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Choose The Right Shoes

Dear parents, we know how hard it can be to choose the right footwear for your kids, especially if it's your first child. To help you get it right, we've made a chart comparing the different shoes we sell, plus tips on how to choose the best footwear for each age and stage.

 

1. For babies who aren't yet walking (under the age of 10-11 months), it's recommended not to use any footwear at all - ideally they should walk barefoot only. If you do need to protect their feet, choose a soft, minimal shoe made from textile, wool or leather. At this stage, you baby's feet only need protection from the cold.

2. For early walkers, ie those who have been walking for 1-3 months, it's recommended to continue letting them walk barefoot - even outdoors if possible. This is because the direct contact with the surface they're walking on helps them learn to control their balance. Toes play a particularly important part in walking - as you may have noticed, kids "claw" with their toes on the surface they step onto. They are essentially using their toes, along with the nerve endings in the soles of their feet, to get a sense of the surface they're walking on. A little baby learning to walk in rigid footwear can be compared to a surgeon trying to operate while wearing welding gloves. The thicker and more rigid the sole, the weaker the feeling of control, making it harder for kids to gain the confidence to walk. This is why walking barefoot is crucial in the early stages. Later, you can use a flexible minimalist shoe such as Tikki's Pouf shoes or "barefoot" sandals collection.

3. Confident walkers - once your child is walking with ease and has good balance, you can use a more protective shoe with a thicker sole of roughly 3-4mm. Watch out, though - the shoe still needs to be flexible and light, and, most importantly, it must have an anatomical shape that gives toes enough space for fluid motion and natural growth.

4. For indoor use, such as at kindergarten or home, we recommend our Ziggy soft shoes, or the "barefoot" sandals with a thin rubber sole of only 2-4 mm. We do not recommend regular shoes or boots for indoor use! Kids have excellent circulation - this is why their feet need good ventilation to prevent sweating.