Back-to-Preschool Shoe-tacular Review and Giveaway: Kuuru Shoes

About 13 years ago when I was in college, my aunt had twin boys. I worked as a "nanny" for her throughout my entire college career. My responsibilities included the usual diaper changing and playing at the park, but considering she had two other children, too, I also accompanied my aunt on many shopping trips. Every few months, we would go shoe shopping for Adam and Eric. It was pretty simple. We'd visit the same store and pick out the same basic pair of sturdy white shoes and be on our way. The only thing that ever changed was the size. I left Manhattan (the Little Apple in Kansas, not the Big Apple) in 1999 when the boys were almost 4, and I don't remember them ever having more than one pair of shoes at a time, always the basic white. Wow, how times have changed. We have SO many options when it comes to shoes for our kids. Now, the challenge is finding a pair that balances comfort, style and quality. Enter Kuuru Shoes.

Kuuru in Japanese literally means "cool," and that's exactly what Helen Cheng, the owner and designer of Kuuru Shoes was going for when she started creating these shoes. She herself had always loved shoes, but felt she had always had to sacrifice comfort for style. When it came time to buying shoes for her children, she didn't want to have to sacrifice either. So, she set out to make comfortable shoes for tots that would appeal to their shoe-loving mommies! I believe she has done just that. The clean, simple lines and bold colors of Kuuru shoes are very appealing to my taste, yet I don't feel like I am in any way sacrificing comfort for Nadia to look stylish.

Nadia has been trying out the burgundy and pink Sophias, and I absolutley adore them. The t-strap look is so girly and cute and also unique. I'm a sucker for contrast stiching as well. I won't mention all the styles that I love here in this post because I want you to go take a look for yourself. Each one is as cute as the next. (OK, so I will mention one, how cute are the Peytons? I love the brown and olive green.) You're not going to find lots of fancy frills on Kuuru Shoes, but I believe the simplicity is really what makes them stand out.

I've pretty much covered the fact that I love the style of Kuuru Shoes, but what about comfort? All of the shoes have padded collars which is such an awesome feature. Why can't the shoes that I wear have padded collars? The padding provides an extra secure, but comfortable fit. There are no worries about the back of Nadia's beautiful Sophias cutting into her little heels. Another feature that I always look for is wide toe beds. My children have pretty wide feet, as do many kids that I know, and a wide toe bed is a must. Again, it saves me from worries about the shoes being too tight on her little toes. Other features of note, the soles are made of a flexible rubber that provides extra traction for active toddlers and unstable beginning walkers, and the insoles are padded with three layers of cushioned support. There is no skimping in the comfort department for Kuuru Shoes!

If you want to check out Kuuru Shoes for yourself, the Kuuru shoes website has a link to help you find a store near you. Unfortunately, there are still not a lot of brick and mortar options, but luckily, you can also purchase directly from the Kuuru site as well as a handful of online retailers as well.

Now for the official review (based on a four-star scale):

Design and Ease of Use ***1/2 - All Kuuru styles feature velcro closures which ensures that you can easily get them on and off. There will be no fighting with buckles or laces. Also, no worries about not being able to stuff your kids feet in, the velcro allows you to be able to open them up as far as you need to accomodate your child's foot. The only thing that Nadia has struggled with is getting the long velcro strap through the buckle, but after a little help and a couple of tries, she figured it out.

Materials and Durability ***1/2 - The soles of these shoes are flexible while still being durable enough for rough playground wear. The leather is soft and flexible. Just looking at them, you can tell that Kuuru has not skimped on quality. These are beautiful shoes designed to last.

Cost -

$ under $20

$$ $20-$30

$$$ $30-$40

$$$$ over $40

$$$ - A little bit pricier than some, but not completely outrageous for the quality.

Kuuru Shoes are availble in sizes 3-9 to fit toddlers from around 9 months to 4 years.

Overall Rating ***1/2 - This shoes are comfortable and "kuuru." What more could you ask for?

Do you want to win a pair of Kuuru Shoes for your little one? Visit the Kuuru Shoes website and choose your favorite style and color, not including any styles mentioned in this post. Come back here and tell us which one you like best and you will be entered in our contest to win a pair of Kuuru Shoes in your choice of style and size. All entries must be received by midnight on Wednesday, September 17th. Please only one entry per household and you must be 18 or older to win. We will choose one winner using random.org. Feel free to leave your email so that we can contact you when you win, but also know that we will be submitting winner info to Prizey Winners. Thanks for reading and Good Luck!