Shoes for Chinese New Year

It's rare to see themed shoes such as this one from New Balance. (News source: The Straits Times).

I wonder whether I'll actually see them on people's feet this Chinese New Year.

Unusual footwear

This footwear sure is eye-catching!

This man was waiting to board the commuter train. Take a look at the lion paw flip-flops he's wearing. I suppose it's one way to prevent your toes from getting stepped on in a crowded carriage.

Midsole dropped off

The entire midsole of somebody's running shoe fell off and was left by the road. I cannot tell which make of running shoe it is. It's always a good idea to inspect one's sports shoes regularly to avoid situations like this.

Tennis dress code causes an upset

Tennis superstar Roger Federer found himself in a spot when he did not wear all-white shoes at Wimbledon.

Source:
http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Sports/Story/A1Story20130626-432610.html

Quick review of Adidas LK Trainer 5

The "Adidas LK Trainer 5". Those are the shoes that my toddler currently wears on a daily basis. As a parent, I am very satisfied with how these shoes perform on a very active toddler who runs, hops and jumps about during playtime.

Adidas LK Trainer 5

I have observed that the LK Trainer 5 is good for toddlers mainly because of the following:

• Court training shoe for lateral movement (and not a running shoe, which is for forward movement )
• Low midsole height (prevents injury to growing and active feet)
• Upper is lightweight, flexible, yet with all-over support
• Soft textile heel collar
• Adifit system for shoe-fitting
• Removable Ortholite insole for washing
• Forefoot flex grooves allow the toddler's foot to flex naturally
• Out-sole provides excellent traction on all kinds of surfaces
• Out-sole is made of non-marking rubber

My toddler likes to drag the front of the shoes on the ground in order to control the speed when he's riding his little bike. This means that the front areas of the uppers of the shoes wear out quickly. However, I used Shoe-Goo to mend and protect these high-wear areas.

Insole

Many shoes come with removable insoles. Insoles are also known an sockliners. They are made of a variety of materials and serve as the platforms on which the feet rest when the shoes are worn. 

Insoles are usually made of foam and also have a textile layer as the top surface.

One such foam is OrthoLite. This foam is used to make the insoles of many athletic shoes. It is an open-cell foam and this allows air to circulate around the feet when the shoes are worn. This foam also does not "bottom out" (compress and flatten) too easily and retains its cushioning effect over the lifespan of the shoes. OrthoLite insoles are also machine-washable. 

The insole shown here is from the Adidas LK Trainer 5, a court sports shoe for toddlers. To find out what the black markings on the blue insole are for, view this other post.

How to determine the best shoe fit for toddlers

Here is a visual method to fit toddlers' feet into shoes of the right size. It sure is an easy method!

Simply remove the shoe insole and, with the markings printed on the insole as a reference, position the toddler's foot onto the insole. Observe where the toddler's toes lie on the insole and compare with what is shown in the chart (see photo).

The Adidas and Puma brands of toddler shoes use this method. The chart is printed on the back of the shoe box.