In Stride with the Green Movement

Stride Rite is synonymous with a baby's first steps. When Olivia started walking, everyone's question soon became, "Have you bought her first pair of Stride Rite shoes yet?"

Lucky for us, and for the planet, Stride Rite just launched their eco-friendly Natural Motion System shoes, and they are simply adorable. Olivia has a pair in "Kit Brown/Pink Lea" which she is wearing in the photo above.

We let Olivia go barefoot for so long, based on expert opinions that "barefoot is best" when learning to walk. Clearly it worked in her case because she was up and walking like a pro at 10 1/2 months old! But now that Fall is upon us, the weather is getting cooler, and she is experimenting with tons of new terrain, shoes are an absolute necessity.

Stride Rite Natural Motion System shoes are easy to put on and take off, (they have a handy little flap above the heel which aids in pulling the shoes on and off) they're flexible, and they feature a thin, yet durable sole made of 30% recycled rubber. The water based inks and natural stitching details of these shoes also make them much more eco-savvy than the average pair of kicks. They come in cute little recycled gift boxes, so you can ditch the gift wrapping paper, and gift a lucky recipient with a box they can recycle.

As an added note: don't miss Stride Rite's Official Rewards of Childhood Sweepstakes which features amazing prizes! Click here to enter!