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Smoochie Baby is turning 15! Yes, you heard that right! On Saturday, May 4th we are gearing up to celebrate 15 wonderful years at 110 Berry Street. Please stop by the store from 10am - 7pm for a sip and shop event with freebies from Molo, Bobo Choses, & OMY, a  raffle to win a $50 Smoochie Baby Gift Card, & 15% off storewide! Enjoy live music with Kyle Tigges, face-painting by Nicole, & a coloring station from 2pm - 4pm! This event is not to miss!

Celebrating Community 

In light of this amazing milestone at our boutique, we would like to thank the community that has made our existence possible… Williamsburg, Brooklyn has been our home for the last 15 years. As you all know, this neighborhood is filled with wonderful small businesses from doggy daycares, to kids clothing stores, bakeries, and everything in between. This reason in particular has made having a storefront in this area so special. Shopping locally is one of our core values here at Smoochie Baby and for our 15th birthday, we want nothing more than to share with you the benefits of supporting local as we reflect on 15 amazing years in Williamsburg.

Sustainability

Smoochie Baby has always had a mission of being as sustainable a business as possible. This is done in many ways such as encouraging the use of tote bags for shoppers instead of single-use bags and carrying brands that have a mutual understanding of sustainability (like Candy Lab, Flap Happy, and Pepita & Me). When shopping with local businesses like ours, you can feel better about your carbon footprint when making purchases. Fast fashion brands are some of the largest polluters on earth with the UNEP even stating that fast fashion brands make up 8% of global carbon emissions. Here at Smoochie Baby we aim to leave our planet better than we found it for our next generation. With a storefront outside of urban sprawl, we encourage walking from store to store in the neighborhood to lessen pollutants and explore other small businesses that can be found here!

Promoting the Economy

Small businesses are a great way to stimulate the economy! Independently run and owned small businesses, such as ours, make up an extremely important sector of the economy. Local businesses encourage entrepreneurship on a local level and also open up jobs within the community. According to the Small Business Administration, “The 2019 Small Businesses Profiles show that small businesses added 1.8 million net new jobs in the United States.” Wow, that is a lot of jobs and those numbers only represent one country! Imagine what could be done on a global scale if local businesses were supported as much as your local chain store.

Variety is the Spice of Life

Finally, local businesses add variety and diversity to a community! It would be boring to shop at the same few stores every week with the same products. At Smoochie Baby we aim to bring creative, fun, and unique products to the families in our area and beyond. Whether this is through supporting other small local brands (like PiccoliNY) or importing them from around the world (such as Tiny Tribe), we are on a mission to bring as much personality and character to your children’s lives and wardrobe as possible…

In conclusion, we would like to thank everyone in our community for making the last 15 years possible! We wouldn't have been able to make it without the support of our customers, vendors, and neighbors. We look forward to this next chapter at Smoochie Baby and cannot wait to see what the future holds. We hope to see you all at our anniversary event on May 4! Come sip and celebrate another year in Williamsburg with us!

Midwinter recess is almost upon us! With one week to go until vacation hits, we have compiled a list of our Smoochie Baby must-haves for your packing lists. From adorable swimwear to clothing and shoes, we have a host of new styles here at Smoochie Baby that are perfect for different age ranges and styles. Whether you are looking for trendy and funky bikinis or comfortable and durable water shoes, we have you covered. Take a look below at some of our highlights!

Swimwear 

Midwinter recess gets us excited for one thing in particular, and that is hitting the beach or the pool! While swimming and splashing is a fun activity for kids and parents alike, it's important to stay protected with the correct swimwear and gear for your children. You can do this while rocking the season’s cutest trends with Molo's new line of swim. We already loved Molo, but they have truly outdone themselves this time! We particularly love the Molo Nalani Apricot Swimsuit for baby girls with its tropical fruit pattern that reminds us of beach vacations in sunny places. If you would like more sun protection instead, Rylee and Cru also has a great variety of choices. For baby girl they have come out with a great Rash Guard Swimsuit. It features an adorable mint and cream checkered pattern with ruffles at the bottom and a zipper down the front for easy dressing and undressing. 

For boys, we also have some adorable swim trunks and shirts available! Shade Critters always hits it out of the park with their amazing patterns on their swimwear that contain UPF50+ Sun Protection Fabrics. They have made looking cute and staying safe in the sun about as easy as it gets! This season we are loving the SC Octopus Waves Trunk, perfect for swimming with sea creatures in the ocean. This suit comes as small as 6-12 months and ranges all the way up to 10, making it a great option for all of your favorite boys! Appaman has released some adorable swimwear this season as well. The Appaman Rash Guard and Appaman Stripe Swim Trunks go perfectly together and the colors are bright so you are sure never to lose your child while they run with their friends in the sand! Wear the trunks by themselves or pair them with the rash guard for more protection from the sun. There are no rules when it comes to style!

Clothing

During Midwinter Recess the last thing you want to do is plan out complicated outfits for your kids. In this section we will highlight some options for casual and comfy looks that are easy to put together while on holiday! For baby girl, Mayoral has some adorable options for easy dresses to slip on over bathing suits. The Mayoral Baby Embroidered Dress comes in a beautiful hot pink and is made of 100% cotton. The short sleeves also offer some protection from the sun which is essential on vacation! Rock Your Baby also offers some great choices when it comes to easy and cute looks for your sunny vacation. Their RYB Haight Ashbury Romper features a boho flower pattern that feels straight out of the 60's. This one-piece is made of 100% woven cotton and comes from sizes 2-10! 

For boys we also have some adorable beach-ready sets for all ages! Molo has come out with some great matching two pieces this season including their Bleach Sun Set. We love the vibrant green and yellow stripes with the small snail and ladybug on the shirt. This could also work as a unisex set and is the pinnacle of cozy and cute. Another option for your favorite boy is the Mish Palm Enzyme Hoodie Set! This heather gray set comes in a variety of sizes from baby to big boy and consists of drawstring shorts and a comfortable hoodie with a lovely palm tree print in black. Feel free to mix and match the pieces as well to mix things up a bit!

Shoes

To complete our mid-winter recess looks, some adorable shoes are necessary!  Sandals for big kids and babies have arrived from our favorite brands including new Natives in two colors and a fun pair of Ipanema shoes. Natives are perfect for our big boys and girls as they come in sizes 11-J3. The new Chase Sandals come in a sand, orange, and blue color that is easy to pair with so many outfits! These comfortable, water-proof shoes feature adjustable straps that are great for the warm seasons and are the perfect shoes to bring on vacation. They also come in a green, brown, and yellow model, making both styles great unisex options. For baby and toddler girls, we have the adorable new Ipanema Follow Sandals that come in a vibrant fuchsia color! as well as a glitter lilac color. They feature velcro straps on the top of the foot as well as the heel that make them extremely easy to slip on and off, perfect for little feet. They are also sustainably made in Brazil.

Whether you are preparing for the warm months ahead in NYC or getting ready to jet to warmer parts of the world for the Midwinter Recess, we hope that you have found something you love on this packing list! Make sure to check out our website for other options not included in this blog post. We wish you and your family a pleasant vacation and we hope to see you all at Smoochie Baby soon!

Happy Valentine's Day!

At Smoochie Baby the approach of February means one thing, Valentine's Day! This is the perfect time of year to show how much you care for your loved ones, but also a great time to get creative with your kids. Making valentines is a great way to spend a fun afternoon with your smoochers, and we have a couple tips and tricks on how to make them easy and sustainable! Make them and pass them out to family, friends, and teachers! It is an easy and lovely way to tell the people in your smoochers lives that you care.

Sweet Treats - DIY Lollipops

A way to make sustainable and adorable valentines is by making them edible! To create these easy valentines from local mom and influecer @brooklynfarmgirl, you only need a few supplies: red and pink jolly ranchers, popsicle sticks or fun straws, cute sprinkles, and parchment paper. Simply line a baking sheet with the parchment paper and place three jolly ranchers next to each other on the sheet (try mixing pink and red candies to achieve a marbled effect). Make sure to leave a few inches between the jolly ranchers as they will spread when they melt. Pop the lined baking sheet in the oven and watch them closely until they are melted. Immediately add a popsicle stick to each lollipop. Now this is the fun part! Get together your various sprinkles and decorations and allow your kids to get creative! You can even get eye sprinkles and make silly faces on each lollipop. Bundle two or three together with some ribbon and pass out these adorable lollipops to your friends and family! Find the orignal recipe here: https://brooklynfarmgirl.com/valentine-monster-lollipops-jolly-rancher-lollipops/ 

Get Personal - DIY Valentines

Valentines are always the most special when they are personalized for your special someone. With this amazing hack, every valentine you give out will remind your loved ones that your smoocher is thinking of them! First, start by taking a cute picture of your child holding their hand out to look like they are holding something. Once you get a shot you like, use a photo editing app (Snapseed is a good one) to add your desired text. Print as many copies of the photo as you want (the photos will be your valentine card)! Then, carefully cut two incisions with scissors or an X-Acto knife, on the top and bottom of the fist. Slide a lollipop through (perhaps the DIY ones you made above) to look like your child is handing it to their valentine. Finally, hand out these creative and delicious valentines that everyone is sure to love! Step by step reel by @tablefor5please here. 

Let Love Grow - DIY Plant Pots

Another fun project to do with your kids for Valentine's Day is to let love grow through potted plants! To make these simple and sustainable valentines all you need to do is head to your local plant shop with your kids and have them pick out a couple of plants they like (we like mini succulents as they are adorable and easy to care for). Make sure to buy a pack of clay pots and some potting soil as well. Bring your supplies home and set them aside. Assemble some materials like paints, markers, and heart stickers to decorate the pots. Customize them by adding the name of your individual valentine you are making it for! Once done with decorating, have the kids place some soil in each pot, add the plant and water them individually! It’s as easy as that! This is the perfect project to do with your kids and a great addition to any home. 

Here at Smoochie Baby we would like to wish you all a fabulous Valentine's Day filled with lots of sweets and hugs! Make sure to stop by the store for Valentine's Day clothing, accessories, and gifts (so much good stuff here) for your little valentines! If you get a chance to make any of the valentines we listed above make sure to post a photo on Instagram and tag us @smoochiebaby  so we can see your beautiful creations! Happy crafting!

"One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don't clean it up too quickly."~ Andy Rooney

Running a local business is no small feat, especially in the age of the internet when we can order something and get it on our doorsteps almost instantaneously. Sometimes people seem to forget that small businesses form the core of our community. They provide spaces of camaraderie, familiarity, and warmth. So, in honor of Small Business Saturday we wanted to highlight some of our most cherished small businesses in Williamsburg. From markets, to doggy daycare, and hardware stores, Williamsburg is lucky to have a healthy and flourishing community of small businesses that really make the neighborhood what it is today. 

Aurora Hardware & Locksmith

In need of a spare key? Perhaps a lightbulb blew and you need to pick up a new one? Or maybe you are getting into gardening and want to get some nice pots and extra bags of soil? Aurora has you covered in all these areas and so much more! Having served the Brooklyn community for the last 30 years with their expertise, Aurora is really a one stop shop for all of your necessities for the home. This family run business is located right in the heart of Williamsburg, on Bedford Avenue. So make sure to go check them out next time you are in need of a screw or two!

Driggs Mercantile

Driggs Mercantile is a whimsical store where one can find artisan and locally made gifts and clothing. Their hand-curated selection of ephemera is hard to beat, featuring items like kids toys, textiles, tarot cards, jewelry, and stationery to name a few. Founded in 2017 by the same owners as Red Pearl on Bedford Avenue, this sister store has a completely different vibe. This boutique is an extremely calming space, with candles and crystals scattered throughout. It is the perfect spot to buy a birthday gift for a friend, or even goods to revamp your own home!

Le Doggie Cool

This doggy daycare center has it all! A place to board or leave your furry friend for a couple hours, you can trust that you are leaving your pet in great hands. It is clear that Le Doggie Cool’s entire staff loves and cares about animals, and treats them like they would their own family. Le Doggie Cool also provides grooming services and a coffee shop with treats for both you and your pup! On weekends it is open to the public, so you can go and play with the dogs on site, even if you don’t have one of your own. This small business truly is doggy heaven!

Williamsburg, and Brooklyn in general, is jam-packed with small businesses of all sorts! There are so many honorable mentions to name like Vittoria Mercato for their amazing sandwiches and goods for the kitchen and Northside Pharmacy which has been operating since 1910! So next time you need to shop for something, whether it be home goods or your prescription, consider visiting a local mom and pop instead of your big box stores. Small businesses really are the bread and butter of our community and all of our customers mean the world to us! So please go and check out your local businesses this Small Business Saturday! 

Check out the Smoochie Baby Holiday Gift Guide for the best gifts for all ages, interests, and budgets! 

Beatles Yellow Submarine Socks - $8

Metallic Vegan Leather Cross Body Bag - $30

Fuzzy Ears Headband - $18

Freezy Freakies Fighter Jet & Unicorn Gloves - $29

Billie Blooms Masks - $28

Brooklyn Wings Onesie - $26

Brooklyn Trucker Hat - $27

Parkland Rodeo Checker Mini Backpack - $27

Rock & Roll Flannel - $26

10 Gifts Under $50 for Cool Kids With the Best Smile

(clockwise from bottom left)

Notorious B.I.G. Onesie - $45

Wolves Romper - $42

Sophia Sequins Pom-Pom Hat - $49

Posh Peanut Grayson Twirl Skirt Onesie - $33.75

Keep It Lit Hanukkah Tee - $27

Posh Peanut Levi Zippered Footie - $30

Munster Uluru Dip-Died Crew - $45

Stones Tee - $45

Gold Animal Print Tutu - $49

Blondie Tee - $43

 5 Gifts Under $75 for Cool Kids Who Love to Cuddle

Mini Rodini Flower Sweatshirt - $70

Mini Rodini Flower Sweatpants - $70

Rowdy Sprout Dreamer Hoodie - $60

Sherpa Cardigan - $65

Retro Tiger Playsuit - $58

8 Gifts Under $100 for Cool Kids with Great Style

(clockwise from left)

Wander & Wonder Aicha Dress - $78

Molo Crane Wings Poncho - $90

Fairwell Clutch Coverall - $55

It's In My Jeans Lillie Flannel - $78

Wild Wawa Rainbow Cardi - $93

Veja Esplar Mid Leather Sneakers - $100

Kukukid Wave Dress - $72

Bobo Chose Multi Color Jumper - $93

As the weather starts to cool down, our time spent outdoors is  dwindling, but with a little creativity and imagination there is plenty of fun to be had at home. You probably already have most of these items in your toy box so read on for some fun and easy ways to help pass time while creating great memories with your little smooch! 

Puzzles

Tried and true, puzzles have and will always be a great way to pass time. It’s a fun activity for your little one and they can solve it on their own or with you. Puzzles are also really good for developing brains. There are many skills that your child can develop and strengthen just by solving puzzles. For starters, puzzles provide your child the opportunity to strengthen their cognitive skills. Puzzles help them understand shapes, improves hand-eye coordination, increases memory, builds-up problem solving, and the opportunity to practice trial and error. Secondly, puzzles help your smooch with their social and emotional skills. Puzzles teach patience, attention to detail, team work, and can lower stress levels.  Check out a few of our favorite puzzles and get started on nourishing those brains!
           

      

Music

Kid’s love to dance and sing! It’s no wonder then that children’s programming is chalk full of sing-a-longs and dance routines. Music matures your child’s verbal and motor skills giving them the energy to become intrigued and explore the world around them. Giving your child instruments when they’re young gets their brain to work quickly and accurately. Here are a few of our favorite beginner instruments to get them started! 

Arts & Crafts 

Art is so much more than a messy good time (although this is our favorite part,) it’s also key for the developmental growth of young children. Art spotlights ideas, feelings, and visual qualities while crafts  involve the creation of tangible objects using their little hands. Teaching young children words about shapes and colors helps build their vocabulary. As they grow, they will take pride in explaining their creations while building confidence, imagination, and an even larger vocabulary. Here are a few of our favorite things for you and your little smooch to expand their artsy side and keep them busy! 

     

With school back in session, we’ve got books on the mind, and since very few things in life give us more joy than reading to young children, we decided to round up our top 5 favorite books right now for toddlers and preschoolers. As parents, we love finding books that not only delight our babies and toddlers but ones we will enjoy reading to them over and over and over again! The best books for young children are entertaining, have engaging pictures, and encourage a life-long love of reading in your budding book lover.  Check out our top 5 favorite new books for young children and see if any of your family favorites made the list.

NY is for New York 

This delightful read is a great children’s book that can double as a tourist guide for New York.  It walks you through the big apple from A to Z. The artwork in the book is colorful and bright as it showcases iconic buildings like The Chrysler building and Rockefeller Center. It highlights landmarks in all 5 boroughs catching the essence and energy of the city! A must have for every New York City kid’s library.

The Story of Rap/ The Story of Rock 

The best time to influence your children’s musical taste is before age 10, according to a recent study by music streaming service Deezer. Get started early with one of these awesome board books. Their colorful illustrations give  a short playful intro to the most iconic artists of each genre sure to delight the youngest of music lovers. This board book will be a great addition to your library and a fun way to teach the history of Rap or Rock!

            .   

My Art Book of Sleep

A bedtime story book about sleep? Yes please! This gorgeous, luxurious-feeling book for toddlers and preschoolers contains 35 full-page artworks from a variety of periods that feature sleep in all its forms – from naptime to bedtime, dreaming to waking, sunsets to night skies – accompanied by a brief, tender, read-aloud text. This book definitely makes reading at bedtime a work of art!

Cookies! Cook in a Book

Does your little one love to be in the kitchen with you when you're cooking? Then this is the book for you! Bake cookies from scratch inside this interactive recipe book - sift flour, whisk the sugar, crack the egg, pour the chocolate chips, and more! Simple yet factual recipe text takes young readers through the steps of baking cookies. One hundred percent adult-free, danger-free, and mess-free - baking cookies has never been so independent! 

I ♥ Science

Introducing curiosity to your young one can never start too early. I ♥ Science is a great way to celebrate just that. This book has everything your budding scientist could want ranging from flap-lifts, pull tabs and spinning wheels to feed their young and curious minds. It is an easy to read book with amazing illustrations to spark your child's imagination and get them understanding science early! 

Carefully curating a store can take a lot of time but it is one of our favorite parts of operating Smoochie Baby. We are quite fortunate here in New York City, to be surrounded by immensely talented makers, designers and creatives of all types. We love supporting local designers whenever possible and we wanted to share some of these wonderful New Yorkers with all of you. So we are thrilled to introduce our “Local Designer Spotlight Series”. Here we will chat with local brands that we love, many of whom we are honored to call friends.

In our first installment, we shine the spotlight on Estella Toys.  An award-winning brand of organic baby gifts and toys that began in the West Village in 2002. Estella has made their mark on the baby industry by staying true to their brand core which is exceptional quality items made by artisan workers. We sat down with Estalla founder, Jean Polsky, to discuss the inspiration behind the brand.

Would you tell us a little about yourself?

Hello Smoochie readers, it’s nice to meet you! My name is Jean and along with my husband, Chike, I own Estella, a luxury baby gift store that focuses on making organic and fair trade products. I was born and raised in NYC while Chike is from Nigeria. I like to think that our union is a little example of NYC’s beautiful melting pot!  Chike is trained as a lawyer, while I have been in retail since I graduated college (thanks for the suggestion, dad!). We live in NYC along with our three incredible kids.

What inspired you to start Estella?

Chike and I started Estella 18 years ago right before our first daughter, Stella, was born. At the time, luxury kids’ clothes in NYC were synonymous with starched collars and navy blue knickers. We had a different vision of how kids should dress, we wanted children's clothing that captured the imagination and joy that kids innately posess. So we set off to Europe to explore and quickly found that there was a whole new world of playful, fashionable kids’ clothing that the US was unaware of. We scooped up 20 new brands that we had never heard of and set up shop in Greenwich Village. Our customers loved the freshness of what we brought, a different vision for what luxury kids’ clothes could be. I still remember receiving boxes of clothes from Europe and customers gathering around in the shop while we unpacked the boxes, gasping with excitement as we pulled out new styles. It was exhilarating to have them share in our enthusiasm for these magnificent creations! Fast-forward to 2020, and we are now an online shop, making our own creations, with amazing shops (like Smoochie Baby) carrying our brand all over the country! 

What has surprised you the most or been the most challenging since starting Estella? 

One thing I did not contemplate when we started our little business was that we would have the honor of being a part of the most memorable time in parents’ lives. We had the privilege of meeting women who were newly pregnant (we would often know before their friends and family!) and then being a part of their lives for years as their children grew up. We would trade parenting tips and follow the highs and lows of life with them. We got to really know these wonderful people as well as their kids who we had “known” in utero. My kids now go to school with their kids and to this day, one of my closest friends is a customer I met in our shop who was pregnant at the same time I was. The incredible relationships, that would be the surprise icing on the cake!

Do you have a product that is a best seller? 

That’s a tough one! Because our products are handmade, we are still trying to keep up with demand on so many of our things. We are best-known for our organic taxi rattle, but for some reason, there’s been a run on hot sauce rattles these days! 

What advice do you have for someone looking to start their own business?

Starting your own business is a privilege: you're the boss, it’s your vision, your hours, your success. But on the flip side, you’re the boss: it’s your vision, your hours, your success!

August is drawing to an end and we all know what that means...SCHOOL!!  Back to school time always brings a mix of emotions. Sadness that summer is over mixed with the great anticipation of seeing friends after the long break. If you were like us, picking the right outfit for the first day back to school was a really big deal! Certainly, things look a bit different this year as state officials are still trying to figure out the safest way to get our kids back to learning. Will they go back in person or online? Whatever they decide, looking good will be just as important and we are here to help you prep with our top 5 essentials to rock this “new” school year! 

Topping the list of back to school essentials is a good bookbag! From holding your folders, crayons, pencils, and lunch to a necessary change of clothes bookbags are an absolute necessity. Our favorite brand for fun and stylish book bags is Parkland. A Vancouver, Canada-based company with a vision to create exceptional products that have a positive impact on the environment by using recycled plastic.  Their products are not only durable, but their prints are stellar, and we carry a variety of sizes for daycare to elementary school-aged children. 

Loungewear has quickly climbed the ranks for our go-to outfits because of the lockdown. Joggers and leggings are great not only because they are super comfy and easy but because they’re also trendy. They are effortless for both virtual and in-class learning. Then of course we can’t neglect the importance of having the perfect pair of jeans to complement your little one’s ensemble. DL1961 jeans are amazing for kids. Thanks to their 4-way stretch, they are flexible and soft and they keep their shape wear after wear. Shop both looks effortlessly here to have your smooch looking good in class and virtually!

The most recent addition to the back-to-school list, and our lives, are masks. Whether your child is going into school a few days a week or accompanying you to the grocery store, you’ll want to get them a cool mask to help keep them and everyone around them safe. The mask must be comfortable and properly fitting so your smooch has no problem keeping it on throughout the day. Bobo Choses masks have been amazingly constructed. We have 5 of their prints at Smoochie Baby and each one is sure to put a smile on little faces. The mask comes with 3 filters and has an amazing ‘buy one give one’ program associated with it to donate a mask to families in need. 

A cardigan, bomber, or jacket are very important as we transition into cooler fall weather. They also work perfectly for layering and adding that extra flair to your little one’s outfit. Jackets will always be a back-to-school staple because they are perfect for in-between autumn and spring weather and a cozy cardigan will be perfect for the remote learner at home. 

Topping our list for the most important back-to-school item is a solid pair of sneakers.  Shoes are the anchor of any outfit and you need to make sure your little one is armed with a pair that is both stylish and comfortable. We’ve got both bases covered with the best back to school shoes for 2020. Cienta’s are easy slip-on and timeless sneakers that come in a rainbow of colors that are just right for the season. Cienta's are also a great option if your child’s school requires an “indoor shoe”. Next on our list of the best back to school sneakers for 2020 are from Veja, the very on-trend French brand that’s easy to wear with any outfit and wins top marks for style. This sneaker brand is known for its eco-friendly range. Their sneakers are designed using raw materials from organic farms and developed in a way to prevent pollution or the use of chemicals in production. Shop our range of options online and if you need guidance on sizing feel free to call us or stop in. 

There’s nothing that we love more than completing a baby’s outfit with a fashionable pair of shoes. However, as soon as those little ones start transitioning from crawling to walking it’s time to pay close attention to what we put on their little feet. The joys of watching your baby take their first steps are exciting and picking a great pair of baby’s first walking shoes shouldn’t be a daunting task. Shoes that are comfortable and keep their feet safe are important factors when considering your baby’s first shoe. 

When your little smooch is starting to walk they need shoes that go with their natural movement. You may notice that their little feet are wider and extra meaty. That’s because their bones are still growing. Many experts recommend allowing your little one to practice walking barefoot first. You want them to feel the floor so they can develop those bones and muscles. When it’s time to take your budding walker outdoors, make sure their developing feet  have the best first pair of shoes to promote strength, coordination, and balance so they can start walking confidently. Shoes that are too heavy, chunky, or ill-fitting can make it difficult for them to move around and even balance in. Go for a pair of lightweight and flexible shoes so your little smooch can feel every step and build confidence while learning to walk. With so many options out there, the task of finding the best pair of baby’s first walking shoes can be a bit overwhelming. That’s why we put together this shoppable guide with some great options to get your little one moving properly and to top it all off, right now our favorite first walkers are all on sale!

Old Soles is an Australian brand that has been a Smoochie Baby favorite for over 10 years and they continue to prove why they are our number 1 choice for new walkers’ first shoes. Their philosophy is simple: style, comfort, and protection for growing feet. Their pre-walker shoes are made of 100% natural leather which means that they keep little tootsies cool in the summer and warm in winter. Their shoes are soft and adaptable which doesn’t restrict their movements as they are learning to take those first steps. All the materials Old Soles uses are tested for skin safety. Best of all, while offering a trusting first walker shoe for your smoocher they never neglect style. 

Tip Toey Joey is another favorite brand at Smoochie that is a major player in the first walker shoe department. Created by a first-time dad in Brazil, his aim was to make sure his daughter got the ultimate protection while maintaining her natural rhythm and stride with her first shoe. 

Tip Toey Joey knows how essential it is that kids’ first shoes be limber enough to allow those little feet to adapt and respond to the ground. So much so that TTJ manufactured their Flex&Grip™ sole that’s flexible and non-slip and shields your baby’s feet while still feeling the impact of touching the ground, giving them that ultra confidence in taking those first steps. Their shoes come with their very own Stretch&Stay™ elastic heel design that doesn’t ensures parents will get shoes on those chubby feet without any struggle. 

Call, come in, or visit our online shop to get the perfect shoe for your  little adventurer!

“When you look at your mother, you are looking at the purest love you will ever know.”

― Mitch Albom

Photo by Caroline Hernandez on Unsplash

My goal was always to provide a place where parents of young children (and other foragers of fashion) could come for the coolest clothes for their little ones. The vibe was always hip, cool and edgy. Never too precious or too expensive and always with the friendliest customer service.