In all of my recent shoe research, I came across Splay Athletics. These minimalist, barefoot shoes are just perfect for kids feet. Their affordable price is like music to a parents ears and the fit allows kiddos to move, run, jump, and skip freely.
Splay shoes are a great addition to our shoe collection. The affordable price of these are attractive and many of the colors are neutral so the shoes can be worn and worn again, even with different genders.
My kids feet are not hindered in any way when wearing these shoes, which is so important for little, growing feet. They are super flat and have no arch. This feature allows feet to build strong muscles in order to walk properly.
I love these shoes for our kids because of the flexibility of them. They move so easily and mimic the foot shape and movement of my kids. Whatever foot movement my kids do, the shoe moves right along with them. I just love this design because I really believe this is how shoes are supposed to be.
Splay Athletic shoes are super lightweight. That is the first feature that stood out to me; I really couldn’t believe it. This is great because they aren’t ‘clunky’. So often I feel that kids shoes are big and bulky and the weight of many of them just seem overpowering on a little foot. These shoes are quite the opposite of that.
The Splay shoes are completely machine washable, so if your kids are like mine and get dirty often, this is music to your ears. I haven’t had the need to wash the shoes yet, but I have seen before and after photos of other kids Splay shoes and it’s pretty incredible how clean they get. This is for sure a perk of these shoes.
There is just one thick, Velcro strap on the top of the shoe that allows for easy off and on access. My three year old who has trouble with many other shoes can put these on with no problems!
On the toe and heel of the shoe there is a microfiber strip. This really creates a barrier and offers lots of protection. These parts of a children’s shoe are often the first to go, so the reinforced strip is great.
I have noticed that these shoes are great for kids with low volume feet and not so great for kids with high volume feet. My three year old has very high volume feet.
This means that from the top of his foot to the bottom of his foot it’s tall. In comparison, someone who has a low volume foot will have a short measurement from the top of the foot to the bottom of the foot. High volume feet would need shoe laces to be loosened much more than low volume feet, whose shoe laces would need tightened so the foot is secure.
Because of the high volume of his feet, these shoes do not fit his foot super well. They really bend upwards because of his foot shape. This causes an issue because the Velcro strap doesn’t close and secure very much. If I help him get a good closure, they work, but if he does it on his own the shoes often times fall off.
Something to keep in mind.
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A downside that we are experiencing with these Splay shoes is the fraying of the tongue of the shoe. I have noticed that on either side of the tongue there is quite a bit of fraying occurring. This is happening on the outside of the stitching, so I hoping that the fraying will not go beyond that.
These are such great shoes and I’m thrilled for my boys to have them to wear this spring and summer. I love the versatility of them. They can be worn with or without socks which is great, and I really feel like they can be dressed up or down.
The price tag on these shoes is very affordable and in the price range of most other children’s shoes. I do think that for the price, these Splay Athletics shoes are well worth it.
Splay is offering free shipping right now, so hurry up and grab a pair for your kiddos!
