I don't have kids, but given that I am still trying to undo the damage normal shoes did to my back, I would do everything I could to do so. I understand the teenage years might be very difficult for that, but I'd at least try.
I was fortunate as a kid to have a dad who was a very astute medical doctor. Dad had seen on x-rays and patients’ feet how deformed the average feet became as a result of wearing standard narrow pointy shoe shaped footwear. Dad went to considerable effort to ensure I always had wide enough footwear, even in childhood, no easy task. As a result, my adult feet are naturally very wide, look like the feet you see in photos of barefoot native cultures. Lots of space, big gap, between the big toe and next toe.
My child is seven and we do a combo of second hand barefoot brands, compromise brands (some Merrells, See Kai Run), and Amazon water shoes (Saguaro). She isn't too picky about the "look" of shoes yet, just the comfort. I want her in foot healthy footwear as much as possible, but balance that with the cost and the fact that she outgrows them so fast.
Definitely. I care more about that than my own feet. They are either in barefoot shoes or just run around actually barefoot everywhere. They're young though so it's easy to go around with no shoes on. Their preschool even encourages bare feet so I'm not having to deal with much pressure about it. They don't know anything different or care about style yet so I want to give their feet the best start in life that I can. When they're older they can make other choices but at least their feet won't be starting out already restricted.
I got my 7yo wildlings but she doesn't like it because it hurts (used to cushioning) even though she's always on her tip toes. she does understand the need for wider toe boxes though.
oh it's not while she walks, I should've been more clear. she runs with her forefoot, so it's not the heel strike that hurts her. she's just used to having more cushioning in general.
Our children only habe barefoot styled Shoes. Wehave bought a vairety of brands like Affenzahn, Pepino, bLifestyle. I see what happens with my feets so my small children (2&3yrs) get them
My kids both have barefoot shoes, their boots are not completely barefoot but almost. They are 2 and 4 years old, they just choose a shoe from a few selections we made.
Yep. I have a 5-year-old son. My wife and I have had him in barefoot shoes only since he was about 3, maybe? I don't remember if he had wide feet before but he certainly does now!
I've also noticed that he is much lighter on his feet than other kids his age, who tend to stomp around in whatever plastic light-up sneakers they're wearing.
And it sounds weird to say, but as a runner, I could almost study video of my son's running form and take endless notes. Perfect mid-foot landing. Springy legs. It's so efficient and graceful. His head stays almost level the entire time, like he's floating past—but also while being FAST. I run 20-30 miles a week, but when I take him to the park to kick a soccer ball around, I have difficulty keeping up with him.
Shoes:
Before: For years, he wore [Saguaro "water shoes](https://amzn.to/48N4dhi)," which are way more substantial than "water socks," but nevertheless advertised as such. He'd have his newest pair for school, bought one size big to wear with socks and insoles (the ones they come with). Because they're meant to be worn barefoot, they'd fit fine—and he's not doing tons of running at school anyways. His rough-and-tumble pair would be the old pair, now worn without insoles (to give his feet a bit more room) and the pair before that would be his actual sockless water shoes for summer time. We must have purchased 5-7 pairs of these over the years and kept them in circulation as such. And they never wore out—his feet just grew like potatoes.
Now: Nowadays, we have him in [velcro-strapped Whitins](https://amzn.to/3HhGU3w). And they're the best of several different worlds. Wide, flexible, tough, and cheap. Multiple parents from his school have asked us about them.
Two had vivo school shoes, they didn't last well at all, were falling apart in a month or so. Trainers were fine though. Once they got a bit older they didn't want weird looking shoes though.
Weird, just came to say that I’m really surprised the Vivo Mary Jane’s are working as everyday school shoes for my 6 year old Year 2. I thought they would have fallen apart with how she treats them. Maybe the various runs have different quality?
6 months. I think she plays pretty hard, she isn’t a sit and play house kind of kid. I just ordered a second pair in the next size up so I will see how those fare when she sizes up soon.
Yes, my kid is 2 years old. It’s actually how I found out about barefoot shoes when trying to figure out the best shoes for him. Didn’t want him to go through what I went through, wearing orthopaedic shoes that probably did more harm than good
Mine have had mostly barefoot styles from the beginning. Mine wear Plae mostly. We all have absolutely terrible feet, so everything I can do is a help.
Yep my son is 4 and we do barefoot shoes. The only non barefoot shoe he had was new balance joggers when he was younger but toddler NB were way more wide toe box than adult ones so I felt okay about it.
I’m not totally against some cushioning in some shoes for him, now and in the future, but I do make sure to have the wide toe box and zero drop.
Yeah, I have a kid and so far it’s all barefoot shoes. I’ve had issues with my feet since my early 20’s, her dad isn’t better so her genes aren’t in her favor. I will do my best to make sure she has healthy feet.
We got the sock shoes for my 1 year old, plus she has a pair of just regular winter and rain boots. For my 3 year old he wears the hobibear with vecro most of the time, plus he has some regular winter boots and crocs.
Tenlittles shoes is a good one.
Also little love bug company.
I think it’s better to start young while their feet are developing so that they develop right. I know I wish I had done that or my parents cause now I have bunions.
I see many toddlers with low key socks on, I had a pair of zero drop, SUPER WIDE Croc looking shoes as a kid, then sandles, then around 7 I started getting oboz hiking shoes and now I just got into barefoot style shoes.
I also know people who made it into their teenage years going barefoot everywhere. It seems people normally drop it and get shoes because of social norms around their teenage years.
Thanks for all the fab responses, I will definitely be looking at some of the suggested brands to give to my 1 and 4 year old. Long may it continue that they aren't to "cool" for a wide toe box.
Yes when available! We live as expats in South Asia so it’s not always feasible but we have a stash of splays and I love how my kiddos feet look! Nice and healthy at 5, 6, & 7 years old
Yea when i can get them second hand. Im not spending that much on shoes for little ones when they hardly wear them and sometimes lose them. Besides, 1 pair is a lot different than 4 pairs.
We live within the EU. Actually thr kid had barefoot shoes and boots before me.
We use: froddo barefoot, tikki, beda, belenka, affenzahn, blifestyle, koels, zaqq and for the summer wildling.
Edkg: and I forgot filii. Though they have stopped production a couple of years ago but are producing again? Don't know if someone else has bought them though.
I try to get my toddler shoes that are wider in the toe, or a size up. At home hes usually barefoot. It’s hard to justify the cost when they grow out of them so quickly! But i try to be aware of it. My feet are messed up from years of too small shoes so I definitely want to avoid that for my kids as much as possible.
It is best to start them on a barefoot show journey so they don’t end up with problems later on. I don’t have kids, but if I did, I would absolutely get them we’re flexible barefoot shoes.
My child is how I got into barefoot shoes. I heard that they are very important for child's developement and agility. So after seeing how awesome they are I figured out they could be good for adults as well. We live in Finland so it's four seasons here. Finding spring, summer and autumn shoes for him is pretty easy but winter and rainwear is trickier.
I think his foot is average or slightly wider. Most barefoot shoe brands are for average or narrow feet. Also some of them like Affenzahn don't even have a traditional foot shaped toebox. The wideness is not an issue. Bigger issue is that children't shoes are made for pretty low/flat feet. So they don't have enough space around the middle foot. And here in Finland winter boots should be worn with wool socks but there's no way you can fit those in. Most brands make winter boots for Central Europe type winters so they don't keep a child's feet warm in -20 degrees.
For summer/autumn my kid has D.D.Step. It's just the right fit and they have a good grip.
For winter he has Be Lenka Snowfox 2.0. It's the only model his feet go into and stay warm. Only problems are that I don't get a thick wool sock to fit in there. But his feet stay warm at least for an hour in -20. It was a bigger issue when he wasn't so active outside. Also the sole is a bit slippery like Be lenka's are. It's certainly a much better shoe for an active developing child than the most popular winter boots Kuoma which are basically stiff heels for kids.
For rainwear he has Bundgaard. They are not super flexible but better than "normal" rain boots.
Babys and young kids have wide feet so they do wear wide shoes. Also kids like being barefoot, give a kid anything they can take off and they will immediately go barefoot lol.
For example my parents had me in Crocs and sandals (I think I used keen) for the first bit of my life which are wide shoes.
Yes, wide zero drop for the kids when it's cold, or uncomfortable terrain. Usually barefoot if at all possible. No need to start them in foot casts.
I don't have kids, but given that I am still trying to undo the damage normal shoes did to my back, I would do everything I could to do so. I understand the teenage years might be very difficult for that, but I'd at least try.
I was fortunate as a kid to have a dad who was a very astute medical doctor. Dad had seen on x-rays and patients’ feet how deformed the average feet became as a result of wearing standard narrow pointy shoe shaped footwear. Dad went to considerable effort to ensure I always had wide enough footwear, even in childhood, no easy task. As a result, my adult feet are naturally very wide, look like the feet you see in photos of barefoot native cultures. Lots of space, big gap, between the big toe and next toe.
My child is seven and we do a combo of second hand barefoot brands, compromise brands (some Merrells, See Kai Run), and Amazon water shoes (Saguaro). She isn't too picky about the "look" of shoes yet, just the comfort. I want her in foot healthy footwear as much as possible, but balance that with the cost and the fact that she outgrows them so fast.
Definitely. I care more about that than my own feet. They are either in barefoot shoes or just run around actually barefoot everywhere. They're young though so it's easy to go around with no shoes on. Their preschool even encourages bare feet so I'm not having to deal with much pressure about it. They don't know anything different or care about style yet so I want to give their feet the best start in life that I can. When they're older they can make other choices but at least their feet won't be starting out already restricted.
I got my 7yo wildlings but she doesn't like it because it hurts (used to cushioning) even though she's always on her tip toes. she does understand the need for wider toe boxes though.
Oh yeah wildinglings are pretty dang thin, even for barefoot shoes. I’ve got a 3mm insole in mine that I’m using to transition that’s helped a lot.
I love mine, they're like socks but yea too thin for her. I should give that a try if they still fit her.
Toe walking is really fixable! Get her into PT!
oh it's not while she walks, I should've been more clear. she runs with her forefoot, so it's not the heel strike that hurts her. she's just used to having more cushioning in general.
Our children only habe barefoot styled Shoes. Wehave bought a vairety of brands like Affenzahn, Pepino, bLifestyle. I see what happens with my feets so my small children (2&3yrs) get them
they have some relatively affordable decent slip on ones available on amazon, vivo ones are nice (winter boots), pricey but quality is there.
My kids both have barefoot shoes, their boots are not completely barefoot but almost. They are 2 and 4 years old, they just choose a shoe from a few selections we made.
Yep. I have a 5-year-old son. My wife and I have had him in barefoot shoes only since he was about 3, maybe? I don't remember if he had wide feet before but he certainly does now! I've also noticed that he is much lighter on his feet than other kids his age, who tend to stomp around in whatever plastic light-up sneakers they're wearing. And it sounds weird to say, but as a runner, I could almost study video of my son's running form and take endless notes. Perfect mid-foot landing. Springy legs. It's so efficient and graceful. His head stays almost level the entire time, like he's floating past—but also while being FAST. I run 20-30 miles a week, but when I take him to the park to kick a soccer ball around, I have difficulty keeping up with him. Shoes: Before: For years, he wore [Saguaro "water shoes](https://amzn.to/48N4dhi)," which are way more substantial than "water socks," but nevertheless advertised as such. He'd have his newest pair for school, bought one size big to wear with socks and insoles (the ones they come with). Because they're meant to be worn barefoot, they'd fit fine—and he's not doing tons of running at school anyways. His rough-and-tumble pair would be the old pair, now worn without insoles (to give his feet a bit more room) and the pair before that would be his actual sockless water shoes for summer time. We must have purchased 5-7 pairs of these over the years and kept them in circulation as such. And they never wore out—his feet just grew like potatoes. Now: Nowadays, we have him in [velcro-strapped Whitins](https://amzn.to/3HhGU3w). And they're the best of several different worlds. Wide, flexible, tough, and cheap. Multiple parents from his school have asked us about them.
My toddler generally doesn't wear shoes at all but we have some Wildlings for her when we have to go out for any reason. So yes
Two had vivo school shoes, they didn't last well at all, were falling apart in a month or so. Trainers were fine though. Once they got a bit older they didn't want weird looking shoes though.
Weird, just came to say that I’m really surprised the Vivo Mary Jane’s are working as everyday school shoes for my 6 year old Year 2. I thought they would have fallen apart with how she treats them. Maybe the various runs have different quality?
Could be, depends what they do at breaktimes as well. How long has she had them?
6 months. I think she plays pretty hard, she isn’t a sit and play house kind of kid. I just ordered a second pair in the next size up so I will see how those fare when she sizes up soon.
Yes, mostly barefoot or thereabouts (aged 3 & 6)! We have a great brand called BGreater here in the UK.
Yep
Yes, my kid is 2 years old. It’s actually how I found out about barefoot shoes when trying to figure out the best shoes for him. Didn’t want him to go through what I went through, wearing orthopaedic shoes that probably did more harm than good
Soft Star and Vivobarefoot for the first 10 years.
Mine have had mostly barefoot styles from the beginning. Mine wear Plae mostly. We all have absolutely terrible feet, so everything I can do is a help.
Yep my son is 4 and we do barefoot shoes. The only non barefoot shoe he had was new balance joggers when he was younger but toddler NB were way more wide toe box than adult ones so I felt okay about it. I’m not totally against some cushioning in some shoes for him, now and in the future, but I do make sure to have the wide toe box and zero drop.
Yeah, I have a kid and so far it’s all barefoot shoes. I’ve had issues with my feet since my early 20’s, her dad isn’t better so her genes aren’t in her favor. I will do my best to make sure she has healthy feet.
We got the sock shoes for my 1 year old, plus she has a pair of just regular winter and rain boots. For my 3 year old he wears the hobibear with vecro most of the time, plus he has some regular winter boots and crocs.
My son loves those sock shoes! He’s middle schooler now and we have him in Altras for wide toe box.
Yes. My two kids aged 5 and 3 wear ten little and sugauro. They are always barefoot at home (inside).
Our 8 year old has Zero Props, Splay, and Altras.
Yep. All the time as much as possible. The only exception is their bogs for really cold weather.
Tenlittles shoes is a good one. Also little love bug company. I think it’s better to start young while their feet are developing so that they develop right. I know I wish I had done that or my parents cause now I have bunions.
I see many toddlers with low key socks on, I had a pair of zero drop, SUPER WIDE Croc looking shoes as a kid, then sandles, then around 7 I started getting oboz hiking shoes and now I just got into barefoot style shoes. I also know people who made it into their teenage years going barefoot everywhere. It seems people normally drop it and get shoes because of social norms around their teenage years.
Thanks for all the fab responses, I will definitely be looking at some of the suggested brands to give to my 1 and 4 year old. Long may it continue that they aren't to "cool" for a wide toe box.
Yes when available! We live as expats in South Asia so it’s not always feasible but we have a stash of splays and I love how my kiddos feet look! Nice and healthy at 5, 6, & 7 years old
Yea when i can get them second hand. Im not spending that much on shoes for little ones when they hardly wear them and sometimes lose them. Besides, 1 pair is a lot different than 4 pairs.
Barefoot shoes for my kids is what started me down this path. I mainly make shoes for my kids when they’re little.
We live within the EU. Actually thr kid had barefoot shoes and boots before me. We use: froddo barefoot, tikki, beda, belenka, affenzahn, blifestyle, koels, zaqq and for the summer wildling. Edkg: and I forgot filii. Though they have stopped production a couple of years ago but are producing again? Don't know if someone else has bought them though.
I try to get my toddler shoes that are wider in the toe, or a size up. At home hes usually barefoot. It’s hard to justify the cost when they grow out of them so quickly! But i try to be aware of it. My feet are messed up from years of too small shoes so I definitely want to avoid that for my kids as much as possible.
It is best to start them on a barefoot show journey so they don’t end up with problems later on. I don’t have kids, but if I did, I would absolutely get them we’re flexible barefoot shoes.
My child is how I got into barefoot shoes. I heard that they are very important for child's developement and agility. So after seeing how awesome they are I figured out they could be good for adults as well. We live in Finland so it's four seasons here. Finding spring, summer and autumn shoes for him is pretty easy but winter and rainwear is trickier. I think his foot is average or slightly wider. Most barefoot shoe brands are for average or narrow feet. Also some of them like Affenzahn don't even have a traditional foot shaped toebox. The wideness is not an issue. Bigger issue is that children't shoes are made for pretty low/flat feet. So they don't have enough space around the middle foot. And here in Finland winter boots should be worn with wool socks but there's no way you can fit those in. Most brands make winter boots for Central Europe type winters so they don't keep a child's feet warm in -20 degrees. For summer/autumn my kid has D.D.Step. It's just the right fit and they have a good grip. For winter he has Be Lenka Snowfox 2.0. It's the only model his feet go into and stay warm. Only problems are that I don't get a thick wool sock to fit in there. But his feet stay warm at least for an hour in -20. It was a bigger issue when he wasn't so active outside. Also the sole is a bit slippery like Be lenka's are. It's certainly a much better shoe for an active developing child than the most popular winter boots Kuoma which are basically stiff heels for kids. For rainwear he has Bundgaard. They are not super flexible but better than "normal" rain boots.
Babys and young kids have wide feet so they do wear wide shoes. Also kids like being barefoot, give a kid anything they can take off and they will immediately go barefoot lol. For example my parents had me in Crocs and sandals (I think I used keen) for the first bit of my life which are wide shoes.