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11-month-oldbabybaby clothesbaby shoesfootwearparenting humor
Dad holding an 11-month-old baby wearing tiny flexible sneakers at a park

A clueless dad's guide to buying Nike baby shoes and apparel

We're at Washington Park in Portland, and the temperature is exactly 62.4 degrees. The sky has that flat, gray, overcast quality that makes for decent smartphone photos, which is great, because I've dressed my 11-month-old son like a backup dancer...

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11-month-oldbaby shoeseco-friendlyfirst walkersfootwearparenting humor
A pile of baby shoes never worn sitting next to a barefoot 11-month-old

Baby Shoes Never Worn: Why Barefoot Is Always The Smart Move

I'm currently sitting cross-legged on the floor of our hallway in Portland, staring at a plastic storage bin filled to the brim with tiny, immaculate, aggressively rigid footwear. It’s raining outside, the house is hovering at exactly 68.4 degrees because...

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12-month-oldbaby shoesfirst walkersfootwearorganic clothingpediatrician
A barefoot baby pulling to stand next to a pair of flexible first walker shoes.

The Real Deal on Finding Walking Shoes for Babies

I was standing in the middle of the Target shoe aisle with my oldestβ€”who's now four and still an absolute terror, bless his heartβ€”when I realized I had three completely different voices echoing in my head about what to put...

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Babyearly developmentfootwearorganicsummer play
A stressed mom holding a tiny pair of baby sandals next to an iced coffee.

Dear Past Me: A Messy Open Letter About Buying Baby Sandals

Dear Sarah from last May, You're currently sitting on the cold linoleum floor of aisle 14 at Target. You're wearing those embarrassing faded black leggings with the tiny hole near the left knee, holding a venti iced cold brew that's...

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90s nostalgiababy shoesearly developmentfootwearmillennialstyling guide
A frustrated toddler sitting on mulch wearing unlaced baby blue Jordans and holding a Kianao blanket.

Why I Regret (And Still Love) Buying Baby Blue Jordans For My Kid

It was Tuesday, 2:14 PM, and the sun was absolutely baking the squishy rubber flooring at Centennial Park. I was wearing leggings that hadn't seen the inside of a washing machine since Sunday and an oversized Nirvana tee with a...

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Toddler wearing small cork sandals on grass

The Great Debate Over Baby Birkenstocks And Tiny Cork Sandals

My mother-in-law sent me a link to some terrifying, Victorian-looking orthopaedic boots at 7:00 AM on a Tuesday, insisting the twins needed them the second they pulled themselves up to stand. That same afternoon, my NCT mateβ€”a lovely woman who...

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Babydevelopmentfirst walkersfootwearsafety tips
Toddler taking first steps outside wearing flexible soft sole baby sneakers on grass.

Why those stiff miniature adult sneakers are ruining baby feet

We were at Maggie Daley Park, right in the middle of a brutal Chicago November, and my son was bleeding from his mouth. I'd dressed him in these incredibly expensive, highly structured miniature basketball shoes. They looked exactly like my...

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apparelbaby shoesearly developmentfootweartwin dadUK
A frustrated dad trying to put a tiny trainer on a toddler's squirming foot

How I Survived the Chaos of Measuring Tiny Feet

I'm currently holding a tiny, pristine canvas high-top in one hand and my daughter Maya’s fiercely clenched foot in the other. She is looking at me with the deep, pitying expression of someone watching a dog try to do long...

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babybaby shoesfirst walkersfootweartoddler
A toddler wearing flexible baby shoes while trying to stand up next to a living room couch.

The Truth About Baby Nike Shoes From a Mom Who Learned the Hard Way

I'm standing in the middle of Target, holding a pair of tiny, sixty-dollar sneakers that weigh more than a sack of flour, while my phone blows up with conflicting text messages. My mom is telling me my ten-month-old needs sturdy...

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