Affordable Barefoot Shoes for Kids

Finding healthy shoes for kid’s gets expensive quickly as their feet are constantly growing – so here’s my list of affordable barefoot shoes for kids.

As parents, we all want to find shoes for our kid’s that are good for their feet and realistic for our budget. As barefoot shoes promote healthy foot develop and aim to allow a more natural walking gait, they’re the best option for most kid’s. But many barefoot shoes options are expensive, and often times

If you’re looking for healthy and affordable shoes for kids, I’m going to share that list here. 

I know finding healthy and affordable shoes can be difficult — and I know it can be cost prohibitive when kids are often times growing out of shoes every few months. 

Most barefoot shoe companies are still pretty small, and a lot of them are using local materials and labor and creating a quality product which is why they’re often a lot more expensive than something that’s mass produced.  

This post isn’t just a list of cheap barefoot shoes for kids, because to be honest, there aren’t that many as I’m sure we all wish there were. I’ve listed the few affordable barefoot shoe brands for kids, but also provided tips on finding better deals on barefoot shoes, including where to find sales throughout the year, when most sales take place, and where to buy gently used barefoot shoes.  

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you click on one of them, we may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!

Keep an eye out when you’re shopping

Occasionally, a traditional shoe company does make a kid’s shoe that has all the healthy features we’re looking for, so it’s always a good idea to keep an eye out. Here’s what to look for in healthy shoes for kids:

• Wide toe box: there should be plenty of room for those toes to wiggle. The toe box should not taper, which will squish the toes together.
• Flat: No drop between the heel and the toe. A small heel can sometimes be hidden in the inner sole. If it’s just the inner lining that’s creating the heel drop, you can always remove it.
• Thin: This helps keep shoes light and flexible and allows a child to walk naturally
• Flexible: Again, the focus here is allowing the foot to function naturally, so a shoe should allow the foot to easily bend.

For a complete list of my favorite barefoot shoes for kids, check here. For all of my discount and coupon codes, check out this post here.

So, next up, here is a list of children’s affordable barefoot shoes.

Best Affordable Barefoot Shoes for Kids Under $50

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1 Saguaro – $35

Knit, canvas or microfiber Synthetic Uppers | Sizes US Toddler 7.5 – US Men’s 14 | Code KELLY15 for 15% off on Saguaro.com | Free shipping on orders over $18

Code KELLY15 for 15% off on the Saguaro Shoes website

We initially started wearing Saguaro Shoes a few years ago when they just had one hiking/water shoes style (pictured above). The soles are foot shaped, flexible and grippy and the uppers are a stretchy, breathable knit. In fact, the width and durability on these has been just as good or even better than many of the more expensive barefoot shoe brands for kids.

More recently Saguaro has been releasing more causal-looking kid’s shoes, which means even more affordable barefoot shoes styles for kids.

The original water shoes are available both from the Saguaro Shoes website and on Amazon, though they usually come out a better deal on the Saguaro website with my discount code KELLY15 for 15% off. The casual shoes have only been available directly from Saguaro Shoes. And even though these are pretty cheap barefoot shoes for kids, they’ve held up well for the summer.

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Ten Little makes affordable barefoot shoes for kids and toddlers that have simple, classic styling. They have faux leather and canvas sneakers as well as sandals, rain boots, snow boots, high tops, and some lined high tops for colder weather. Plus, they come in a whole rainbow of fun colors! 

Ten Little Shoes feel a bit thicker than many barefoot shoes to start out with, but I’ve found that they soften up with time. They’re definitely a lot thicker than some of the most minimal barefoot brands, like Wildling. While I can easily ball up my toddler’s Wildling shoes in one hand with little effort, it does take more force to bend and twist the Ten Little Shoes.

The extra material on the sole does mean they are more durable, so they can be especially good for a kid that’s hard on their shoes or for use during a particularly activity, like on a balance bike or scooter when kids are sometimes using their feet as the brakes.

They do have a good amount of toe space. I also like that they have a removable insole that makes it easy to check fit. Read a full brand review on Ten Little shoes here.

The little kid’s sneakers use velcro, while the bigger kid’s sneakers use laces.

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9 Soft-soled shoes and moccasins for toddlers from brands like Jack & Lily, Robeez

For younger kids and toddlers, soft-soled leather shoes and moccasins are often a good place to start for healthy shoes. And many of them are pretty affordable. I like to look at Etsy, plus brands like Jack & Lily and Robeez. Jack & Lily sometimes has 50% off flash sales, and also offers 50% off your first order when you sign up for their JL club.

Here are a few Etsy Shops to check out:

• Ebooba 
• DancewearByJay
• Soft Walker Shoes
• Starry Knight

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10 BGreater Shoes – $45

The mission of this UK-based minimalist shoe brand for kid’s is to make barefoot shoes more accessible. When chatting with the owner, Iain, he said his first priority was making a healthy, durable shoe at a price he could afford. BGreater has tried to keep both prices and shipping costs low. BGreater Shoes are £35 in the UK with 99p returns. You can now get them here in the US at $45, with $20 international shipping.

In an effort to make these more durable and more mainstream, they are more on the narrower and stiffer side of minimalist shoes for kids. They have somewhat of a “false toe” where the toe portion that tapers is meant to be empty space. This is included in the size guide.

BGreater has several styles available, including tennis shoes and all black school shoes.

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Super Affordable Compromise Option

In an effort to provide as many affordable options as possible, I wanted to share a super affordable compromise option. By that, I mean these are 100% ideal for all of the attributes listed above, but still check most of the boxes. The shoes are still healthier options than most of what is out there, and may be a good fit for you based on budget or the type of use.

WHITIN Kids affordable barefoot shoes on Amazon

This Target brand makes a pair of canvas velcro sneakers called they Toddler Parker Sneakers. I noted these as a compromise shoe as they’re reasonably wide but do have a slight taper at the toe. Ideally, the toe box would be completely straight or fan out at the big toe, where these do curve slightly in. You can pull out the insole to test to see if they are wide enough for your child’s feet. I also recommend removing the insole, as there is some extra padding at the heel which creates a slight heel drop. Without the insole, they appear to be zero drop.

At $10 a pair, they’re one of the most affordable minimalist shoes out there. And you can stop by your local Target to try them on and find the right size.

Wonder National Toddler Adaptive Sneakers

I’ve recently heard really good things about the adaptive sneakers from the Walmart brand Wonder Nation. They have a full price of $18.98, though I’ve seen them on sale for $9. I’ll note that I haven’t tried these yet, but plan to soon! They look like they have a decent toe box with a flexible sole. They do describe them as having “a barefoot-like design,” but it sounds like they do come with a bit of cushion. The main cons I’ve seen is that the faux leather isn’t the most durable.

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Where to buy discounted or used barefoot shoes for kids

Buying used is another way to buy kid’s barefoot shoes on a budget. If you’re willing to shop around, you may be able to find a practically new or gently used pair for a pretty steep discount. Here are different places to shop for used barefoot shoes. 

Facebook Groups  

One of the best places to find used barefoot shoes are the buy/sell/trade groups on Facebook. The groups listed below are pretty active, so they’re worth keeping an eye on or putting out a request to see if someone is willing to sell. 

KIDS Minimalist/Barefoot Shoes BUY/SELL/TRADE (USA) 

Wildling Shoes BST and Chat

Minimalist Shoe Buy/Sell/Trade (USA) 

Europe Buy/Sell/Trade Minimalist, Barefoot Shoes 

eBay 

eBay can be a good place to hunt for used barefoot shoes from individual resellers, but Splay also has an outlet on eBay. The Splay Outlet is for factory seconds, which they describe as like new shoes, but with minor cosmetic defects. The shoes ship without a shoe box and there are no returns, refunds, or exchanges. Prices range from $30 to $45, and standard shipping is free. 

REI Outlet 

REI sells a few barefoot or minimalist shoe brands, so discounted options can pop up on REI Outlet from time to time. They carry brands like Altras and Xero Shoes. Used options are typically around 50% off.

Revivo – Vivobarefoot 

Vivobarefoot runs a platform for its own barefoot shoes called revivo.com. People can sell their used Vivobarefoot shoes back to the company where they’ll clean, repair, and prep them for resale. Shoes are usually priced according to condition. 

Re-Earth Runners

This site specifically sells returned or slightly imperfect Earth Runner sandals for about half the price. Most kid’s Earth Runners sandals run $28 – $31.

Other resale platforms 

Check out other popular resale apps for cheap barefoot shoes, like Poshmark and Mercari. The brands I see most often on these apps are Plae, Altra, Vivobarefoot, and Merrell’s Bare Steps.

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Large, seasonal barefoot shoe sales 

Black Friday/Cyber Monday 

One of the biggest sales throughout the year for many barefoot shoe brands is around Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This last year, brands like Splay Shoes, BeLenka, and Origo had great discounts on kid’s barefoot shoes. You can see my 2023 Black Friday Sales post to get an idea of the sales that took place. 

I did want to note that if you’re in the US and purchasing from some European brands, sometimes an offer of free shipping can be a better option than a 20% or 30% discount around the holidays. I noticed this when a brand offered free shipping earlier in November, and then later offered a percentage discount. However, the shipping was now around €30 due to increased holiday shipping prices. In this example, the free shipping option earlier in the month was a better deal than the discount offered later on. Just something to keep in mind. 

A few popular brands did not have Black Friday sales, which is worth noting so you don’t wait thinking they’ll go on sale. They are Vivobarefoot, Mukishoes and Wildling. 

Preseason/End of Season Sales

Some brands have preseason or end of season sales. Preseason typically has smaller discounts (like 5 to 10%) for new styles at the start of the season. End of season is typically end of summer or end of winter to clearance out sandals or boots. I share shoe sales here.

Looking for more barefoot shoes for kids?

If you didn’t find exactly what you’re looking for in this post, you may want to check out some of my other posts on barefoot shoes for kids–find them all here!

Still have questions?

Feel free to send me a message on Instagram @thebarefootshoeguide or go say hi on TikTok @barefootshoeguide.