I have become obsessed with toddler shoes. It's so difficult to find cute, but not obnoxious shoes once the babies are walking. Crib shoes, adorable. Toddler shoes, not so much. They tend to fall into one of two categories: Pure utilitarian or Way, way overdone and cheesy. I've been searching for a nice middle ground that doesn't cost a fortune.

For instance, these shoes…how cute are they?!



And you can feel good about them. They're made of organic cotton by Veja, a company that believes in fair trade. They ensure the people working in their factory are paid a fair wage, have good working and living conditions and aren't forced to work grueling hours. Best of all, no children work in their factories--or anywhere in their production/supply chain. A cute shoe with a good mission. What more could we ask for?

I also happen to like these.

All Livie and Luca shoes are handmade by factory workers who work only a seven hour day, earn more than minimum wage, and receive annual vacation in addition to national holidays. Each shoe will have a personal "mark" left by the individual who crafted it. How fun is that?! In addition to the mandatory health insurance provided to each employee, the company also coordinates and provides yearly medical exams for its employees.

Forgive me if my focus is on the cute shoes for girls. Problem is, that's what I have. In fact, almost everyone I know with a baby happens to have a little girl. Frustrating for me when I see shoes like this:


Now, we did try these shoes on yesterday at the mall. They were CUTE! But I just couldn't figure out how practical they were, given the bold colors.


Once I can coordinate a wardrobe around them, I may return to pick up a pair. The leather was incredibly soft, and unlike some of the less-expensive shoes, the soles were nice and cushiony. These also run a little wide, which was perfect my fat-footed baby.  In fact, I'd love a pair for myself!

I also wanted these:


And though I was trying to reject gender stereotypes, I'm still pretty sure they're inescapably "boy shoes."