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.