Where to Buy Baby Shoes on a Budget

Finding Quality Baby Shoes without Breaking the Bank

Kristin Cook

I have always been a thrifty kind of girl. I grew up happily shopping at Goodwill, garage sales and from the clearance rack. When I started selling baby shoes at Nordstrom back in college, I was shocked at how expensive they could be. $70 for a pair of shoes a kid is going to wear for six months? That just seemed insane.

In my humble opinion, it is a bit insane to throw down that kind of money on a pair of shoes, especially because it's entirely possible to get a great, quality pair of shoes without spending a fortune. You just have to know where to look.

There's a big difference between finding cheap shoes and finding expensive shoes for cheap. Because it's so important that a baby's delicate feet are put in quality shoes that are not going to hinder proper foot development, it's best to look for markdowns on once-expensive shoes versus picking up a pair of cheaply made knock-offs.

Places to Buy Discounted Baby Shoes Online

One of the best online shops for finding good deals on quality baby shoes is 6pm.com. A discount merchandiser owned by Zappos, 6pm has a huge selection of baby shoes, all substantially marked down. A quick search of first walker baby shoes produces over 100 different styles from great brands like Primigi, Umi, Pediped, Stride Rite and more, all reduced up to around 50% off. Best of all, shipping is free at 6pm. Watch for them to have special sales on certain brands as well -- you can sign up for their E-Newsletter if you want to be notified of their weekly promotions.

Another good place to check for discounted baby shoes is Zulily. You do have to be a member to view the deals at Zulily, but signing up is free. They have different sales on baby and mom items each week and they tend to have some great deals on shoes. They recently featured TOMS Shoes with prices way below what you can find anywhere else.

Similar to Zulily is Baby Steals. They feature two baby-related deals everyday (at 9AM and 9PM PT). They frequently feature baby shoe deals from brands like Stride Rite, Robeez and other popular baby shoe brands.

Many people associate Nordstrom with high prices, but when they have sales, they have surprisingly good prices on their baby shoes. It's best to shop during their Half-Yearly Sale for Women and Kids and their Anniversary Sale (usually in July each year). The other nice thing about Nordstrom is that they offer free shipping and returns which is pretty rare these days (Macys, by contrast, charges around $10 for orders under $100). If you prefer to shop in-store, you will get an awesome baby-shoe buying experience -- not only to they measure your baby's foot, they often hand out balloons and other goodies.

Lastly, don't forget about Amazon for finding deals on quality baby shoes. Before I buy anything I always check the price on Amazon; often they have the cheapest prices and will often price-match other retailers having a sale. Shipping is free on orders $25 or more (or get free 2-day shipping on everything with an Amazon Prime membership).

Places to Buy Discounted Baby Shoes Not Online

While it's not the best idea to buy used baby shoes, that doesn't mean you should avoid second-hand stores completely. I have found more than one awesome pair of baby shoes, brand new, at our local thrift store. People often get baby shoes as gifts, and by the time their baby has grown into them, the season may be off and they are never worn. Once Upon a Child also sometimes has brand new (or close enough to brand new) shoes at deeply discounted prices.

Discount retailers like Marshalls and T.J. Maxx also have good deals on quality baby shoes. It seems to be pretty hit or miss (some days they have a bunch of styles, others nothing at all), but they are definitely worth checking out if you have one nearby.