Protection For Little Feet
- What: Jack and Lily shoes
- When: When your baby starts to stand
- Why: Comfortable, affordable, durable
- Where: Amazon or Jack and Lily
My first two kids starting walking around ten and a half months. Before that, I had enough trouble keeping socks on them (don’t get my started about how many times I had to go back looking for a missing sock) until I discovered Zutano booties.
Then, much to my surprise, they started standing upright and suddenly we needed a foot covering that could handle wood chips, sand, cement, grass, and pavement. Lucky for me, I inherited a stack of hand me downs that contained two pairs of Jack and Lily shoes.
I loved these shoes so much. Even now, they remain my favorites and I remember them fondly. They offered a nice soft sole for growing feet, but it had enough resistance and traction that my kids didn’t slip. They looked adorable on or off. I had no trouble getting them on my kids’ feet, and they stayed on until I took them off, unlike some others we tried. I had more success but less fun than going back to search for socks (perhaps I had more determination when shoe hunting since shoes cost more).
I would’ve bought multiple pairs myself if I had found anywhere local or online that sold the brand. Lucky for you, Amazon now carries these shoes in lots of different size and color options.
The styles we had aren’t available any more, probably because the kids we inherited them from are now ages 11 and 7. Surprise, surprise – styles have changed in a decade. But they have similar styles to choose from.
We only wore their shoes, and never the mocs, because my kids walked by the time we discovered the brand. All three of my kids wore both pairs of shoes, and they were the favorites of all the kids (though my firstborn had more shoes to choose from). Two other kids had worn them before they came to us, and they showed little sign of wear and tear until my third kid finished with them. But, even then, they stayed in good enough shape that I passed them down to a friend. That’s up to six kids who wore them, at least three of them almost every day (though we did have two pairs).
They did start showing signs of use in the toe box area where my youngest had outgrown them but still insisted on wearing them. They had a bit of fraying of the material there where his toes dragged. But the soles remained soft enough to flex easily but offered enough support and protection that my kids never complained about stepping on rough or poky surfaces.
I only wish they made them in a wider range of sizes so my big kids could still wear them.
Practically Apparent 
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