Exactly two weeks ago today, my little girl started walking. And boy, when babies finally get it, they really get it don’t they? Layla wouldn’t wobble more than three steps for months and then suddenly she just took off through the kitchen. I grabbed the video as quickly as I could, sat her down and hoped she’d do it again. She did, I got it and she has not looked back since. It’s incredibly dark and noisy from the builder in the other room who was oblivious to this awesome milestone and so carried on, but it’s cute. Well I think so, but then I am her mother and have to think that.

But it’s the perfect video (if only it were clearer!) to illustrate my next review: Cheeky Little Soles. The bestest baby shoes in my opinion. And I’ve tried a fair few. Here is a clearer – but crankier - view of the shoes in action. Check out my little drama queen would you? Hand on face like it’s all just too much for her. And then she headbutts the camera…

Layla says: “I don’t know what’s wrong with turning my white socks black, but apparently mum has a drama with it and would try to shove my feet into all sorts of rather hard shoes. Pfft, if I wanted hard and uncomfy, I’d wear her high heels. Then she got annoyed with my constant whinging and wriggling and slapped on some old red and white shoes with a cool ring. They were comfy and soft but old with a few marks. I scored Zak’s hand-me-downs. But they were so nice, I didn’t wriggle around anymore. Then after I pulled the rings off and broke them after a whole lot of tugging at them and taking advantage of their age, she got me some of my very own. Pinkish purple ones with fireflies on them and a pair of pink ballet shoes which makes me look like the prettiest ballerina ever. I love them so much I seek them out and bring them over for mummy to put on. I’m helpful like that.”

They say: ”Cheeky Little Soles was created by Australian mum and entrepreneur Lisa Koba early in 2005 after desperate searches for a way to keep her 6 month old daughters socks on and to stop her from slipping on their floorboards at home in her early attempts at learning to stand. The stylish soft leather shoes with the black soles have fast become the infant footwear of choice for Australian parents since it was discovered that hard-soled shoes are not suitable for infants as they learn to walk. Feet of young children are soft and pliable, pressure from the wrong type of shoe can be detrimental to the development of growing little feet. While barefoot is best, Cheeky Little Soles is the next best thing as the soft sole allows little feet to grip the floor when learning to stand and walk.”

Mummy & me ballet flats. And matching shoe boxes!

I say: “When Zak was a baby I went crazy buying shoes for him. There is something so cute about teeny tiny shoes all lined up. Number of shoes he actually wore? One pair of tie-up converse-style shoes. All the rest gathered dust on the shelf and were eventually given to charity. Tiny babies don’t need to wear shoes. Then when he was getting to the standing-up stage, I tried a few shoes but they were all too hard and chunky. Finally I found this cute pair of red and white shoes – leather, cool, soft, comfy. He never took them, learnt to walk in them and despite them meaning to be an indoor shoe, wore them everywhere. I don’t think he wore anything else for about nine months. When he finally grew out of them, I kept them even though they had a little hole in the sole and when Layla reached the same stage, out they came. Eventually, she got some of her own and they have barely left her feet either. Her feet aren’t restricted, they actually stay on and they’re also easy to put on wriggling, protesting babies who have better things to do than sit around waiting for someone to lace up their shoes. Plus there are no annoying seams, the padding is skid-resistant and they come in a cool little shoe box and in a gazillion great styles. Love them.”

Get them for yourself (oh, well maybe your child. I don’t think they come in adult size…) or a friend’s bub here. Baby shoes are $39.95 and baby ballet slippers are $35.95.

This entry was posted on Friday, August 7th, 2009 at 3:06 am and is filed under buys, family, kids, reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.