No shoes are needed except when your child walks in rough terrain. Children who are walking inside a house or outside on sand or grass do not require shoes. Before your child starts walking, keep your child's feet warm with booties or socks during the winter. Once your child begins to walk, he will prefer to walk barefoot because it gives him a better sense of where his feet are and enables him to use his toes for balance. Shoes may interfere with learning to walk.
Tennis shoes have the advantages of comfort, ventilation, and excellent traction.
Many brands are easy to wash and inexpensive. During the first year of walking, moccasins are usually better than sneakers. Toddlers in sneakers may have too much traction, catch the rubber sole on things, and fall. It is not true that shoes with a previous wear pattern on the heels will cause leg or foot pains. Expensive shoes have no advantage at any age for 99 percent of children.