Now through March 12, See Kai Run is having a great sale on baby and toddler shoes. Regularly priced at $32-50, they have lots of cute styles for half that price. See Kai Run are really great, high quality shoes that are perfect for when you little one is ready to move on from soft soled shoes (our review is here).

Not only does Amazon have some great deals on Robeez ($14.89 and up), but they’re also having a limited time promotion that saves you an additional $10 off your Robeez order of $50 or more. Great time to stock up and/or purchase some gifts. The $10 is automatically taken off at checkout when you have $50 or more of Robeez items in your shopping cart. It doesn’t say when this promotion ends, so head over and check it out.

It can get a little overwhelming in the world of baby shoes. There are so many different options, and it’s difficult to look at a pair of tiny baby shoes and not think it’s cute and adorable. I’d encourage you to try out different brands to see what works best for your baby’s feet. What fits best on someone else’s baby doesn’t necessarily mean that it’ll work out for yours.

Here’s yet another option to choose from. Started by mommies Bettina and Amy, PlatyPaws sells soft-soled baby shoes in a number of very stylish designs. They have several Mary Janes and sandals that are perfect for summer. We tried out their Partee with Hearts style, and it’s made out of super soft and flexible hot pink suede. There’s something about this particular style shoe that seems much thinner than other shoes we’ve tried. It feels a bit flimsier and doesn’t hold its shape as rigidly, making it more difficult to smoothly slip onto Pooky’s feet. It may have just been due to the material used for this specific style. Price: $26 and up at PlatyPaws.

Although soft soled shoes are recommended for a baby’s foot growth and development, there are situations when more protection and comfort is needed under a tiny tot’s feet. Eventually, the soft soled shoes just aren’t going to cut it anymore. We found some fabulous shoes that will allow your baby to make this transition in style. If you haven’t heard of See Kai Run, you’ll be running out to find some once you take a look at these adorable styles.

They’re made of soft leather with flexible rubber soles, and our biggest problem with them is that there are too many cute shoe styles to choose from. They fit well, feel comfy, and Pooky has no complaints. The rubber soles and stiffer leather uppers are more durable than the soft soles Pooky’s been wearing. The velcro closures, though, let her take off her shoes when she wants which can be a good thing and a bad thing. Price: $32 and up at various stores.

Psst: A number of styles are currently on sale at Art Bebe, Blue Eye Boy, Izzy and Ash, and Piperlime.

Cute Baby Shoes (yes, that’s the name of the business) makes some cute baby shoes. These black shoes with red flames scream “I am a hip baby.” They have soft soles and are lightly padded to provide some cushion for comfort. They’re sold under the “boys” category on their site, but we believe Pooky looks smashing in them, and she’s a girl.

Oh, and did I mention how soft the leather is on these shoes? Price: $24.95 at Cute Baby Shoes.

Special offer for Googababy readers: Receive 15% off a pair of shoes at Cute Baby Shoes with coupon code: goba15

Pooky is slowly acquiring more shoes than I have. The sad thing is, her shoes are so much cuter than mine, and I bet they’re also more comfy. I’m a barefoot type of person; my feet often feel trapped when they’re in a pair of shoes. A baby’s feet develop best when they’re walking bare foot. Officially recognized by the American Podiatric Medical Association as contributing to better foot health, Pediped baby shoes claim they’re “the next best thing to bare feet.”

These are soft soled shoes that are more rigid in structure than some others out there (such as Soft Star, Robeez or Starchild). The double-layered soft leather sole and foam pad give it some extra cushioning, and velcro closures make it easy to get on and off. Unfortunately, Pooky has figured out velcro and loves practicing her new trick by taking her shoes off every chance she gets. Oh well, it keeps her entertained.

The shoe designs from Pediped are a-do-ra-ble. I’m so jealous. Price: $29 at Pediped.

Special offer for Googababy readers: Receive free shipping on your order at Pediped with coupon code: googababy4

I have three main criteria when choosing baby shoes. First, they must be comfortable. Second, they must not be dangerous or bad for baby’s feet. Finally, they must be adorable. The folks at UK-based Starchild Shoes have taken all of these factors into account and come up with shoes that both babies and parents can love.

The shoes are soft all over, which is nice for tender little feet. The suede soles are great for preventing slipping, and the elasticated bands make it hard for baby to pull them off (which Pooky loves to do). They use non-toxic dyes, just in case your baby is a “toe sucker” (their term).

As for their adorableness (adorability?), check out the many designs and see for yourself. Personally, I love the Urban Rock and Animal Kingdom styles. If those don’t float your boat, keep looking. There are a lot to choose from. Price: £14 – £18 at Starchild.

Since Pooky started wearing shoes more regularly, one thing we’ve discovered is that she has this uncanny ability to take them off whenever she feels like it. She does the same thing with her socks, and that was actually one of the main reasons why we started putting shoes on her – to keep her socks on. Then came Soft Star Shoes, and when she has her Lavender/Fuschia Roo Moccasin on, they stay on.

First off, they look adorable, and we’ve been stopped a number of times by people asking about them. They’re handmade of super soft suede leather and have fluffy sheepskin soles that are oh so soft. The soft and flexible leather soles mimic being barefoot which is ideal footwear for a baby’s growing feet, and the sheepskin wicks away moisture to keep your little one’s feet nice and dry. I actually don’t even put socks on Pooky when she’s wearing these because it seems nice and cozy in her Roo already. Of course, the best part is that she can’t take them off.

They also come in a brown/chocolate color combination, and if those colors don’t suit your baby, design your own in your choice of colors. While writing up this review, I just spotted that you can design your own Rainbow Moccasin as well. These have a little added flair, and you can have a different color scheme for each shoe. How fun! Price: $30 for Baby Roos, $39 if you design your own at Soft Star Shoes.

My Little Ducks is having a Friends and Family sale March 14-18. Take 25% off everything (including great designer diaper bags!) with coupon code: FRIENDSPRING07.

The sale includes brands such as:

See Kai Run
Skip Hop
Pedoodles
Lexie Barnes
Fleurville
Tea Collection
Pediped
Shilav
and more!

These vintage-style matching leather booties and shirt sets are really very cute. They’re made by Portland-based company Three Little Monkey’s and would make great gifts for a lucky baby. It’s always nice to see culturally appropriate options in babywear, such as the “Rainy Day” design above, which features your choice of an African-American, Asian, or Caucasian girl. Price: $29.99 per set at Jaminga.

These Mathilda baby shoes are handmade in Austria by designer Mareike Auer. The wonderful choices in color and fabric combinations in each shoe are what I love about these Mathilda shoes. These soft-soled cloth shoes are made of recycled materials and shipped directly from Austria. Price: $22 at the Mathilda Etsy store.

Trumpette makes some of the most adorable socks for babies and children. These are guaranteed to send people rushing up to you and your baby with oohs and ahhs. Who needs shoes when you can put some Mary Jane socks on your baby that’ll have people doing double-takes? The Jungle Critters socks are also a great way to show off your baby’s wild side. Now if only they made these in adult sizes . . . I’d be all over them! Price: $22 per 6 pair set at BabyScholars.com.

Special offer for Googababy readers: Receive 15% off your total purchase at BabyScholars.com with coupon code: googa

Made of wool/rayon felt, these cute little shoes are made by hand in Portland, Oregon. Frances (top) is accented with a grossgrain ribbon, and the Mary-Jane-style Eeny (bottom) has an adjustable strap. Both styles fit 0-6 months and are hand washable in cool water. Price:$30.

Get them for 20% off during the ModernTots sale.

Need a new pair of shoes (or two) for your little ones? Vincent Shoes is having a great sale with savings of up to 50% off. These include the styles pictured and much more! Check it out.

I was actually a huge Elvis fan as a kid. Yes, he died the month that I was born, but that didn’t matter to me. It didn’t matter because I actually thought he was alive. Don’t write me off as crazy. I didn’t think he was alive as in “Elvis is alive.”

Here’s the story:

I was probably 6 or 7 years old, watched a lot of Elvis movies on television, and what can I say, I fell in love with him. Elvis was my first crush. Every time my sister and I played house, I immediately chose Elvis to be my husband. Even as I write this post, all of those puppy love emotions come back. Sad, I know.

Then, one day, a commercial came on, and it was one of those types of commercials that you don’t see anymore. You know, the “Purchase Elvis’ greatest hits on 20 cassette tapes or 50 LPs for $19.99″ with video of Elvis in the background as each song title scrolls up the screen along with 5-second song snippets.

Somewhere in that commercial, it mentioned his death. I was devastated. It was my first exposure to death, and what made it worse was that he’d been dead the whole time I was in love with him. I was really bummed and a bit traumatized.

Happy Birthday, Elvis! Better late than never.

In honor of this belated occasion, I’m highlighting these Elvis baby booties. Although made out of fleece and not suede, these blue fleece shoes will have your baby dancing to the jailhouse rock. Price: $18.00. Get them at Baby Dagny (and also available in pink).