Resole Soft-soled Baby Shoes (Robeez's)

Here's a project I did back in 2006 that I figured was worthy of an Instructable.

Most of our friends have kids older than ours. As such, we've been given a lot of hand-me-downs. One of the things we really loved were those soft-soled baby shoes. Unfortunately, it didn't take Fuller long to wear holes in the soles. So, I came up with a quick and easy way to get some new life out of these wonderful shoes.

Pretty straightforward materials list:

1 old mouse pad
1 tube of household adhesive or epoxy
1 sheet of paper
1 pen or pencil
1 pair of scissors
1 roll of scotch or masking tape
1 old plastic credit card

Lay one of the shoes on the sheet of paper and trace the sole outline onto the paper. Remove the shoe and look at the shape. Cleanup the outline if it's too bumpy. If you're happy with how it looks, cut out the pattern. You only need to trace one shoe since you'll reuse the pattern for both shoes.

Tape the pattern onto the mouse pad and cut out a sole-shaped piece of neoprene. Flip the pattern over and repeat the process.

Apply the glue to the fabric side of the soles. Use an old credit card to spread the glue evenly.

I used Goop brand adhesive, which supposedly stays flexible. Although, I bet epoxy would be fine too.

I didn't bother pealing off the fabric on the old mouse pad before applying the glue. In my opinion, unless the fabric is already ripped and peeling, there's no need. In fact, I wonder if removing the fabric would mean only neoprene adhesives could be used.

P.S. Sorry for the blurry image. These were taken with our old camera.

After the adhesive dries, trim off any loose or protruding sole edges.

Now you've got a pair of nicely resoled soft baby shoes. Enjoy.