barefoot shoes
We stopped buying shoes that aren't barefoot.
And I mean, like, 8 years ago we stopped. Primarily because we discovered the health benefits of barefoots and the detriments of wearing anything else - but also because once you start wearing barefoot shoes- your feet won't fit into anything else. And that's telling, isn't it? Feet are meant to be wide, to be able to spread. Not squished into an unnatural shape.
I remember at some point in elementary school being shown these images of Chinese women's feet, wrapped up super tightly in fabric to force their feet to be smaller and fit into tiny, pointy shoes. We were all aghast at how barbaric and sad that seemed - but we were hardly aware that most Americans are doing a similar version of this to themselves. Narrow shows with ovular or triangular ends are literally deforming our feet. And that has upward repercussions.
When our feet aren't allows to stand normally, distribute our weight normally - the result is an unnatural posture. Our knees become misaligned, our hips, our spine, our neck. It's all connected. Our feet are literally the foundation of our bodies, and therefore the foundation of our structural, skeletal, muscular health. It's no wonder so many Americans have back and neck issues!
Nick was actually the first one to learn all of this - when I met him he wore those Vibram sock shoes and I thought it was so weird! But I quickly learned the "why" and we never put our kids in "normal" shoes. I transitioned to barefoot shoes for running/walking and over a period of 2 weeks, my lower back was super sore. After that transition period, chronic neck pain I had dealt with for YEARS was gone. It was incredible, and I became a believer. I recommend barefoot shoes to anyone who will listen - it's one of the biggest wellness investments you can ever make. And I will support brands like crazy who are making high-quality, healthy shoes for people, because I truly believe in their mission to fix an industry that has been HURTING people for profit.
That being said, not all barefoot brands are created equal. There are brands claiming to be barefoot but aren't. For example. the brand TenLittle has paid a lot of money to get SEO and Google searches to show their kids shoes when you look up "barefoot kids shoes" but their shoes aren't barefoot at all. Not even close. See Kai Run, Stride Rite, and Merrell are other examples of brands who show up when you look for barefoot kids shoes but they're NOT barefoot. They're trying to take people's money without actually making a product that helps children grow up with biologically normal feet. It's maddening.
I'm going to share the 3 brands we trust (yes, there's only 2) and will continue to buy for our family.
Vivobarefoot
Vivo is our go-to for adult's barefoot shoes. Nick has daily wear sneakers from them, boots, and winter boots. They're TOUGH, last a long time, and offer the best waterproof/water resistant options of any brand. They have minimal soles that allow your feet to pronate correctly, and a wide toe box for your toes to splay. I own their women's hiking shoes and their winter boots and LOVE them! For kids - it depeneds on the style. Hudson wears and love Vivos primarily - and has their utility boots and hiking shoes. They're his favorite and what he grabs daily. Your younger kids have had trouble with Vivos velcro coming undone, because their feet are not just wide, they're TALL. So their feet kind of bust out of the shoes, if that makes sense. Hudson doesn't have this issue, just the littles. So we stopped buying Vivo for them, with the exception of styles that don't use velcro, like the Pluma Knits. Those are just slip on boots and both Gus and Thom wore them for years and years - we just kept re-buying the style. And those will be Milo's first shoes, too!
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Wildling Shoes
We don't have a velcro issue with them at all - so the littles wear Wildlings the most. They have SO many more styles and fun colors to choose from, which we love. And they are a B-corp, have a super sustainable manufacturing process, some of their shoes are even made with WOOL which we love! They're always coming out with new styles, and they're super comfy and flexible. For me, I love their slip-on bootie options because they feel just like slippers and they're super comfy (and stylish) They also make rain boots, which Vivo doesn't. So we all own their Ranidae Barefoot Rain Boots - which are the only true barefoot rain boots on the market. The colors they offer are great, too!
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