Introducing the New Balance Unisex-Child 519 V1 Running Shoe: Exceptional Comfort and Style for Young Runners Review

I love buying New Balance shoes for my son. When he was younger and less picky, we bought him cheaper shoes. As soon as he started school, he began to wear out his shoes very quickly. I decided to buy him better quality shoes and New Balance fitted the bill perfectly. I bought them for school but the pair they replace lasted a full year. This is his third pair and we only have to replace them if he outgrows them. The velcro still works, there are no holes in the bottom etc. Love these

My 18 month old wears a size 6.5 and has a very wide foot, neither fat nor round. In fact, he's very tall and thin as he walks a lot in these sneakers. I've tried Stride Rite before and they were still tight for him. Now he wears them all the time and they are good for cold weather too. I know he likes them because he doesn't struggle to take them off all the time like he used to with other uncomfortable shoes. They are also easy to put on and take off.

There are few children's shoes that are truly "wide" and New Balance is one of the brands that suits them. Adding an extra half size "because it's bigger" doesn't work well on wide feet and can sometimes lead to blisters. As my kids have small duck feet we need wide shoes and they are perfect. The only issue I have is the velcro which is a small tab that goes over the eyelet and then flips back up. My child loves to pull the velcro all the way out and then gets frustrated when they can't put it