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 son 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.