The best barefoot sandals for kids have a wide, anatomically shaped toe box, a flat and flexible sole, and securely attach to the feet. This barefoot shoe guide covers barefoot hiking and adventure sandals, water shoes, and casual sandals for kids.
With summer around the corner, hopefully it means more barefoot time at the beach, by the lake, or hanging around the pool. But for all the in between times, this Barefoot Shoe Guide will help you find a great barefoot sandal for kids. This post is split out into three different categories:
II. Barefoot Hiking and Adventure Sandals
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Here’s what we looked for to find the best summer sandals:
1 Wide, foot-shaped Toe Box – Look for sandals that fit the natural shape of the foot. Most conventional shoes taper in the toe box, which squishes the toes together. Feet are widest at the toes, and shoes should reflect that.
2 Flat aka zero-drop — There shouldn’t be any heel-to-toe drop. A flat shoe allows a child to stand in a natural, neutral position.
3 Thin, Flexible Soles – Soles should provide protection, but still allow for a sensory connection to the ground beneath and easy movement.
4 Securely attach to the foot – A lot of kid’s sandals are notoriously floppy. A healthy kid’s sandal should have enough straps in the right place to attach securely to their foot so it doesn’t flop off and slide around. A loose shoe can lead to tripping, twisted ankles, or toe gripping (which can eventually lead to hammer toes). It helps if there are some kind of adjustable straps as feet vary in shape and volume.
Prevention is easier than remediation
One reason I’m passionate about starting off kids in barefoot shoes and sandals is that prevention is so much easier than remediation. When kids wear healthy, barefoot shoes that respect their foot anatomy and allow a natural walking gait, they are much less likely to have to deal with many of the foot and body issues associated with modern footwear. Bunions, hammer toes, ingrown toenails, gait issues and plantar fascia pain are too common and mostly preventable.
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!
Best Barefoot Sandals for Kids
Barefoot Casual Sandals for Kids
1 Ten Little Everyday Sandals
US Sizes Toddler 4 – 13 | Retail: $39 | Shop Ten Little
Ten Little makes affordable minimalist shoes and sandals for kids that have simple, classic styling. The Everyday sandal is a minimalist closed toe sandal with water-resistant, quick-dry uppers and velcro to secure around the ankle. They’re reasonably flexible, but stiffer than most of the other barefoot sandals on this list.
The Splash sandals are a great replacement for Crocs or Natives. They’re made from EVA foam, so they’re very lightweight and very flexible. They work well as a sandal for the pool or the splash pad.
Both shoes fit up to medium width and higher volume feet.
2 Feelgrounds Arcade Sandals
EU22 – EU37 | Retail: $74 | Shop Feelgrounds
The Feelgrounds Arcade sandals are a closed toe barefoot sandal made with cotton, tencel, microfiber and mesh. They’re a great everyday barefoot sandal for kids. They come in two fun color combinations, plus an all black option.
They’re easy to put on and secure quickly with velcro. They’ve been a great fit for a toddler with higher volume feet. My older son has lower volume feet and is still able to wear them as he can secure them tighter with the velcro straps.
3 Wildling Feather
Toddler US Size 3/EU18 | Retail: $59-$69 | Free Shipping codes: WN_KellyUS (US website) and WN_Kelly (International website)
For the most minimal shoes that are as close as you can get to being barefoot, check out Wildling shoes. The Feather is their sandal that comes in toddler through adult sizes. Like all Wildling shoes, these barefoot kid’s sandals feature a super flexible 2.5mm sole. The uppers are soft microfiber. These run small, so it may be best to first consult the Wildling size chart, and then size up from there.
4 Reima Rantaan Sandal
US Sizes Toddler 11/EU22 – Kids US6.5/EU40 | Retail: $40 | BAREFOOT20 for 20% off | Shop Reima
BAREFOOT20 for 20% off
Reima is a popular Finnish kidswear brand that recently entered the barefoot shoe market with a knit sneaker and a summer sandal. The Rantaan sandal has a breathable, polka dot mesh upper that dries quickly (so these can work well for water too). The sole is thin, flexible and zero drop. The toe box is foot-shaped, but these are a better fit for narrower feet.
See a full review of Reima’s barefoot kid’s shoes here. Use code BAREFOOT20 for 20% off kid’s clothes and barefoot shoes at Reima.
5 Merrell Toddler Bare Steps Sandals
Toddler Size 4 – 10 | Come in Medium and Wide Width | Retail: $45 | Shop Merrell Bare Steps
The Merrell Bare Steps Sandals are another affordable minimalist sandal for kids. They’re a cute, two strap sandal with adjustable velcro straps (though they have buckles on top to give them a little more style). The soles are similar to the Merrell water shoes listed above, where the front part has good flex, but the heel portion is stiffer.
6 Magical Shoes Leather Sandals
EU23-29 | Come in Medium and Wide Width | Retail: $43 – 56 | Shop Magical Shoes
Magical Shoes makes a few styles of casual barefoot sandals for kids with soft leather uppers. A few of the smallest sizes come with leather soles, but most have a thin and super flexible rubber sole. I’ve loved the Magical Shoes kid’s shoes, especially as they are perfect for thicker and wider baby feet. The ones pictured above are the Moxy Sandals, but they also have some sandals with more cut outs for less coverage and more of a sandal style and feel.
7 Softstar Laguna Sandals
EU23-29 | Come in Medium and Wide Width | Retail: $70 | Shop Softstar
Softstar handmakes leather barefoot sandals in their Oregon workshop. Softstar is a great brand for toddlers and kids with wide and extra wide feet as they offer a wide option. The soles of the Laguna Sandals are 6mm vibram soles. You can also customize your colors.
Barefoot Outdoor and Hiking Sandals
8 Earth Runners Kid’s Sandals
Start at Child Size 12 | Retail: $53 | Code KELLY10 for 10% off | Shop Earth Runners
The huarache is a popular style for barefoot hiking sandals. Earth Runners is one of the most popular barefoot sandal brands making huaraches, and they make them starting in children’s size 12. This style is so popular as a barefoot sandal because it has an in-between-the-toe-strap that doesn’t put any force on pushing the toe inwards. But, they still attached securely to the foot (unlike flip flops).
Earth Runners use 8 or 9mm Vibram soles and offer the option of adding a hemp footbed. I like this feature, but if your child is more sensitive to texture on their feet, then you may want to opt for the 8mm sole without the hemp footbed.
Earth Runners are grounding sandals. They have a copper plug on the bottom to serve as a connection to the earth, but they’re great sandals whether you’re interested in grounding or not.
9 Freet Zennor Sandals
Start at Kid’s US11.5/EU30 | Retail: $65 | Code kelly-10 for 10% off | Shop Freet
Before I learned about barefoot shoes, I used to think the KEEN Newport sandals were the ultimate kid’s adventure sandals. They’re rugged with a protective toe bumper, they never slipped off, and I felt like they were good for just about any situation with water or warm weather. But the soles are incredibly thick and stiff. I want sandals there to protect my kid’s feet when they need them, but not at the expense of natural movement.
The Freet Zennor sandals have all of the things I look for in a rugged adventure sandal, and they have a flat and flexible sole. The sole comes up over the toe for a tough bumper. I also like that the tops can be tightened with an elastic pull, and there is a velcro strap around the back to adjust around the ankle.
For more barefoot water sandals that are similar to KEEN sandals, check out this post.
10 Shamma Sandals Kid’s Sandals
Starts at size Kid’s US 1 | Retail: $60 | Code BAREFOOTSHOEGUIDE for 10% off your purchase | Shop Shamma Sandals
Shamma Sandals handmakes barefoot running sandals for kids and adults using vibram soles. They offer a few different sole options, and several of them come in kid’s sizes. The Cruzers are simple but durable sandals that will take your kid through plenty of summer adventures. The straps on Shamma’s sandals have two different spots to adjust to get a good fit.
11 Luna Sandals Lunacitos
Start at Kids Size 12 | Retail: $60 | Shop Luna Sandals
Luna Sandals is another popular brand for huarache style adventure and running sandals. The kid’s version, the Lunacito, comes with an extra tech strap over the top to make it a little easier to adjust and get a secure fit (seen in blue here).
These minimalist kids sandals are made with Vibram moreflex soles that are meant to hold up to a lot of hiking, climbing and outdoor adventures. They’re a little bit thicker than some barefoot sandals, but still have decent flex.
12 Unshoes Children’s Keota
Starts at Toddler US 5/EU21 | Retail: $45 | Code nomanbefore10 for 10% off your purchase | Shop Unshoes
The Unshoes Keota start at US toddler size 5, so these are a great option if you’re looking for toddler barefoot sandals. The Keota have a thin and flexible 8 mm sole. They’re a little different than the huarache sandals as the toe strap is elastic and goes out into a V, a little more like a flip flip (but don’t worry, the extra straps mean they fit securely). The sole has a very slight upward pull at the toe to help prevent it catching.
Barefoot Water Shoes for Kids
13 Saguaro Water Shoes
Size US Toddler 7.5 to Adult | Retail: $35 | Code KELLY15 for 15% off on Saguaro Shoes | Also available on Amazon
KELLY15 for 15% off
Saguaro Shoes makes barefoot water shoes with stretchy mesh uppers and grippy soles. They’re affordable and durable. The toe box is wide, and the sole is flat and flexible. They come with an insole that may have a small heel lift, so you can remove it for a completely flat sole with more ground feel, or leave it in for kids with lower volume feet. These shoes are available on the Saguaro Shoes website and on Amazon.
Some of the Saguaro water shoes dry faster than others–the thicker knit tend to take longer to dry.
14 Merrell Bare Steps H20 Sneaker
Toddler Size 4 – 10 | Come in Medium and Wide Width | Retail: $40 | Shop Merrell Bare Steps
The Merrell Bare Steps H20 Sneakers are a great option for minimalist water shoes for toddlers. They have full coverage over the toes and dry pretty quickly. Most of the sole is pretty flexible, but the heel area can be more stiff.
The Bare Steps line come in regular and wide width; I recommend opting for the wide width unless you have a toddler with a narrow foot.
I like that these are easy to put on, and a toddler can take them off by themselves.
These are usually $35-$40, but we’ve been able to snag them on sale for $20.
15 Vivobarefoot Ultra Bloom summer shoes
Toddler US Size 9 – Kid’s US6 | Retail: $68-80 | Code KELLY10 for 10% off | Code KELLY20 for 20% off in May 2024 | Shop Vivobarefoot
Code KELLY20 for 20% off in May 2024
These remind me a lot of crocs, but a healthier, barefoot version. While Crocs are bulky, thick and let the foot slide around, the Vivobarefoot Ultra Bloom summer shoes are thin, flexible and securely attach to the foot. The uppers are made from a special Bloom foam (it’s partially made with algae, how cool is that!) that is really lightweight and dries quickly.
Other Great Barefoot Sandals for Kids
Xero Shoes Z-Trail Sandals
Start at Kids Size 12 | Retail: $59.99 | Shop Xero Shoes
We’ve loved these outdoor barefoot sandals, but they are not currently available in kids sizes from Xero Shoes.
Xero Shoes dubs its Z-Trail sandals as the “ultimate trail-friendly” sandal. When I was looking for minimalist hiking sandals to replace much stiffer and thicker styles that both me and my son were using, this is the first option we tried. Years later, and I still think they’re one of the best barefoot sandals, especially for kids.
This barefoot sandal has a few features that make it a great adventure and hiking sandal for kids. The sole has some smaller lugs for more grip, and it’s zero-drop and flexible. At 10mm, it has enough substance to protect from rocky trails. The heel cup keeps little rocks from sliding underneath the foot.
The velcro straps on the Z-Trail are thick but soft and easy to adjust. The sandals easy to put on and take off, but stay securely put. Mine are still holdling up after several years. My son is on his second pair, but only after growing out of the first pair. And that first pair still has a lot of life left.
Have a pair of barefoot sandals for kids that you love? Share in the comments below!
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