They are good for beginner walkers, but won't withstand a toddler that's been mobile for 2 months and is running around outside on harder surfaces, and dragging feet on riding toys.I have ordered 3 pairs of these shoes for my 12 month old (he's big for his age, almost 100% for height, but I've never measure his feet...).Appearance: The colors and price are great (fun to wear for the NBA play offs). They are incredibly light weight, and flexible - I like the 'soft sole' for early walkers so that they can stretch their toes and really feel the ground (I figured that the additional sensory with the ground may result in surer footing....who knows)Function: The 'high top' design with the Velcro strap makes it difficult for my son to pull or kick off the shoe, great! And the little loop on the heal makes a good 'shoe horn' helping in getting the shoe on (but don't pull too hard, we broke the first one quickly, but learned from that)Durability: The big negative! The shoes get 'striped' with every drag of the foot on a rough surface. A 10minute 'ride' in a push car, where my son is dragging his feet (he still hasn't figured out how to push the car with his feet), damaged the shoes so badly that I had to toss them.Now that my son is 14 months, we've had to switch to a more durable pair - it's hard to find light weigh shoes that aren't $30 Nikes!