Our soon-to-be second grader starts school again at the end of August! I remember when the first day of school was not until after Labor Day. Not only does that cut our summer short, but it also takes away the time we have for back-to-school shopping. I am in pretty good shape for all three of my children as far as back-to-school goes. I have most of the school supplies purchased from the teachers' lists and I always shop the fall/winter sales from the previous year so that I have some fall clothes already. This way, I do not have to panic and buy a ton of clothes all at once, which is harder on my sanity and my wallet.
One thing I rarely buy ahead of time for my son anymore is shoes. During their infant and toddler years, I was able to accurately predict what size each child would be during the upcoming seasons, but now that my oldest son is in grade school, he goes through growth spurts that seem to happen overnight. I have also learned that I cannot skimp on his sneakers. He is an active child, so he needs shoes that are not going to fall apart and ones that will offer him comfort and support. He also is beginning to be very brand and fashion conscious. Our son is very excited to be wearing these Teva Kid's Charge High Performance shoes on the first day of school, which offer him all of the above.
Our son has owned sneakers with only elasticized laces before, but they were not adjustable. When he put on these Teva shoes, he complained that they were too tight. Once I showed him how to loosen the laces a bit by adjusting the toggle, he found the shoes to be very comfortable. He was also thrilled that he did not have to tie any shoelaces.
The Durabrasion Rubber sole offers extra traction. We have yet to test it out during winter weather though. It is also great that the rubber sole is non-marking, so my son can wear these in the school gymnasium.
These shoes were designed for both boys and girls and are available in Gunmetal (shown), Harvest Pumpkin, and Very Berry. My son's first choice was the Harvest Pumpkin with the orange trim, but is extremely happy with the Gunmetal, which has a yellow trim, now that he has seen it in person. I think the Gunmetal is perfect because the colors would work all year round, whereas the darker Harvest Pumpkin looks better-suited for fall and winter.
The Kid's Charge shoes by Teva retail for $45 and also comes in a waterproof version for $55. You can shop for them on Teva.com and locally at major retailers of outdoor footwear, such as REI.
Thank you to Teva for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon.
