When I saw the price of these on Amazon ($29.95!) and that they come in wide width, I had to try them for Alesi. Though she doesn’t have very wide feet, I got the wide width version to make sure she had enough wiggle room in her toes. They’re advertised as having a “0mm drop for barefoot feel.” Here’s what I think so far.
Alesi was so excited to get her first pair of shoes with laces! They’re nice and wide giving her toes plenty of room to splay and wiggle. As advertised, they are zero drop. But I would never call these “barefoot” shoes. The sole is very thick so there is no ground feel at all. True barefoot shoes allow your feet to feel the ground through the soles of your shows.
Flexibility
As you can see, I can bend the sole in half. So it is flexible. But I can’t actually roll it up into a ball. It really only flexes from the middle up to the toes. The heel is very stiff.
My Thoughts
I quickly decided that I was way too ambitious in thinking that I could teach my 4 year old how to tie her shoes. I don’t even know where to start! So I ended up tying and retying them for her all day. Every time she came to me to retie them, I noticed the tongue had slipped down. She didn’t complain about it, but I imagine they get uncomfortable like that. I’m not sure why they’re doing that.
Overall, I’m a bit disappointed. If the sole was thinner, they would be the perfect gym shoe and first shoe with laces for my preschooler. But I’m keeping them because Alesi is so exited about them that it would break her heart if I returned them.
Barefoot Kids 