10 Best Walking Shoes for Baby's First Steps and Beyond

Our team at the Good Housekeeping Institute reviews baby and toddler gear of all kinds. We've tested dozens of baby walking shoes over the past six years to bring you our favorites, and we base our recommendations on extensive research of the market, assessing brands and materials, reviewing styles in real life, speaking with registered doctors and considering the following factors:

✔️Fit: We make sure that each pick is wide enough for baby's feet and won't cause any discomfort or rubbing. We try these styles on real kid's feet to make sure there's ample room and no constriction.

✔️Traction: We look at slip resistance to avoid unnecessary falls for first walkers. For instance, with rubber soles, we check that there are deep treads for traction.

✔️Materials: We've considered whether leather, rubber, synthetic materials or other fabrics and elements are best for tiny feet. Dr. Parthasarathy recommends natural materials like leathers and suedes.

✔️Versatility: Since babies outgrow shoes so fast, we feel it’s good to have ones they can wear every day instead of just on special occasions.

Yes; once your baby is moving around on their own, you should consider buying a good pair of walking shoes to help aid their first steps. Babies don't need any shoes while inside, and in fact it's good for them to walk around barefoot indoors to help "gain strength and practice grasping with their toes," says Dr. Parthasarathy. But they will need shoes if they're going for walks outside to protect their tiny feet from debris and rocky terrain. "When they're outside babies should be using shoes for extra protection, especially on rough surfaces," she says.

"When you’re younger you’re still trying to build your musculature, your strength, learn how to walk and grip your toes," says Dr. Parthasarathy, "so you don’t want [baby shoes] to be too restrictive." For babies, you don't have to worry about arch, ankle support and strength as much, since the primary goal of baby shoes is simply protection against the ground. Since baby feet are still flexible and growing, you want their walking experience to be as "similar to natural, bare foot walking" as possible, and that means flexible, breathable shoes.

"As kids grow older, their shoes grow stiffer, so at that point I tell kids that your shoes should not fold in half and should have a good supportive heel that doesn't collapse," she explains. But, for first walking shoes, the main function is protection; support will come later.

✔️Materials: Dr. Parthasarathy recommends sticking to more natural materials like leathers and suedes since they are naturally very flexible and breathable.

✔️Fit: We know that squeezing a doughy baby foot into a shoe can be difficult, but it's important to make sure your baby's first walking shoes are wide enough so that they don't cause any rubbing or blisters. All first walking shoes should be closed-toed, and Dr. Parthasarathy also recommends shoes with velcro straps to keep those tiny sneakers in place.

✔️Ease of use: Babies love pulling their shoes off and wiggling their little feet around to make it as difficult as possible to strap them in. The mouth should open wide enough so you don't have to struggle to put them on.

✔️Extra features: Luckily, Dr. Parthasarathy says that baby shoes don't need any special features to make them good for your little ones. Special arches and other things are not necessary for the first walker age group.

✔️Feel: Lightweight and flexible shoes are best for new walkers says Dr. Parthasarathy, and a nonslip sole will help keep baby from taking any unnecessary tumbles.

It's important to make sure your baby's first walking shoes fit properly, which can be difficult when they seem to grow out of them in the blink of an eye. In general, Dr. Parthasarathy notes that "babies' feet are usually wide and chubby, so you want to go with a wider fit," but to make sure everything is fitting properly, she recommends doing the following:

• Pinch the front of the shoe, you'll want to feel some extra room at the end, especially when baby is standing.
• Touch their feet through the fabric, you should be able to easily feel their toes through the shoe to ensure that it is flexible, soft and lightweight.
• Lift their heel out of the shoe itself to make sure it's snug at the back and there isn't any extra gapping.
• Check their feet once you take their shoes off. "You'll want to make sure there are no rub marks, blisters or anything like that, especially on the outsides of both feet because that's where it would show if the shoe was too narrow."
  

For decades, the Good Housekeeping Institute has been providing expert reviews and advice on everything a new parent needs, including baby walking shoes. Lexie Sachs is the Executive Director of the Textiles, Paper and Apparel lab. For more than 15 years, Lexie has used her degree in fiber science to research, test and write about fabric-based products. Plus, as a mom, she's personally tested some of the products GH recommends in this article.

In her role as Parenting & Pets Reviews Analyst, Jamie Spain brings years of journalism experience to the Institute, having reviewed products for Good Housekeeping, as well as BuzzFeed, while also previously working in the parenting and pets sphere at People.