Customer Reviews New Balance Kids KV689 (Little Kid/Big Kid)

My 5 year old son's only complaint is the velcro comes undone. I haven't seen it happen, but I believe it could happen on the playground with rough boys.

Love these shoes! So cute on but only issue is they are really narrow (which makes them seem to run too small)!

My boys love these sneakers! They look good and seem to have a good fit, although I don't think the elastic that attaches across the instep is as supportive as a heavier strap.

It's a stylish shoe, my 7 year old has no complaints. He wears them every day to school (only been a month) and they have held up really well. My biggest complaint is that the velcro strap could be a little longer. I'm having to pull it more than I'd like to get it just enough over to "close" the shoe. My son doesn't complain about it being tight, so that's good. The shoe seems smaller than I thought, but I really chalk it up to the style. This is an athletic shoe meant to be "on" you, rather than a loose fitting shoe that serves no purpose.

This shoe is narrower even in WIDE than other new balance boys shoes that my son has worn before.

My four year old loves these shoes! He says they fit comfortably however they were just a bit narrow but not too narrow to order a W, within a few days of wear they fit perfectly. They are easy for him to put on and having no laces is a plus. My son has flat feet and these New Balance shoes are perfect for him as they support his arch and the removable insoles makes it easy to insert a high arch insole.

My son and all his friends had these sneakers because they are decent looking and have the velcro. Unfortunately, we have ordered them twice in the past 8 months, and both pairs lasted just 3-4 months. The Velcro tab breaks off after that, and there is no way to sew it back on. Not good for active, sports-oriented boys. We are going back to Nike (which is making good looking velcro styles again now).

My son loves these shoes, but as his parent, I'd have to say that the most major design flaw is the strap. It is a velcro strap that you have to pull very tight and there isn't enough velcro on the strap to secure the shoe in place. So they are very loose. I'd avoid it, and get shoes with the regular velcro side-to-side strap.

Great looking shoe. Unfortunately the velcro will not open wide enough to accommodate an AFO. Otherwise it would have been perfect; extra wide width AND velcro? A disabled child's mothers perfection. Alas, too good to be true.

Ordered these at the start of the school year for my 4 year old son. My son loved the bright orange but I wasn't impressed with appearance. They looked a little cheap. I especially didn't like the mechanics or quality of the lace-up/strap. It's been 5 months now since he first got them. Besides the velcro being worn, the shoe hasn't fallen apart but he didn't wear these quite as much as he did another pair of sneakers he favored more. I don't think these sneakers would've lasted as long as they had if he had worn them daily.

The strap didn't hold up to my 4 year old. We had to go buy another pair after having these for such short period of time. They also felt too big.

These shoes are not for a kid that is hard on shoes. The thread is alreay coming loose after less than a month of use.

Huge disappointment! My son has really wide feet but New Balance (and Stride Rite) shoes in XW have worked great in the past. Someone wasn't thinking when they designed this one, though. My son loved the look of the shoe, but he couldn't even get his foot in! The "laces" aren't stretchy, so the shoe won't open any wider than you see in the picture. I'm afraid that even a kid with a normal or narrow foot would have trouble getting his foot in.

Like these, but velcro strap isn't long enough! Our son has to pull it tight, making an otherwise comfy shoe uncomfortable. Kind of a crucial element.

My kid loved these shoes. So much that I got 2 pairs. But beware, the strap broke on both pairs way before the shoe was worn out. Beware!

I ordered these in the spring for my son who had just grown out of his last pair of tennis shoes. They still fit at the start of school, however within 2 weeks, both straps have broken. The shoes were virtually unworn during the summer school break. I am very disappointed. Have not had this happen on previous pairs. I will be searching out a new style.

With my son's wide foot, we have continuously bought New Balance shoes for him. He loves orange, so I thought these would be a hit. Unfortunately, they are too hard to get on. The strap doesn't stretch far enough for him to get the shoes on easily and they seem to rub him uncomfortably under his ankle.

Initially very pleased with the shoe, however, after just 6 weeks the tongue detached from the inside of one shoe. My 5 year old had to wear it like this for a couple days, which did not bother him, but it looks funny with one sock exposed. Very disappointed and wish this could be repaired, as it is such a waste of materials considering the shoe was hardly worn.

The lace stretches out so much that it becomes too long to attach to the velcro closure. I have always bought NB shoes for myself and my son, but these were horrible. After 2 months of wear, they were replaced.

Usually a big fan of NB shoes for my son. These started to fray (toe area) pretty quick after he started wearing them. The velcro tab of the strap broke/tore/ripped off of the metal hoop that attaches it to the strap.

Do not buy. Fell apart way too quickly. I've been happy with all adult New Balance I've had throughout my life, but this is not the same quality. There are so many better quality options for boy shoes.

I have to agree with the other negative reviews for this shoe. My 5 year old has had this shoe since mid March, and the velcro strap on the left shot tore off at the end of May. My 5 year old plays hard, but I've yet to see him wear out the fasteners on his shoes until this one. The right shoe strap is just fine. He takes both his shoes off the same way, so it's puzzling to me why the one shoe is fine and the other is having problems. The issue seems to be with the elastic that attaches the velcro: the elastic part attaches to the metal hoop that connects to the "laces" strap that tightens the shoe over the foot. It's a very weak point of the strap. This is disappointing because I have New Balance running shoes that I've had for years and still use. Avoid this shoe.

I am not impressed with these. My seven year old son wore them for six weeks and the Velcro strap ripped off. There does not appear to be a way to replace it. I am disappointed.

My son wore these shoes for about 2 weeks and said they hurt his feet. They were giving him a bump on the top of his feet. He has a slender foot - and the medium we could barely get to close. I bought some Tsukihoshis which made his foot feel a lot better. He put these on the other day for a few hours, and the tongue of the shoe fell out. It was held in place with 1 stitch. Not great quality for a pair of shoes at this price.