We found what we were looking for and more in Pedipeds, a Nevada-based company started by parents who wanted a stylish, yet developmentally-friendly shoe for their own young daughter.

Pedipeds are made from soft, supple, premium, non-toxic leather that smells divine right from the box. In fact, they cleverly package their boxes with little star-shaped air holes, so the quality seeps out and envelops even the casual shoe shopper.

They are lined with pigskin, and soled with padding plus two layers of thick, durable leather soles. The soft soles allow babies to sense the ground beneath them as they learn to walk, but provide ample protection from errant rocks, sticks and other sidewalk hazards. The soles are also non-slip, one of our most important baby shoe requirements, since our own hardwood floors tend to be rather slippery (not because they're super clean or anything, but because they're lovingly worn).

Pedipeds look more like miniature shoes than other crib shoe slippers, which makes them ideal for special occasions, outdoor use and just whenever we want our little man to look more like a little man. Our favorite styles are the Mary Jane-types for girls and the brown loafers for boys, but we love them all. New for 2007 are pink metallic shoes for girls, and if you have a girl, you can appreciate how spectacularly cute this design is.

Pedipeds close using a Velcro tab that makes them easy to get on, and keeps them in place. Our babies of course, as masters of Velcro, but even though they make a fun game of pulling the straps off and back on while sitting in their car seats, they happily keep their shoes on when walking.

We think the hallmark of greatness for the Pedipeds though, is the hand-stitching. It gives strength and durability to the shoe, and you can tell immediately they were made with love. And we love our Pedipeds right back!