We stopped by the Stride Rite store to get a proper sizing for my 1 year old daughter who had just started walking. We liked the Emilia style because it's simple but still has a little styling with the flowers, and also because of the heel and low ankle support that the shoe offers. On the lower heel, there's a sturdy rubber "guide" that helps prevent the heel from rolling. Another feature that seems nice is the bumps on the sole of the shoe. The Emilia has a series of rubberized bumps on the bottom that are supposed to give a better response from the floor to the foot.

The store didn't have our size in stock that day so we bought on Amazon at the same price as offered in the store. At the recommendation of the Stride Rite store employee, we bought a half size larger than what our daughter was measuring so that we could get a little extra use out of the shoes. She's been in the shoes for about 2 months now and has really been walking great the entire time.