Splay Athletics Explore Shoes Review: Affordable Barefoot Sneakers for Kids

Splay Athletics has focused on making one general shoe style, and making it really well–-the Splay Explore. Splay has been one of our favorites for kids, especially due to their affordability. Use code KELLY10 for 10% off you purchase of a pair of Splay Athletics shoes.

 Over the last several years, we’ve reviewed a lot of barefoot shoes, both for kids and adults. My son started wearing the Splay Explore about 5 years ago, and they remained one of his everyday favorites for several years. These minimalist shoes are versatile, affordable, hold up even with a lot of use, and are super easy for kids to slip on all by themselves.

Splay has since developed several styles and expanded into adult sizes.

The Splay Explore

Splay Athletics makes its flagship barefoot shoe–the Explore– in a wide range of colors and patterns. There are several neutral color pairs, like grey and black, but they also come in pink, purple and blue. This review covers everything about the Splay Explore from price point to materials to fit.

Fit and Sizing

The Splay Explore shoes start with toddler sizing and go all the way up to adult, so your kid could stick with this shoe all the way through their school years if they wanted to. Splay originally only had kid’s shoes, but added adult sizes a few years back. That means you can have some cute twinning moments with your kid if you want. 🙂

Not all feet are the same, so it’s important to get a shoe that fits your foot (or in this case, your child’s foot). These Splay shoes are very versatile, but tend to fit kid’s with narrower, lower volume feet best. These were a great fit for my older child, and he comfortably wore them for several years.

Now that my younger son is out of the smallest toddler sizes, I was able to pass on that first pair of Splay Explore shoes my son wore. He has a much higher volume foot, so they aren’t as good of a fit for him. Kid’s with higher volume feet may find a better fit by sizing up, or by going with a barefoot shoe brand that accommodates them better.

I did notice that these shoes are a bit on the narrow and shallow end overall (even with a wide toe box). If you or your child has wide or high volume feet you may want to size up. Kid’s with high volume feet may have issues with the velcro strap not being long enough to stay securely fastened.

My son’s feet are average width and volume and Splay shoes fit him perfectly. Splay has a sizing guide on its website to help you get the right fit and size. Splay shoes tend to run small, so I recommend sizing up if you are between sizes.

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7 Reasons Splay Shoes are Amazing Barefoot Shoes for Kids

1 Affordable

Just to start off, Splay shoes are one of the most affordable barefoot shoes for kids out there. While I can think of a well-made pair of shoes for me as an investment, it’s hard to think the same way when I know a child will grow out of a pair of shoes within a few months. If a shoe is the most amazing kids’ barefoot shoe out there, but it’s two times my budget, then it’s going to be pretty hard to justify the purchase.

Splay shoes are $44 for toddler sizes, and $48 for children’s sizes. And with our Splay Athletics coupon code KELLY10, you get an additional 10% off.

2 Durable

It can be hard to find the right balance between flexibility and durability for a barefoot sole, and I think Splay Athletics got it just right.

After reading how affordable these shoes are, you may have a few questions about durability. Don’t worry though, the Splay Athletics shoes have held up just as well or even better to other barefoot shoes my son has worn, and even with more use. He’s currently on his third pair after outgrowing his first one, and we haven’t had any issues with the sole or uppers wearing through. He wears hiking, biking and playing at the park.

Splay launched on kickstarter a few years ago with a different model using different materials. It looks like they learned a lot from that initial run and implemented a lot of key changes that help these barefoot shoes to handle a lot of daily outdoor use.  

The rubber sole comes up around the edge and the toes are reinforced with microfiber, both which help with durability and don’t compromise on comfort or flexibility.

The one caveat I will say about durability with these shoes is that they don’t do well if they’re fully submerged in water. The soles are attached with a non toxic glue and do not have separate stitching, so the soles can detach if you try soaking them to wash them. Most people that have had this issue have received a replacement from Splay, so they do stand by their product if there is an issue like this. But generally it seems that these do best if you keep them from getting super wet.

In 2024, they changed their manufacturer to further improve the durability and address any of the previous issues.

3 Thin, Flexible Soles

If you’re in search of the perfect barefoot shoes for kids, the Splay Athletics shoes excel at all the barefoot basics starting with thin, flexible soles.

The soles are a few millimeters thick and made out of vulcanized rubber. They are thick enough to provide protection and comfort, but allow for a greater sensory connection to the earth. You can test out the flexibility by easily balling the shoes up or twisting them around (something you definitely can’t do with a typical shoe!). These shoes also have good grip!

4 Wide Toe Box  

Another feature of a barefoot or minimalist shoe is a wide toe box. Barefoot shoes give your toes the room to properly splay, hence the name of this barefoot brand. When you compare the toe box of Splay shoes to a traditional kid’s athletic shoes, you can see how much better they fit the natural shape of the foot and give your kid’s toes plenty of room to wiggle.  

5 Zero-drop Platform

The Splay shoes have a zero-drop platform, which means the rubber sole is completely flat, as is the inner lining. The heel is not raised and there is no arch support, creating a completing flat surface.

6 Easy to put on and wear

The Splay shoes have a large Velcro strap, which is especially great if you’re looking for barefoot shoes for toddlers that can’t yet tie their own shoes. They’re easy for kids to put on by themselves.

My son most often wears these shoes without socks and finds them super comfortable.  

7 Vegan Materials

The Splay Explore has a clean, simple design made of cotton canvas and microfiber, and feels so well made. The canvas is durable, and the microfiber reinforces the toe and the heel. 

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More styles and materials now available

Splay has been busy launching new styles, so now there’s more options beyond the Original Explore. Check out these new styles from Splay:

Splay Freestyle

This is a lace up version of Splay’s popular canvas shoes. They come in sizes for both kids and adults.

Splay Freestyle Slip-ons

For those that don’t like laces or velcro, Splay has the Freestyle Slip-ons. These fit those with lower volume feet best (similar to the other Splay shoes).

Splay Freestyle in Leather

The newest option at Splay Athletics is the Freestyle in leather. They come in black, white and brown leather with gum soles. Currently sizing starts at adult US M5/W7. These retail for $109, so they’re $36 more than the Freestyle in canvas uppers for the adult sizes. The new leather version is currently 15% off with code FREE15 during the initial launch of the shoe (March 2023).

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