I really thought I would cry when my daughter started walking. I wanted to cry - what a huge milestone. But I didn’t. Maybe because it happened little by little each day and wasn’t the “oh my gosh she’s walking!” moment I had imagined? Or maybe it was because I was thinking “oh man another thing to research and buy - SHOES!?”
I gave my daughter the official stamp of “new walker!” approval at 9.5 months when she could walk across the room unassisted without falling. This meant that I had at least 3 months less than I had hoped to do shoe research!
I’ve consulted with several of my physical therapist colleagues and done a ton of research on this topic. As an occupational therapist, I am super well versed on body development, but the foot is not my area of expertise, I have, however, interacted with hundreds (?) of baby, toddler and kid shoes as I have worked with my clients on dressing tasks. Specifically, how to put on, tie and take off shoes. So I see and feel a lot of shoe brands!
I hope I can make your life easier by passing along what I have learned!
the most important thing
Barefoot is best. As much as possible, allow your child to go barefoot! It helps with foot development, balance, motor planning and muscle strength. The one place I don’t like to encourage barefoot for new walkers is on pavement. Our human feet were not meant to pound the pavement barefoot; our ancestors who walked barefoot didn’t have to deal with this modern phenomenon!
As always, use your own research, consult with your doctor and always monitor your child while barefoot or with shoes!
Whats important
Your child should be barefoot as much as possible, yes even in tummy time and while crawling; even socks can get in the way. If it’s cold where you live you can try some socks with traction, or preferably turn the heat up a notch or get a space heater just for the room you’re in.
You get what you pay for! Yes, baby shoes are pricey. Yes, they annihilate them or run them into the ground faster than you would ever imagine. But a high quality shoe is important for foot development, breathability/skin health & safety (from the elements and unsafe objects that my be lingering outside).
Flexibility is key. While your child should be barefoot as much as possible, they need shoes when walking around outside to protect them from everything including, but not limited to: dog poop, broken glass, sharp thorny sticks and nature objects. Given that, shoes as close to natural/barefoot are ideal. You should be able to flex the shoe about 40 degrees in your hand.
See Kai Run shoes - see how flexible they are?
dos and don’ts
Don’t buy second hand shoes. I know we’re all on a budget, but especially while your baby’s foot is developing and newly learning motor patterns for walking, you don’t want any imbalances to occur because your child wore a shoe that had pre-worn soles in some places.
Don’t buy super hard, inflexible shoes. Avoid hard soles that don’t bend. Avoid plastic. Avoid shoes that have an extra super grippy bottom, that can make it difficult for your child to lift their foot up.
Don’t buy bigger shoes for them to “grow into.” I think we did this when I was a kid? Anyway, it’s bad. It can promote irregular gait patterns, compensatory muscle use (I.e. they are using the wrong/different muscles than they should to keep their big-foot shoes on) and foot problems down the line.
Do measure your child’s foot before purchasing shoes or at the store. If you buy online, some companies have a print-at-home shoe sizer. PRO TIP: I measured and ordered my daughter’s latest shoes and by the time the came about a week later, her feet had gone through a growth spurt. So I had to return them and try again. Plan ahead!
Do chill out and realize that you’re GOING to have to buy new shoes as often as your child needs them, so build it into your budget and let it go…if you can!
Do learn about baby shoe sizing. I liked this infographic from whattoexpect.com, but seriously, use the company you buy from’s at home shoe sizer printout. Worth the extra step, though I have found this chart to be accurate for us.
Do make sure there is some room for growth at the front of the shoe (1/2 inch or so from the toe to the end of the shoe) and constantly check for foot growth to make sure the shoes don’t get too tight.
the best brands
Because we had an early walker, I started with Robeez soft soles/crib shoe for a few months and then switched to PediPed and SeeKaiRun.
PRO TIP: Robeez are great, very soft sole, but they don’t do as well in rain and outdoors. I used them early on because I couldn’t justify having my daughter barefoot in the rain as she was just starting to stand at that point (I.e. not stable enough that I wanted to risk her slipping on wet grass), and our apartment complex is very covered in dog poop. I wanted her in something very soft soled though, and I didn’t mind if it wore out soon from the weather. The Robeez soft soles lasted her 3 months of standing and walking outdoors), but they were definitely tight at the end. I should have retired them sooner!
Depending on when your child begins to walk, you could likely skip the Robeez soft sole and go straight to the “mini shoe” if you like this brand. Also, the grips on these aren’t great. Some people use the soft sole for inside use only, but I recommend going barefoot inside instead.
PLEASE NOTE: All of these brands are great, and have infant/new walker/crib shoes and beyond. Feel free to jump around or be a brand loyalist for years!
LAST THING: I will likely invest in Tsukihoshis (the most supportive/expensive of the lot) once her gait and walking have stabilized more around 2-3 years old. Right now, I want her barefoot as much as possible (even on grass and sand when it’s safe and I’m monitoring) and otherwise in high quality soft, bendable soled shoes for walks and playing outside.
You must monitor your child and make sure their feet are developing correctly; if you have any questions, concerns or worries about shoes or gait discuss with a physical therapist or pediatrician!
In my assessment, these are in order from “closest to barefoot” to “flexible but more supportive" infant/new walker shoe brands I love and recommend:
Tsukihoshi on Amazon. Here is the Tsukihoshi website.
If your child needs an orthopedic shoe or something else specific, you should reach out to your favorite pediatric physical therapist for help! One more note: I prefer buying directly from the brand websites for shoes, as I can see all of the designs, sales etc. That’s why I’ve listed both the Amazon link and the direct website above!
As you can see, we use a mixture of styles based on: whats on sale, which brand has her size in stock and we choose what she will wear that day based on where we are going/the weather.
Robeez soft sole
See Kai Run soft soles
PediPed sandals for breathability on super hot days
P.S. I only link to products I love/use! I may earn a commission from some of the links above, which helps to run this website!