Buying Baby Walker Shoes

Shoe store managers and websites all say that new walkers need a good-fitting shoe that has a flexible sole.   

http://babyproducts.about.com/od/clothing/bb/firstshoes.htm

http://www.babycenter.com/0_your-babys-first-shoes_60.bc

Henry is finally walking!  This means I actually have to put shoes on him when we go out.  Rats!  He has a bunch of hand-me-down shoes, but he's either outgrown all the soft/flexible types - Robeez, etc. OR I've lost them.  

I went to Piggy Toes in Lincoln Park in search of new walking shoes, but of course they don't carry any shoes under $35/$40.  We did, however, have a very successful shoe-shopping trip at Target.  No surprise.  I bought 3 pairs of shoes, all flexible and well fitting, for the price of one high-end pair of shoes.  And considering I'm averaging 1 shoe lost per month, this was probably a smart way to go.  I got a pair of Skidders, which I would've loved 6 months ago, because they are sock shoes, which stay on very well.  Warning, our Skidders have a strange gardenia scent, which is oddly pleasing and off-putting at the same time.  Why do my baby's shoes smell like Marc Jacobs fragrance?  Of course, the Target website calls all the shoes I bought "Pre Walk," so maybe I got it wrong.  All I know is that Henry is happily walking in all his new shoes, and he doesn't seem uncomfortable.  We shall see.  I will feel terrible if he develops some debilitating injury from my attempts to avoid expensive baby shoes.