Nordstrom’s Cadence-Lea and Trio-Lea Girl’s Sandals

What went wrong

The notice saysThe flower embellishments on the sandals can detach, posing a choking hazard to young children.

The federal small parts rule sets how small a detached piece has to be to count as a choking risk for children under three. Most shoe recalls in this group came after a firm learned that a decoration was coming off; many notices mention only a few reports. Decorations that look sturdy can still loosen with wear, so the notice’s style details are the thing to match.

How to tell if your pair is affected

Product description in the noticeThe recalled girl’s sandals are leather with attached leather flowers and were sold under the "Cadence-Lea" and "Trio-Lea" names. "Cadence-Lea" sandals are white, light green or silver. "Trio-Lea" sandals are white or silver. They were sold in girls' sizes 5 through 12. Nordstrom is printed on the sandals.

The notice gives no style numbers or barcodes, so you match on what it does give: the brand and style (Nordstrom’s Cadence-Lea and Trio-Lea Girl’s Sandals), the sizes (girls' sizes 5 through 12), the sale period (March 2008 to May 2008), the store (Nordstrom) and the “made in” label (China). If a detail does not line up, the recall contact below can confirm.

What the notice tells you to do

RemedyConsumers should take the recalled sandals away from children immediately and return the sandals to any Nordstrom store for a full refund.

Recall contact, as printed in the notice: For additional information, contact Nordstrom at (800) 804-0806 anytime, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.nordstrom.com

The recall is 18 years old, and the last pairs were sold about 18 years ago. A child who wore these at the time has long outgrown them, yet sandals like these keep circulating through younger siblings, swaps and thrift racks. The notice gives a phone number and a website for the firm; details that old may have changed, and the CPSC notice stays online as the record.

How this recall compares

• With about 1,500 units, this is the 84th largest of the 95 footwear recalls in our archive that give a U.S. unit count. The median recall in the archive covers about 7,200 units, so this one is well below typical size.
• 41 other footwear recalls in the archive cite the same kind of hazard (choking), 41 of them in children’s footwear. The earliest in this group dates from 1993.
• The notice puts the sales window at about 3 months (March 2008 to May 2008), against a median of 7 months across recalls that state one. The recall came 1 month after the last sale date.
• The notice gives a price of $30. For sandals, clogs and flip-flops in the archive the typical stated price is about $24, so this pair sat near the middle of its group.
• No incidents were reported before this recall. That is true of 36 of the 95 detailed notices in the archive: firms often recall after their own testing or a supplier finding, not after injuries.

Year, part, store and origin

• 2008 brought 2 footwear recalls in our archive, covering about 12,500 units in all. This was the 1st of the year by date and the 2nd largest by units.
• The notice names the flower as the part that fails. 4 other footwear recalls in the archive name the same part in their hazard statement; the most recent is Joanna Girl’s Sandal (2013).
• Sold at Nordstrom. 5 other footwear recalls in the archive also list Nordstrom as a seller; the most recent is The North Face Women’s Shellista V Mid Waterproof Boots (2025).
• Made in China. 61 of the 91 notices in the archive that name a country list China (67%).
• At the stated price, the 1,500 units come to roughly $45,000 of retail sales.

Against the other Nordstrom recall

Nordstrom also recalled Nordstrom Girl’s Shoes on March 17, 2009. This recall came 9 months before it. It was the smaller of the two, 1,500 units against 31,000. The hazards differ: this one is a choking hazard, the other a chemical or lead hazard. These sold for less, $30 against $35 to $45. They were on sale for a shorter time, about 3 months against 30 months.

Comparisons use the 103 footwear recalls in our archive, read from the CPSC recall database on October 20, 2026. See data and methods.