Brand Loyalty

I am one of those people who tries something once, and if I like it, I stick with it.  I find a menu item that I like at a restaurant, and I order it every time.  I find a product I like, and I buy it every time.  Brand loyalty (and lack of adventurousness) definitely holds some power with me.

There are just some things that are (probably) never going to change.  My dishsoap?  Dawn.  My paper towels?  Bounty Select-A-Size.   My slippers?  Isotoner.

And then there are some things that I thought would never change but did.

• My baby gear loyalty has always been to Graco; but when Graco couldn't offer what we wanted for the twins, we bought Fisher-Price high chairs and Britax convertible car seats.
• I was loyal to Tide laundry detergent for the first five years of our marriage; but when I realized our clothes weren't getting clean and our daughter had sensitivities, I started buying Earth Friendly Products Ecos.
• My facial moisturizer loyalty has been to Only Yourx for the past six and a half years; but when I admitted to myself that the price was keeping me from using the product as generously as I really needed to, I switched to another good but not as expensive product, Cetaphil Daily Facial Moisturizer (recommended by my "retired" estitician-sister).

I have one other brand loyalty that I'm currently calling into question, and I would love to get some input on this.... When Abel, our oldest, was ready for his first pair of shoes, I went into our local Stride Rite store and questioned them as to why I should buy their shoes for my child.  They explained how Stride Rite shoes are designed based on extensive research and that unlike other children's shoes, Stride Rite's are actually good for a child's foot.  Based on that information--and the fact that their shoes come in wider widths than other brands--we purchased our first pair of Stride Rites and have never looked back.  The health of my children's feet is just not something I want to mess around with!

That being said, I'm wondering if Stride Rites are indefinitely the way to go for Isabel and Elliana or if there is another good brand out there that I'm not aware of.  My questions are raised by the facts that their feet don't appear to be as wide as Abel's and don't appear to have the pronation tendencies of Amariah's--and by the fact that there are two of them, meaning an already high price tag is doubled.  I do, of course, want to give them the very best that we can give them; but what I want to know is:  Are there some other good brands of children's shoes that I should consider?  One thing is sure--quality comes at a price.  But, I also want to make a decision that is wise and reasonable on all sides.  I am attempting to not be blinded by my brand loyalty (because I really do like Stride Rite!), so if there is another brand that I should "see," please share that in the comments!

So, what are some of your brand loyalties?

Tweet