2nd Tester Weighs In

Another one of our 6 Parent Testers recently sent us her first impressions on the new-for-fall products she received to test out (shown to the left). Okay, so if your paying attention then you caught us out with BabyLegs, they might not be new for fall but they are a classic staple and matched the Umi Cuddles so well we couldn't resist. (BTW, our new fall BabyLeg styles, socks AND tights should be arriving very soon!)

Name: Caitlin

Children:
Boy, 4 years old, size 11
Boy, 2 1/2 years old, size 8
Girl, 7 months, size 6-9 months

Products Tested:
Keen Austin Shitake size 11
See Kai Run Carl size 8
Umi Cuddle Chocolate/Pink size 18
BabyLegs Pink/Heather/White

"Hello Tinysoles. Thank you for the wonderful new fall products; my boys were almost as excited as I was to see what you sent us! Here are my first impressions. I'll keep you updated about anything we discover as the shoes are broken in, and I'll try to get some pictures of them in action as well. Thanks again!"
Caitlin

Keen Austin -My boys both wore Keen sandals this summer, which I really liked despite their fairly stiff soles, but this is the first pair of regular shoes we've had from Keen. Right out of the box, the Austin is definitely not as flexible as my son's Eleven sneakers, but they seem like they're going to be very durable. My 4 year old son was able to put them on himself, which is always a big plus. After a couple of days of wear, I think the sole is actually becoming more flexible, which I also noticed with the boys' Keen sandals after a little while. It's tough to tell whether the fit is exactly right since it's hard to feel where his toe is underneath the rubberized toe cap, but they seem to be true to size compared with his Elevens, which run a little bit big. The padded collar is nice and soft, and the way the velcro strap closes back on itself makes for a good snug fit. I'm excited about the upcoming colder snowy weather since these seem like they're going to hold up really well. Style wise, they're not as flashy as the Eleven trainers, but my son really likes them; he says they're especially good for riding his bike.

See Kai Run Carl - I love the wingtip inspired design, the white stitching and the great fall colors of the Carl. It goes with just about anything, too! Since it's SKR, of course it's super flexible and the leather is supple with no need to break it in. My almost 3 year old son did a little dance when we put them on his feet. The collar on this shoe is more padded than any other SKR I've had, which is great for comfort. Unfortunately, my son can't get these on by himself. I'm not sure if it's that the collar is a little higher than a regular loafer or that the tongue doesn't open up very far, but he just can't get his narrow little foot all the way in without help. I'm hoping that as the leather stretches a little he'll be able to wriggle into it on his own. I'm also not yet sure how this color green will hold up to scuffing, but I'll let you know once it happens!

Umi Cuddle Chocolate Pink Pram -These little Umi's are just adorable; I love pink and brown together and the scalloped overlay is super cute. They did smell a bit funny coming out of the box, but after airing out for a day they've lost that really strong new shoe smell. My daughter, who is just about 8 months, isn't yet crawling, so it's hard to say whether the little rubber circles are going to help her grip, but she is fascinated with them! Just as with the Robeez that my sons wore, the elasticized part of the opening leaves marks on her little ankles, and her ankles are far from being chubby. I ended up switching to another brand of soft soled shoes for my boys because I didn't like how the Robeez elastic dug into them. We'll see what I decide once she's mobile, but I think I'm going to prefer the SKR Smaller brand for my daughter since they don't have elastic on the crease of the ankle. The Umi's also seem a bit stiffer than other soft soled shoes; I think the rubber actually lines most of the sole, rather than just being in the places where the circles are. I'm definitely going to keep these in the rotation as she starts to crawl and cruise, just to give them a fair shake and see if the soles soften up with use.

BabyLegs Pink/Heather/White - BabyLegs are so cute and practical, what's not to love? I did find a fun new use for BabyLegs recently. They make a great sock puppet to distract and entertain a crying baby on a long car trip (provided that you're not the driver, of course!)

Before we had a chance to post this, Caitlin sent us some more feed back on the Austin's:"Hi again. We recently visited my friend's horse farm in RI so I had a chance to put those Austins to the test. He rode, ran, jumped in dirt and wood shavings, and washed a horse in them. He never complained about his feet being too hot or uncomfortable, and his socks stayed dry and clean, even after standing in a puddle. I've attached a couple of photos of him riding with me and finishing up a horse's bath. Thanks again for the chance to test out something new!"
Caitlin

New Umi in stock

Just a quick note to let you know that we just received our first shipment of NEW Fall styles from Umi! Lots of chocolates, pinks, raspberries, Olive and Navy that are perfect for Fall. New for this fall, is the Umi Primero collection (Lissy and Ollie shown above). Primero is a line of flexible rubber soled shoes designed for new walkers. They have a super flexible, lightweight rubber sole that wraps up slightly over the toe box to add a touch of non-bulky toe protection to help keep them scuff free. Lots of cute styles for little girls and boys that come in EU sizes 19-22 (US 4-6.5). The last picture shown above is of the Umi Pearl Chocolate from the Pram collection, a soft sole shoe available in EU 16-19 (US 1-4). Umi is one of our favorite brands for stylish, comfortable shoes and they bring a lot of variety to the table. Their shoes are definitely well made and we are impressed with the amount of detail on each one. We love Umi's use of printed leathers to add detail to different styles, whereas most other companies rely solely on embroidering, appliques and cut outs. This is just our first shipment of Umi, we have a ton of more styles and colors coming soon! Click here to shop New Arrivals.

First Tester Weighs In

One of our 6 Parent Testers recently received the 3 new-for-fall products shown to the left. She sent us this to post as her first impression:

Name: Rasa
Child: Girl, 22 months, size 6
Products Tested:
-Umi Primero Lissy Chocolate Heart Print/Pink size 22
-See Kai Run Sadie size 6
-SmartWool Saturnsphere Deep Purple 2T-3T

I just wanted to let you know that we got the shoes and socks, thank you!!! Last winter my daughter had a pair of Umi boots that were the absolute best so I was super psyched to hear you were sending some her way! I also, am a huge fan of smartwool so that was a fantastic surprise too!Okay, so here are my initial impressions of the shoes and I'll write a more detailed review when she's had some more use with them.

Umi: When I took them out of the box I was a little hesitant about the pink hearts, but the style was really great. I love the Mary Jane look and the rubber soles on the front made perfect sense, my girl is always scuffing the tips of her shoes from running and these rubber fronts seem like such a good idea! She immediately wanted to try them on and check herself out in the mirror. They fit true to size, a 6.5, so she definitely has some growing room, but not so much that she is clumsy in them. I love the way the uppers really fit snug to her foot, other Mary Jane type styles bunch out on her sometimes. They seem to have a great grip and she said they were very comfortable. She wouldn't take them off for ages! And I when they are on, I even like the pink heart pattern, not too girly. So far, these are real winners!!! They also feel like really good quality (although they smelled a little funny coming out of the box, just an FYI)

See Kai Run: I love the red and had seen these on your website, so I was really psyched to get them! They actually fit like her size 6 See Kai Run sandals, not any bigger. So I wouldn't really say they are a 6.5-like size (although I personally think this brand tends to run a bit big anyway). I think she probably needs to get used to the stitched over lip because she is pretty clumsy in them. The poor thing keeps tripping and falling! I think her toe is catching the floor when she runs in them. They look GREAT, they fit really nicely, and we'll see if she gets used to the new style and stops tripping.

Thanks Rasa!

Umi has arrived!

Umi children's shoes are NOW available at TinySoles! You requested Umi (pronounced oooh me), we listened and boy are we glad we did! Umi shoes are a line of quality constructed shoes full of color and detail, on top of just looking super cute. You can tell a lot of thought went into each shoe. TinySoles now has a great assortment of the soft soled pram collection as well as several toddler and children's shoe styles and a couple of sweet and sporty sandals (Umi Gecko shown in picture). Being our first shipment of Umi, it may seem a little small, but fear not as our Umi fall collection will be quite extensive. There are definitely a lot of cute and comfortable styles to come.

Who is Umi? Umi is a US company based in Wisconsin that started in 2004 out of the ashes of the well known European kids shoe company Elefanten. Umi took that concept of quality and style and started their own children's specific shoe line designed with children's feet in mind. They pride themselves on the fact that they build real children's shoes, not miniature grown-up shoes.

Umi footwear is full of personality and style and is designed with the perfect balance of comfort, fit and durability. Umi shoes are crafted from the highest quality drum-dyed leathers. Their manufacturing process includes more than 20 quality control checks to ensure that every pair of shoes meets their standards. The result: Umi shoes are flexible, supportive, built to fit, and go the distance.

Umi makes shoes that are healthy for kids and healthy for the planet. They're committed to quality and safety and only use non-toxic, environmentally friendly materials that are built to last. Every shoe is tested for safety and durability and follows strict European standards for child safe materials and components. What's more, Umi package their shoes in recycled materials and use environmentally sound practices to manage their waste.

Designed to fit children properly, Umi makes shoes for every stage of development. Their soft soled Pram collection features perfectly placed rubber pads for extra traction. Available in sizes EU 16-20 (US 1-5), UmiPram are designed to keep the littlest feet safe and snug. There are 2 styles of construction within the Pram collection. They both have the same sole, but one has adjustable velcro straps and a more shoe like appearance, and the other looks more like a soft soled bootie similar to Robeez. The bootie style has a very clever hidden velcro closure on each side of the top flap that allows it to open up very wide to get feet in. It has an elastic ankle band to ensure a great fit no matter the shape of foot but the band is only at the back of the ankle, so you don't have to worry about it being too tight around chubby ankles.

Designed specifically for toddler feet, the UmiTot collection is available in Girls EU 20-24 (US 5-8) and Boys EU 20-26 (US 5-9). With a little more support and sophistication, the UmiKid's collection comes in sizes EU 24-31 (US 8-13). Arriving this fall, the new Primero collection will offer a line of flexible rubber soled shoes designed for first walkers.

Giveaway Time: TinySoles is giving you 2 chances to score a FREE pair of Umi shoes of your choice.

1. Be the first person to make a purchase of $35 or more at TinySoles and use the coupon code: UMIOMY at checkout. If you get an invalid code error, then somebody already beat you to it. If you don’t, then you are the lucky recipient of a FREE pair of Umi shoes. Just let us know in the customer notes section during checkout what style and size you want (please give us at least 2 choices incase one is out of stock) and we will send them along with your order. This freebie is open to everybody in all locations, cannot be combined with any other offer and has the following rule: Be first! Congrats to Angelica from CA who scored a free pair of Umi Bo Peep in Fuchsia!

2. If you have ever made a purchase from TinySoles, then post a comment to this Blog by clicking on "comments" below and tell us what style and size you would like (please give us at least 2 choices incase one is out of stock) along with your TinySoles order ID number (which you can find on your order confirmation email, invoice that came with your purchase or through your TinySoles account). We will randomly choose from the posted comments on May 1st and send out a FREE pair of Umi shoes to the shipping address shown on that order ID number. If you have made multiple purchases from TinySoles, than you can increase your chances of winning by posting a comment for each order number.

For additional entries or if you have NEVER made a purchase from TinySoles:

• Sign up as a follower of this blog and then post a comment beneath this blog post while being signed in to your Google/Blogger account.
• Sign up as a fan of TinySoles on Facebook and post a comment to this note on our Facebook page.

Congrats to Jessica from GA who is the randomly selected winner of our Umi giveaway. We know you are going to love your new Umi Gecko's!

Sneak Peek - Umi

You requested Umi and we listened! Umi shoes will be arriving very soon at TinySoles. Umi specialize in children's shoes and pride themselves on their understanding of little feet and their quality construction. TinySoles will be carrying an assortment of irresistibly cute Umi shoes in US infant size 1 through kids size 13. Stay tuned for the official arrival and more scoop on Umi.

Today is your LAST chance to vote for TinySoles in the Leading Mom's in Business Competition! Please take a second and cast that final vote and THANK you all so much for your support.