A toddler shoe wardrobe on a budget? Reader Q&A

My daughter needs five pairs of shoes and my husband will take away the credit card if I spend $200+ a season on shoes for a 2 year old. If you know of any cute, wide shoes that are reasonable in price, please let me know! -Maisey

Even for a mom like me with an awful shoe fetish, that's a lot of shoes for a two-year-old. You might want to consider investing in fewer pairs of shoes, but ones that offer versatile styling, ample support, sturdy and flexible soles, and uppers that won't wear out.

 

You don't need a sneaker if you have a good quality everyday shoe like the ones from See Kai Run (pictured, above) or Livie and Luca. Liz's girls (2 and 4) wear them every day on the playground or to kick a soccer ball and they look cute with skirts or jeans. Especially the Mary Jane styles. See Kai Run is particularly known for fitting wider feet.

For dressy shoes and budget-friendly snow boots, we like the choices at Vincent, or for a cheaper bet, Circo at Target often has very cute snow boots at great prices, and they wear well. They're currently doing some Ugg-like boots for around $18 (pictured, right)

Unless you're in SoCal, you don't need a sandal right now going into Fall, and since feet can grow so quickly at her age, you might hold off on that purchase until it's actually warm weather season. If you do need to expose those toes, try these sneaker and sandal hybrids, currently on sale at just over $20. -Kristen

Save 15% at Livie and Luca through 9/30/09 with code CMP15OFF and save 15% at our partner Vincent through this link with code COOLMOM (non-sale items only)

Check our our kids' shoes archives for more great picks!

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