Ten Little (comfortable vegan shoes for children)

Ten Little makes healthy shoes for little feet, all made from vegan, organic and recycled materials (outsoles may contain latex). The three-dimensional design adjusts to various foot lengths and widths, and they are recognised by American Podiatric Medical Association for promoting foot health.

There’s a size guide online. You can also donate out-grown shoes to help families on low incomes.

The shoes are easy to wipe clean, just use a soft cloth damped with water. For baby booties, machine-wash in cold water and tumble dry on low. Wash socks (due to part synthetic materials) in a microfiber filter.

The baby booties are made from organic cotton, with double-snap straps and soft elastic ankle. The grippy outsole and cushiony footbed padding on sizes 6M+ adds extra protection and suport, each pair is sold in a canvas bags.

Remove booties, socks, hats, gloves etc when babies are in warmer temperatures (including car seats). For more information on how to avoid babies overheat to help prevent SIDS, visit The Lullaby Trust.

There are many other lovely styles, from sneakers to boots! And even nontoxic splash sandals with non-skid high traction soles with textured footbeds, to prevent slipping on wet surfaces.

Why choose vegan shoes for children?

You would think that considering the vegan footwear industry for adults has taken off, that for children it would follow closely behind. In fact, there are few vegan brands of shoes for children.

Firstly, let your children go barefoot where safe to do so (unless diabetic) to make sure their feet get air and room to grow. And take them to a shoe shop to get their feet measured, to avoid the hassle of returns, when shopping online.

Most leather is not a by-product of the meat industry (which for some parents is an issue in itself). Most brands source leather from the Far East, where there are few animal welfare laws (and often not many for humans in factories either – the tanning industry is also very polluting and carcinogenic – can cause cancer).

Quality vegan shoes are usually made from Microfiber, which is easy to clean with a damp cloth.