Why Barefoot Shoes?

You have likely heard a lot of chatter about barefoot shoes in recent years, but why? What are barefoot shoes? At Inch Blue, we love your baby's feet, so we’ve been making barefoot shoes for over 20 years now. Read on to discover the incredible benefits these shoes can have for your little one’s tiny toes.

The benefits of barefoot walking

Research has shown that babies learn to walk barefoot. They are born with natural instincts and will inherently know what to do before they even try. Babies learn through their five senses: sight, smell, sound, taste, and touch, which work together to let the brain know what is going on around them. 

Feet have sensory receptors called proprioceptors on their soles, which send the brain information about what they can feel. The brain processes the feedback, which helps teach posture and balance when learning to walk.

If a baby can't feel the ground they are touching, it will hinder gross motor skill development and coordination.

What are barefoot shoes?

Barefoot shoes are anatomically shaped shoes designed to mimic the benefits of barefoot walking. Whereas traditional shoes tend to have a tapered toe box, barefoot shoes allow ample room for healthy toe splay. They also feature thin and fully flexible soles that can move with you while you walk.

Are barefoot shoes good for you?

Put simply, yes! Barefoot shoes are very good for your foot health, and this is even more important for young, developing feet.

When your baby is born, the bones in their feet still have yet to develop. Instead, their scrumptiously squidgy feet are formed with soft cartilage. In this stage, feet need to be able to move and wriggle freely without restriction to support healthy, natural development.

Toddlers keep their heads up more when they are walking barefoot, and the sensory feedback they get from wearing barefoot shoes means there is less need to look down, which puts them off balance and causes them to fall down. Walking barefoot develops the muscles and ligaments of the foot, increases the strength of the foot's arch, improves proprioception (our awareness of where we are in relation to the space around us), and contributes to good posture.

Foot shaped shoes

As babies’ little feet grow, they mould into the shape of the shoe they are wearing. Feet encased in rigid and narrow shoes can't move freely, inhibiting bone development and natural growth. For this reason, shoes must be anatomically foot-shaped to be considered ‘barefoot’, such as our Inch Blue shoes that allow your little one’s precious toes to move without restrictions!

Thin and flexible soles

Another necessary feature of barefoot shoes is thin and fully flexible soles. In traditionally thick-soled shoes, your baby can't feel the ground underneath them, which is essential for their posture and balance. Being able to feel the ground beneath our feet greatly increases sensory feedback, which helps to turn little wobblers into confident walkers.

Inch Blue shoes are available with either soft suede or rubber soles, providing your infant with a thin and comfortable layer of protection from the ground but still allowing for essential ground feel.

So, why barefoot shoes?

If you think about it, would you put your baby's precious feet in concrete and leave it to set? Of course not ....and I know even suggesting it seems ridiculously extreme ...but many parents make the mistake of putting trendy shoes on their baby for fashion's sake without realising that they are potentially causing damage.

Inch Blue pre-walker shoes, toddler shoes, and kid’s shoes are healthy and playful alternatives to traditionally restrictive footwear that supports their developing feet.