Kid's Dance Shoes

My wife is a retired Dancer with a 14 year professional dance career under her belt. I asked her about what the best tips for choosing a ballet slipper would be. She enlightened me with some really good advice, and here it is.
Finding the right ballet shoe or slipper is critical in order to avoid injury. The main criteria are:

-The quality and durability of the ballet slippers.
-The level of comfort in the fit during dancing.

If your child has a narrow foot, she recommends the Bloch Split Sole Canvas for girls or boys. This line of ballet slippers or ballet flats(as they are sometimes called) by Bloch is highly customizable in that you can choose foot width size when you order them. The width choices are narrow, average, and wide. Most other shoe brands offer width choices, but Bloch seems to have the narrowest of the slipper if your foot is really narrow.
So why canvas slippers and not leather? One huge reason is the fact that you can throw your canvas ballet slippers into the washing machine when they get stinky. You can’t do that with the leather slippers. Some dancers like the feel of the leather slipper on a wooden dance floor. If you do like the leather slippers, just be ready for dealing with smelly slippers.
One way to deal with smelly slippers of either the canvas or leather variety is by spraying Fabreeze inside them on a daily basis. You can find this product at your local super market or drug store. Another trick to maintain your slippers is to rub them with a mixture of baking soda and vinegar. Unfortunately, this only works on the canvas slippers and would damage the leather ballet slippers.
One last bit of advice if you do pick up the Boch Split Sole Canvas Ballet Shoe is to rip out the insole as soon as you get them. The insole tends to curl up under your toes when your feet get sweaty and create some mild discomfort. You will be able to “feel” the floor better when you take the insole off. The Bloch Split Sole comes with an elastic band that you can attach if you want. If you dance on them every day, they usually last for about 6 months.