Back-to-Preschool Shoe-tacular Review: Bugaboo Shoes

Bugaboo Shoe Company is a US company that makes absolutely adorable lambskin leather, rubber-soled shoes for kids. Just looking at the cute designs on the Bugaboo website makes you want to purchase- and you can… starting at size 3! Their shoes can be purchased in stores across the US (please bring a store to Minnesota!) and some worldwide, and can also be purchased online from the Bugaboo site.

Remarkably, these shoes are even cuter in person- and on your child’s feet- than in pictures, though it doesn’t seem possible. The girl’s shoes are wonderfully girly, and the color schemes run from light to dark. This means that wear and play will not necessarily ruin the style or color of the shoes. The boy’s shoes aren’t silly boy shoes nor little man shoes; the creators strike just the right note of “kid” without looking odd. I can’t wait for our new arrival to be able to wear some of these himself.

Anastasia got to try out the “Josie” style in red, with the one flower on the toe (to die for). The leather is well dyed and does not stain socks. It is also incredibly soft; both to the touch and on Anastasia’s feet. The backs of the shoes do not cut into her ankles at all as new shoes often do since the cuff is the same soft lambskin leather. The shoes are supple and bend with the foot, but don’t leave deep unattractive creases on the design but do crease around the ankle and strap. The sole is thick but bendable and seem quite durable. Anastasia wears her shoes hard and I can see these lasting through that rough play. The toe area is wide to accommodate any width of foot but do not look awkward when worn.

The shoes attach with a Velcro strap. This is one of my concerns with the design. Anastasia loves to take her shoes on and off- which is a big no-no at daycare- and troublesome at parties or play date visits, because the shoes easily get misplaced. A buckle would be more secure for our situation, although the Velcro does hold just fine if it is left alone. There could also be a longer Velcro strip on the strap. Anastasia has small feet and ankles, so new shoes (which I always gets a little big so we can get the most use out of them) need to be able to be made a bit tighter. A longer strip of Velcro would be more secure around the ankle.

The adorableness of these shoes more than makes up for these concerns, but they do need to be noted. Also, this may sound silly, but the designs of these shoes are so cute, that YOU want them to look good, so YOU are hesitant to put them on for fear they will be ruined. I am getting over it because of the compliments we get!

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

Design and Ease of Use- *** and a half: Wonderful, soft, flexible, ADORABLE design. They seem to be durable to boot. Wide toe to accommodate growth and range of foot size.My only concern is the Velcro fastening as noted above.

Materials and Durability- *** and a half: Cute and well crafted. Exceptionally soft lambskin leather shoes, thick durable soles. More Velcro on the closure strap, please!

Cost - $$$ to $$$$
$ under $20
$$ $20-$30
$$$ $30-$40
$$$$ over $40

Shoes cost from the low $30 to low $40 range. Is this a lot? That depends on the parent. Making my kids look adorable is my weakness, so that price range seems reasonable to me as long as I can let them wear the shoes a little longer. However, for something that will last just a few months, I could argue the opposite- but won’t here.

Size- Toddler’s shoes from 3 to 6.5 and Children’s shoes from size 4 to 12

Overall Rating- *** and a half: The whole family loves these shoes and the compliments they get. Velcro closure and price are my stopping blocks from perfection.