Little shoes for little feet

I remember I've had discussion some time ago with a very good and dear friend of mine from Romania, whose little girl is one month younger than my son. At a certain point, we came across the subject of little shoes and as I was showing her the kind of shoes I was buying for Bryce, she became a bit amazed by their softness and told me how doctors in Romania would advise moms to buy very stiff shoes for the little feet.
I've quickly googled some article where the contrary was stated and yesterday, while I was reading my amazing Baby Book by Dr. Sears, here is what I found:

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A BABY SHOE
By Dr. Sears

The Sole. As a general guide, the earlier the stage of walking, the thinner and most flexible the sole should be. Before buying a shoe, bend it in your hand to test its flexibility. Then watch your baby walk. The shoe should bend at the ball of the foot as your baby takes each step. Whether to get rubber soles or leather shoes is a matter of which is the most flexible. The rubber soles on some snickers are thicker and stiffer than leather soles. Also, rubber soles tend to be more grounded, whereas the flatter leather soles tend to provide more stability.  Avoid stiff shoes for young feet.  If you have difficulty bending the shoe in your hand, leave it in the shoe store.  Your baby will have even more difficulty bending the stiff show with his feet.  Stiff soles may catch on the walking surface, causing a nasty fall.

The Counter (Back of the shoe).  To ensure proper fit, the counter should be firm.  Try this test. Squeeze the counter between your thumb and forefinger.  If it feels too soft, it will weaken with wear, causing the shoe to slip off.

The Heel.  Beginning with your baby's first shoe, a slight heel is advisable to help prevent dangerous backward falls.

The Top and Sides.  The throat of the shoe (the area across the top of the shoe just below the laces) and the sides should crease easily when your baby takes a step.  If they don't, it means your baby's footwear is not flexible enough, and the foot can't bend naturally while baby walks.

Construction.  Stick with natural materials - leather or canvas - that breathes, letting air get to babies perspiring feet.  Avoid synthetic materials, such as vinyl, which don't breathe.

Selecting a good shoe fitter is one of the most important steps in buying your baby's shoes.  A qualified shoe fitter measures both feet while baby is standing, looking for flexibility at the ball of the foot while baby walks, and checks for toe room and heel slippage.  And don't forget to consult the walker.  Let baby test stride the new shoes around the store.

Useful stuff to raise a baby

Well, moms out there, as much as I love the concept of being all natural, I must admit that I have to acknowledge all the inventors who put a thought into making our lives easier. When you have your first baby, you're always tempted to buy too many unnecessary things or you're kind of confused by the many lists you receive from friends, family or baby stores.
I thought of putting together a list with the things I found useful throughout these 6 months of raising Bryce

- Fisher Price take along swing - very good for the first months - my baby just loved swinging, he even slept in it, like naps and stuff;
- The Diaper Dekor disposal system - OMG, the best invention out there- just keeps the stinky diapers smell away, brilliant and easy to use and very affordable, too, in terms of refills;
- The Snap'n Go frame stroller - we chose to go with this kind of model as it made sense for for the first months ( at least the first 5 months) ; you can use any kind of infant car seat ( ours was a Chicco- which I didn't like too much) but the frame itself was wonderful: light, easy to fold, small enough and with a lot of storage;
- the Britax car seat ( we chose the Marathon style) is the safest, well made car seat out there and it's among the few ones certified to be taken into a plane; it's very, very comfortable, my baby just loves it, he has so much more room now, it can not even compare with the Chicco one;
- The MacLaren stroller - no matter what style - we chose to go with the Quest Sport - but it's a bless, it's even lighter than the Snap'n Go and it's really perfect as a city stroller ( for the mall, to fit in your car etc);
- The Baby Trend jogging stroller- we love it- we know that there are better brands on the market when it comes to jogging strollers, but this one just met our needs and budget; Bryce is very comfortable in it and so far we had a bless with it in our walks and hikes;
- "The first years breast flow" bottles and nipples - just the best - still using them, the nipples have a very interesting design, basically it is like a double nipple and the milk just flows at a very slow peace; it's meant to imitate as much as they can the breast flow;
- the travel changing pad - it just helps tones when you're out with the baby; throw some diapers and wipes and you feel safe no matter where you are with your little one;
- the diaper bag - no matter what brand ( we have a Paul Frank one) - but again is a very useful tool for when you go out with your baby; it has tones of pockets and storage space for extra clothes, changing pad, milk bottles, wallet, you name it;
- Fisher Price high chair - again love it, love it, love it; very well made, very cute and colorful design, easy to clean, the toys that come with it are fun for my baby, not to mention the one handed tray removal, 7 chair height adjustments etc;

CLOTHING STORES I LOVE:

1. Naartje - they make very comfortable clothes, 100% cotton , cute desing, affordable prices.

2. Gymboree - nice design, great colors combination, when on sale, some good deals can be found;

3. Pumpkin Patch - cute design, nice colors, affordable prices when on sale;

4.Osh'kosh - I love especially their overalls, they're fun, comfortable, colorful;

5.The children place - not the best designs out there but for sure some very, very good deals when they have sales, and you can find some cute stuff;

6.Baby Gap - they have some cute stuff, but, boy oh boy, they're quite expensive; even, when they have sales, their sale is kinda of lame meaning still expensive; but if you're persevering and patient, you can eventually find a good deal;

7. Old Navy - especially for the hats, sometimes they're quite cute and fashionable;

The list remains open as I will add as I discover more interesting kids clothing stores.

SHOES:

1. ROBEEZ - at this stage, they are the perfect fit for my baby feet; soft, easy to put on, very nice design, colorful, maybe just a little bit expensive;