Kids' footwear can blend fashion, function

As Mia Abbruzzese sees it, there are only a handful of options that parents have when it comes to buying shoes for their small children.

There are traditional bucks and Mary Janes at Stride Rite , her former employer. There are the mass merchants, such as Target and Wal-Mart , where the offerings tend to have superheroes stamped on them with blinking lights in the soles.

There are the pricey European brands -- the $85 lace-ups sold at select boutiques. And then there are discounters such as Payless ShoeSource , where parents typically go to buy special occasion shoes they know their children will wear once.

Abbruzzese believes there is room for another choice in the $5 billion industry: Reasonably priced, highly fashionable sneakers, boots, and shoes for tots and kids. Her three-year-old South End company, Morgan and Milo , is hitting its stride this year, with products available in the Garnet Hill and babystyle catalogs, on Zappos.com , at L.L.Bean in Freeport, Maine, and locally at stores, such as FootStock Kidz in Wellesley.

``It's about fashion, and that's how I've gained my foothold," she said. Indeed, Morgan and Milo shoes are distinctive because of how they look, as well as how much they cost, ranging from $30 to $55 (for a boot), certainly a consideration given that children typically need a new pair -- especially a play shoe such as a sneaker -- every three months, because of a change of season, or because they have outgrown or trashed their old ones.

She sees this churn with her many nieces and nephews, whose footwear varies according to their parents' income level and lifestyle, as well as the schools that the children attend, with dress codes often dictating their primary shoe.

However, one strong industry trend now is to put a more sophisticated upper shoe on a sneaker sole, blurring the line between dress and casual, a look that parents like as much as the kids.

So when is the best time to buy your baby's first shoe? For those first learning to walk, barefoot is best. If a shoe is necessary, buy a soft, flexible pair. There is no reason to buy old-fashioned stiff lace-up booties, Abbruzzese says.

For walkers who are still a bit unsteady on their feet, shoes with soles that have rounded edges can prevent tripping .

And for toddlers, the most important aspect is comfort and fit. Have the child's foot measured every season. Buying a half-size larger is OK, but one full size is too much, Abbruzzese said. Watch closely for winces or complaints when your child tries on the shoe, she said.

Abbruzzese, originally from Swampscott, said she got into the shoe business ``by accident." She was a runner, and after graduating from Smith College, she landed at New Balance.

She moved to Fila in New York, and then returned to Massachusetts to work, for four years, at Stride Rite Corp. in Lexington, where she was director of product development.

Now free to make all of her own decisions, Abbruzzese is selling sneakers in brown corduroy and orange suede. There are girls' ``tennies" in floral prints, and red patent leather boots adorned with hearts, something for pipsqueak consumers to fall in love with.