My son started walking at 10 months but it was summer so we never bothered to put shoes on. So by the time fall has come and he's a year old we needed something with a soft sole to train him for shoes. We got these and they are SO cute. He wears them on the playground and in the grass and floors. They match pretty much everything he wears and are made so well. And they don't irritate him and he never tries to take them off which is surprising as he never wants to even keep his socks on! Our boy approves!