strong opinion about shoes.
And she is anti.
Stupid Mommy, feet go in MOUTHS, not in shoes…
It is my fault, really. All of these books said not to constrict her little feet with shoes because it hinders early walking, and I had big dreams of baby athleticism, but here we are at 12+ months, and no walking, and no shoes.
Having some ladies time with her Aunt Cait, sans shoes
Which would be fine with me, really. I mean who doesn’t like the baby Huck Finn look? If any of you say baby Britney Spears I will murder you. 
On the town with Daddy for the Fourth, no shoes.
‘Cept the thing is, she is on the verge of walking.
Crushing this young boys spirit/getting bossy at the gym daycare, no zapatos.
Which I can’t wait for because she is on the move and even if it means having to run after her for the rest of my days, it is better than holding a child trying to defy you with all 24 pounds of her surprisingly strong body because she wants to crawl around on the floor at the aquarium. 
Me giving in and finally letting her bare feet touch the aquarium floor. I am so ashamed. But she was so happy!
Problem is, when I put shoes on her, if she physically can, she will rip them off immediately and throw them. If I put on a few pairs of magic gladiator esque shoes that will not come off, she sits there and looks at me like ‘what have you done, these things are obviously useless to me now’, like I just cast her feet in lead.
Cruising the streets of Chicago, rain gear on, shoes off. And I actually super tried this day, but she kicked her shoe literally into a gutter to be lost forever.
Are there any magic shoes out there that stay on, and that babies like? I don’t even care if they are cute at this point. Chick needs some foot gear.
Help me?
I think I am going to get the Jumping Jack walkers once the weather gets a little cooler. I think the way to go is with lace up and no velcro. I guess that is the good/bad thing about summer babies. I will be excited for the crawling to end. Soo dirty. Good Luck
Hey Bailey! Love your blog! Been there with the shoes, or lack thereof. My top three suggestions are 1) Nowali cable knit moccasins are really wonderful. The solid cable knit ones are classic and can be dressed up or down. And they stay on! And you can throw them in the wash! Win win win!! http://www.nowali-USA.com.
2. Classic, old-school white lace-up walkers from Stride-Rite or Jumping Jacks. Get them properly fitted.
3. Robeez WITH socks. They stay on better.
Good luck!!
Straight to the Stride Rite store! On bellaire/Holcombe back in the day. Sturdy white lace ups! (see Lauras from 1987 on her dresser drawers!)
My sweet Lola will not wear shoes either. I have decided to just embrace the beauty of those bare little footsies.
I also vote for StrideRite and for letting your baby pick out the shoes. Mine girls are always more likely to wear something they pick out for themselves.
Naturino. Robeez are too flimsy and not supportive and Crocs should be illegal for girls!! There is a store in Uptown park and you can find them online. There are pretty much the only shoes the boys wear!
Have you tried Robeez? Put them on with a pair of socks and it will be a good way to transition to hard soled shoes. You can wash them in the washing machine (but don’t put them in the dryer) so it’s ok to ewar them outside even though they are basically slippers.
Do you have Nordstrom? They do an excellent job of fitting there for hard soled shoes. They usually will even go in the back to dig out a pair that fits your special needs (my daughter had the pickiest feet and I used to cry when it was time to shop for her).
Good luck. BTW, shoes will not make her start walking. You know how babies like to walk in front of you with you bent over, holding both their hands? The trick is to lead her around holding only one hand instead of two. This will get her walking fast. If she is not doing the two handed trick yet, then she is not ready to walk!
Robeez! With socks.
This post just made me laugh out loud!! How adorable! And what a funny little problem to have
haha. Good luck finding some magic shoes!!!
Another vote for robeez with socks! Not the most stylish look, but comfy and hard to get off! You don’t need hard-sole shoes until she’s a more experienced walker walking through parking lots and other places where she could step on something and hurt her feet!
my little girl started walking a few months ago, and like gracie, hated shoes. she would cry and rip them off. so since it was summer, we didn’t bother. but once she got good enough (about 2-4 weeks after her first steps), she started to mind the shoes less – she was more interested and distracted by her surroundings.
she didn’t like the robeez – not enough structure or grip to the soles – she would trip and slide on hardwood floors. she had a pair of stride rites that worked, although the sole was a little stiff. i bought a pair of laura ashley leather shoes with velcro at the ankle and rubber grips on the bottoms that were great (found at tjmaxx) – but in a month she’s already outgrown them (and i can’t find them anywhere to order more!). but now that she’s practically running, she barely minds shoes at all. i think it’s just that transition phase where baby shoes are the hardest! good luck! love those cute little feet in the meantime!
Love this post! Baby Blochs are my favorite and my daughter keeps them on – plus they are adorable!
You may want to check out Purple Mango in the Village. They have a great selection and are extremely helpful. See Kai Run (which they sell there) are lightweight and didn’t bother my son.
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So excited for the store
Robeez!! We had a similar situation. With or without socks, they helped us. But I agree with another comment that once she’s ready to walk she’ll be more concerned with the new mobility than the shoes.
I see many tots without shoes so I don’t think anything of it. Of course once colder weather hits I hate seeing little ones with only socks on – brrrr!!
Good luck!
I totally understand your frustration. I can’t recommend a particular brand b/c it’s been years since we actually purchased a pair for her, but when our girlie was little, the only solution was a “tie” shoe. If it had velcro or elastic, it was coming off, and rapidly. She absolutely hated crocs, but who could blame her.
Hope you find some that work!
Warning: no shoes on babies causes old ladies to spew criticism and advice which might cause the mother of said baby to cuss off an old lady. Not that I did that….maybe I did. Robeez with socks worked for my kids who are now old…might not be the most current solution! Good luck.
Joanne @ Homestyling101
Once it get cold, the shoe thing will be easier. Unless the kid is trying to walk across a hot parking lot, at this age shoes are more for the parents than the kids. (I have 2 summer baby girls).
Obsessed with your mad design skills, but can also relate to baby drama. My pediatrician told me not to sweat the no shoes issue, and that it was probably for the best because ill fitting shoes cause more harm than good. Ollie spent her days cruising barefoot, and getting all kinds of nasty comments from mom’s clearly jealous of my baby’s free spirit, until the weather got cold and then magically she wanted shoes…I went with old school slip on vans.
Every time your daughter doesn’t wear shoes make her.Be an enforcer.If you don’t start now think of the repercussions later in her life.Surely you do not desire to be on the Maury Povich show in twelve years!Good luck with your daughter she is adorable however for god’s sake put your foot down.