I have a bouncing autistic daughter that can wear out a pair of cheap shoes in two weeks. I was skeptical of buying her any shoes of quality as I assumed she'd ruin them almost as fast. She walks on her tip toes and kicks every wall, tree, stump, whatever, that she walks by. To my surprise, these shoes, with a bit of cleaning, are still holding up well enough to wear when we go out. I am shocked and amazed and will never buy her anything but New Balance Velcro shoes.

I give these shoes a ringing recommendation to all parents with an active child. For this price point, I have never seen a shoe last this long or continue to look this good.