Tsukihoshi CHILD01 Euro Sneaker (Toddler/Little Kid)

I have been buying these Euro Sneaker shoes for my daughter religiously in groups of four over the past three years. I have NEVER had any problems with wear and tear, smell or velcro not being long enough to close. I felt compelled to write a review after seeing the few low ratings, and I wanted to clear up any misinformation. I specifically mentioned these three points because they were commented on in the lower reviews.First and foremost, my daughter wears AFO's from Cascade that extend from her toes to just below the calf. They are like a thin, molded plastic boot that she wears over her socks inside her shoes. These shoes are one of the ONLY "normal" (non AFO specific shoes) shoes on the market that fit perfectly.VELCRO: Perfect. Due to the dimensions of her leg braces, the velcro can only overlap half the distance for my daughter. For everyone else, there is plenty of velcro. They stay closed all the time and have NEVER popped open, even with hers only overlapping half the distance. I cannot fathom how a kid without foot braces would have any issues with the velcro.WEAR & TEAR: Amazing. My daughter has a walking disability stemming from nerve damage in her spine. She drags the tips of her feet when she walks and runs, and stands up from the floor... so the "abuse" these shoes endure is extreme. She literally shreds any shoe she puts on. These Euro Sneakers have amazing durability. I buy them in four different colors, since they are basically the only shoes she can wear. She wears them all the time and everyday. I have NEVER had a durability problem, and this is after nonstop dragging the tips of the shoes and hard plastic foot braces (imagine a from fitting thin ski boot) going in and out a few times a day everyday. The heel box has never crunched, even with the extreme pressure of the brace passing over it every time. For my daughter, the front and tip of the toe area is the first to go on all shoes. She basically can shred the toe box after one wear. NOT these shoes. We get at least 6 months of nonstop wear before the sole at the tip starts to peel. If my daughter's walking were normal, these shoes would last long enough to pass them down to her sister. *My daughter shredded the tips of the other styles of Tsukihoshi, so the Euro Sneaker is the only one that works for us.SMELL: Zero Odor. Imagine wearing knee socks and solid plastic boots with your shoes on all day.... then add the summer heat. Makes for one very hot and sweaty foot. My daughters shoes have NEVER smelled. She loves to play at the water table at preschool and make mud pies. She comes home and the shoes are brown from the mud. I just throw them in the wash, and then they're good as new. I only wash them a total of 1-3 times per life of the shoe.SIZING: I find that they DO run about one size larger than her Stride Rite sandals and Rachel dress shoes.OVERALL: Can't say enough good things about these Euro Sneakers. If you can find them in $39 or less, that's a great price. Keep checking Amazon. The different colors go on sale at different times. They're usually about $50 full price.

After my children started going to playschool, I realized they needed more heavy duty shoes to accommodate the school's policy of letting them play outside in wet weather. Also, because my kids are only 2.5 years old they never watch where they're walking. I ended up buying a pair of croc rain boots for truly rainy days and these Tsukihoshi shoes for everyday. I really like the build of these shoes. They are well padded, tough, built well, and yet are still somewhat flexible for my kids feet. I never saw them slip in these shoes and I don't worry about them hurting their feet on gravel. Both munchkins can put the shoes on themselves and mostly get them fastened correctly. After 3 months of use the shoes came home yesterday caked in mud. I threw them in the washer (in a lingerie bag to reduce the banging) and let them dry on the counter. They look almost like new. These are the most expensive shoes I've bought for my children but I think they are a worthy investment.Edit 8/12: My kids have graduated to the next size up and the original shoes still look almost brand new. I ended up washing them almost twice a week for the last few months but they look great. I bought the kids the same style, new colors, in the next half size up since the full size looked a bit too big to me. My little tester could walk in the next full size up but there was enough slide room that I thought the half size was justified. The half size up fits perfectly.Edit 8/13: My kids are 4 now and they still use this exact style and brand for their everyday "school" shoes. They're wearing the size 10's and I went back through my history to check, but it seems that my kids usually outgrow each size between 7 to 3 months. I step them up through the half sizes too, so if I used the whole sizes only they'd probably get more wear. The 3 month count was a spurt of crazy growth (all those pants, outgrown and almost like new!), the 6 month mark is more normal. I stick to the darker shoe colors now so they don't fade with the constant washing. Tip: take out the sole liners and shake the shoes out, then replace liners before washing. It cuts down on the sand and rocks in your washer.Note: I read that some people think these shoes wear out too fast. It might depend on the surfaces the child walks on: our playschool has no asphalt in their playground, just grass, dirt, gravel and sand.Note2: My kids are currently using the purple/pink sneakers and the pink/red sneakers. They get wet and dirt covered at least twice a week and I wash them about 3x a week. I noticed the pink one is starting to look a little faded in areas of high wear. The purple, however, looks bright and new. The chocolate/pink ones they used prior to these still look bright and new (worn on bottom but tops really nice).

I've had all four of my kids in Tsukihoshi Euros at some point. I purchased half a size smaller, as recommended and they are perfect. First, I must say, I have found the quality of the shoes to be inconsistent. I've had one or two pairs that I had to fix with superglue early in their life - some of the rubber separating. So why the 5 stars? It's worth the gamble.These are my two-year old's first pair of real, not soft sole, shoes. He loves them and can almost put them on himself. I love how they open up wide, are easy to put on, stay closed, and come out of the wash looking like new. And they are SO lightweight and flexible. I just feel so good about putting them on him. I don't feel like I'm binding his sweet feet in heavy, stiff shoes. And I know they're comfortable because my older son has had at least four pairs and he's happy wearing them all day. And there's something about them that lets the kids wear them longer - from being slightly large to snug, because they're so soft.Now my four-year-old with ankle-foot orthosis is wearing a hand-me-down pair from my older son. If I was going to spend $50, I would but her "hatchbacks", but I had these in the house, and they work great. I took out the insole, and because they are so soft and flexible they open easily the accommodate her AFOs.I'm usually a frugal shopper, but these are so great, and Amazon had the best price (for the Navy), better than eBay!

The soles started separating from the shoes quickly. Not the same quality as bought in sore.