New Adventures, Old Favorites

This post brought to you by Stride Rite. The content and opinions expressed below are that of Balancing Home.

We fell in love with Stride Rite six years ago when we were shoe shopping for our first. We loved having him properly measured and Stride Ride had great variety, especially when I’m on the hunt for closed toed sandals that can hold up to my kids. Their shoes are durable and easy for the kids to put on. When we got to Eleanor, we found another thing to love–they carry wide.

Balance bikes have become all the rage and I thought that would be perfect for Eleanor’s birthday.

When I posted pictures of her on her bike I got comments raving about how amazing balance bikes were. Stories of 2-year-olds transitioning to two wheelers because of their balance bikes. Watching her on it was painful. She walked, while hovering over her seat. It seemed that somehow, I had the only kid in the world who couldn’t do the balance bike.

Eleanor’s second time on the bike she face planted. She was crying pretty hard, holding her mouth. I came running over and when she pulled her hand away from her mouth, I saw the blood. I called for Ross, I don’t do blood. She managed to bend her front tooth back. X-rays later showed she severed it from the root and it needed to be pulled. So she celebrated her fourth birthday with a missing front tooth.

It was after the incident when we took her shopping for new shoes. Eleanor actually loved a lot of the shoes at Stride Rite, but ultimately settled on these. Like any girl–she loves shoes. Thankfully, she was so excited about her new shoes and how fast they made her, she didn’t even think about being scared about getting back on her bike. The right shoes really will do that for a girl!

I’ll admit, I was pretty nervous. And then she surprised me even more, because now she is zooming all over on her bike.

She thinks her new kicks make her pretty fast, both on and off her bike. They are her favorite color, purple, with a bit of a silver sheen. I love that they are machine washable, a good fit for my growing girl and keep up with her.

You can purchase Stride Rite shoes at your local store or online. I even have a promo code for my readers–20% OFF with the code BALANCEDKIDS good between June 1- June 30. I highly recommend the Made 2 Play Collection. Eleanor’s shoes are from the Stride Rite Made 2 Play for girls collection, you can check out the Stride Rite Made 2 Play for boys here.