He’s so KEEN on his Purple Sandals!

Finally its warm enough for shorts and t-shirts… and that weather means we can bust out our favorite sandals. Unfortunately, this fact brought about a bucket of tears over the weekend.
In putting away all of the clothing that was too small for my kids, I happened upon Wes’ (age 2) beloved purple sandals from last summer. Yes, I’m talking about a he and shoes that are purple. Officially labeled “storm”, they arrived and the hus and I shared a look. But all the same, once he put them on last summer, we just couldn’t deter him, convince him or bribe him that any other standals were quite as great. A sueded pair with a roomy toe area and lots of support, they withstand all types of weather. The favored purple shoes (Keen Kids Venice, available in Toddler & Youth) wore well, through all types of elements (standing, jumping, toddling, running, water and sun.) So, while still a purple-y storm and very wearable after 5 months of hard wear, it was finally time (sorry, Wes) to move on–yes, your feet did get bigger.
Thankfully, last year I also got a few pair of Keen Newports that were too big for my kids. So when he faced reality that the Venices were out of the question, we had a solution! I actually picked these up as an experiment. My older son who had a small fine motor delay desparately wanted some sandals he could wear at school, which meant closed-toes. And nearly all closed-toed shoes required fine-motor skills in the “secure-fit lace capture system.” What I found was, though the system was a challenge to learn, he was still able to pull his Newports on and off, without using it. These shoes also happen to have non-marking soles, which is a feature that I would seriously pay extra for. Oh, and they’re comfortable. Even better? They’re available for kids and adults, so we can all play in comfortable sandals this summer.
The Newports are on sale at Rugged Bear for $31.95. The Venice’s have been upgraded to a Venice H2 and now have a closed back and great new colors. Wesley’s favorite purple (storm) Venice shoes are still available at Zappos, along with other colors (pincone, crocus, and powder, aka brown, pink and blue).