Shopping for my Mini Rookies

As my children have started leaning towards the older end of the small child spectrum (sounds sort of silly when they’re only 4 and 5 years old, but bear with me here), it’s been so interesting watching their transformation from babies into little people. With Jack starting Kindergarten, he’s pretty much a verified KID, and with that has come some pretty cool stuff: A full day of school with art, computers, math and science built into his days. He’s also started basketball which he plays in addition to Tae Kwon Do during the week.

I was never THAT into sports myself, though while I did play volleyball and softball for many years it certainly wasn’t something I lived and breathed. My husband on the other hand was like many boys and played a myriad of sports including water polo throughout high school and into college and has truly seen the difference that sports can make in a child’s life. I have seen what playing on a team has done for Jack’s confidence and communication skills first hand, and I can say with full confidence that I cannot wait to be a proverbial “soccer mom”. It is so much fun to watch them step out of their comfort zone and reap the rewards of learning to be physically aggressive and how to play together with other kids in a team effort.

Seriously, parenthood is so much fun.

And, because I am a sucker for dressing them up in cute clothes or any time that requires me to go out and buy them something new, I was excited to team up with Rookie USA to shop at their new store on the Upper West Side for some new basketball gear for Jack and tennies for Zoe. So excited in fact, that I went a little overboard in the shoe department and had to seriously rein myself in when I saw the table of Levi’s for little people.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that they had a range of sizes from infant/toddler up until big kid sizes-especially in the shoe section. It’s often so difficult to head to a store that isn’t specifically for 4 and 5 year olds when it comes to buying shoes because the sizing is confusing (it is for me anyway). There was a section for the toddlers, a section for the in-betweeners like Jack who wears a 13, and the regular sizes that start back at 1 again. I went home with three pairs of shoes that I thought were not only great shoes, but decently priced. There were at least three staffers on hand and very attentive and helpful, especially given that I didn’t bring my kids to the store and was basically eyeballing the sizes based on my memory of their feet-which are always much larger than my brain has registered. Granted, though I went into the store on their opening day, I still felt that the people working there were quick to grab what I needed and were knowledgeable in their products.

I quickly signed up for a membership card, which I always do if I can and I know that I’ll be shopping there frequently-any incentive counts for something, and I like to know that they appreciate my loyalty. Considering this was my very first time in this store and my first time shopping for athletic apparel, I was happy with the staff’s consideration of my needs and my short time allotment, as well as appreciating the brands in the store (Nike, Levis, Converse) and the competitive prices they were being sold at.

I got home and the kids were beyond excited about their new shoes, and my husband was particularly excited that Jack and Zoe now have matching pairs of Nike “Dunks” with him! Neither of them could wait to put them on and head out to play, even though that meant practicing with our mini hoop in the hall of our apartment building. I personally can’t wait to see Jack on the basketball court in his new shoes and Jordan Kid’s basketball shorts with all of this friends. This is just another part of parenthood that I never knew I’d be so excited about, and I foresee many sideline rallies in my future.

Rookie USA just opened at 808 Columbus Ave, New York NY. They can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.

Local? The first FIVE commenters will win a gift card to be used in the store!

I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Rookie USA #CBias #SocialFabric. All opinions are my own.