Kids' New Balance® x90 sneakers in larger sizes

Purchased these less than one month ago for my son, who is 9.5 yrs old, to have as a casual pair of sneakers for regular wear and occasionally gym. He is typically very careful with his sneakers (he's at that age now) so I was surprised when he came home less than 3 wears later with small tears at the front of his shoe. Over the next few wears they became progressively worse and the "Suede" was completely worn out at the tip of the toe box. Fortunately, the holes were only at the surface and did not make their way into the actual shoe. (I've included photos to better explain. ) I'm very disappointed and wish I hadn't purchased these. As you'll notice the rest of the shoe is in perfect condition. I want to be perfectly clear that the comfort of the shoe is not compromised but that thin layer of material should have been reinforced. He can't wear these anymore except to play outside, this was not the intention for the price. Not worth it, New Balance should do better with kids sneakers.

These sneakers are difficult to put on as the opening is tight, one piece, attached like a sock (see picture), which was not written in the product description. We like new balance sneakers but this design is a little awkward and not easy to put on and thus not good for kids. The colors (orange and yellow) are really neon compared to online pictures, which was still OK for me. I will be returning because of bad design.

We have looked at these NB shoes exclusive to JCrew for over a year now and when shopping for back to school items we came across them once again . So glad we waited for the start of a new school year because they are a perfect accent to fall gear . Our 3rd grader loves them and they look good with a lot of different color combos !