Barefoot dress shoes for kids allow the little ones in your life to stay comfortable and aligned even at church, weddings, or other fancy occasions. In this article you will find dressy flats, boots, and lace-up shoes for both little and big kids that respect the natural anatomy of the foot and let them move freely.
Why Barefoot Shoes For Kids?
Barefoot shoes for kids allow developing feet to spread out and move naturally. Research continues to show us that poor footwear causes gait changes, alignment changes, and foot deformities, so choosing good shoes for kids is especially important to prevent future problems. To learn more about how shoes affect the body, read this article on the Benefits of Barefoot Shoes!
And if you’d like to see more kids barefoot shoe options for everyday, winter, and summer, check out all my kids barefoot shoe reviews here. Now let’s move on to the kids barefoot dress shoe options!
Baby/Toddler Barefoot Dress Shoes
Want to dress your kiddo up without having them complain constantly about being uncomfortable? Barefoot dress shoes for kids is the answer! They look fancy, but feel comfortable for little feetsies. The following options come in baby and toddler sizes and will keep your little diva feeling sassy in all ways.
Flats and Mary Janes
Butterfly Your World (US) – Sizes US 3C-4Y. Handmade in the USA by a single maker, this shop has lots of colorful options!
Code ANYA10 for 10% off
Camper (US) – Sizes US 9T-6Y. The “Right” line from Camper includes ballerina style flats in several colors of leather and some metallics as well.
Froddo Mary Janes – Sizes EU 23-39
US residents can find Froddo at PedTerra and use code ANYASREVIEWS for 10% off first order. They can also be found at European retailer Mugavik Barefoot. Use code ANYASREVIEWS for 5% off.
Jack and Lily (CA) – Sizes US 6/12mo – 30/36mo
Little Love Bug Company (US) – Sizes US 2-12. Several adorable flat styles in pretty colors! Use code ANYASREVIEWS for 10% off. Read our Little Love Bug review here!
Pediped Originals (US) – Sizes EU 18-22
Robeez (US) – Sizes US 0/6mo – 18/24mo
Softstar Shoes Child Merry Jane (US) – Sizes US 6C-12C. Handmade in Oregon, these classic shoes are offered in different colors seasonally with the ability to customize your colors! They also come in narrow, regular, and wide widths.
Starry Knight Design (US) – Sizes US 00-10.
Ten Little Mary Janes (US) – Sizes US 4-13. Available in faux leather or canvas.
ZlaTush Ballerinas (EU) – Sizes EU 25-35
Oxfords & Derby Shoes
Amy & Ivor Travellers (UK) – Sizes UK 1-9
Jack and Lily (CA) – Sizes US 6/12mo – 30/36mo
Little Love Bug Company Oxfords (US) – Sizes US 2-12. Use code ANYASREVIEWS for 10% off. Read our Little Love Bug review here!
Robeez Oxfords (US) – Sizes US 0/6mo – 18/24mo
Starry Knight Design Lace Up Booties (US) – Sizes US 1-6. Handmade in Montana, USA and available in many neutral colors.
Dress Boots
Amy & Ivor High Tops (UK) – Sizes UK 2-9
Bundgaard Chase (EU) – Sizes EU 28-42. The Chase model is wool lined, water resistant, and classically styled.
US customers can find Bundgaard at Pedterra and use code ANYASREVIEWS for 10% off your first order.
Bundgaard Selma (EU) – Sizes EU 28-37. These stylish taller boots are leather, wool lined, and have a water resistant membrane!
Bundgaard can be found at retailer Mugavik Barefoot that ships worldwide. Use code ANYASREVIEWS for 5% off
Jack and Lily Boots (CA) – Sizes US 6/12mo – 30/36mo
Little Love Bug Company Boots (US) – Sizes US 2-12. Darling chelsea boots and riding boots in several colors – available seasonally. Code ANYASREVIEWS for 10% off. Read our Little Love Bug review here!
Pediped Originals (US) – Sizes EU 18-22
Ruth Emily Davey (UK) – Custom and Standard sizes starting at UK 4.
Vivobarefoot Gobi Boots – Available seasonally in a few colors. Use code ANYA25 for 25% off for 10% off
Big Kid Barefoot Dress Shoes
The following barefoot dress shoes all come in big kids sizes. If your kiddo can fit into adult sizes, check out my adult barefoot dress shoe options for more.
Flats and Mary Janes
Butterfly Your World (US) – Sizes US 3C-4Y. Handmade in the USA by a single maker, this shop has lots of colorful options!
Camper (US) – Sizes US 9T-6Y. The “Right” line from Camper includes ballerina style flats in several colors of leather and some metallics as well.
Froddo Mary Janes – Sizes EU 23-39
You can find Froddo at EU retailer Mugavik Barefoot and use code ANYASREVIEWS for 5% off.
US residents can find Froddo at PedTerra and use code ANYASREVIEWS for 10% off first order.
Softstar Shoes Youth Merry Jane (US) – Sizes US 1Y-4Y. Handmade in Oregon, these classic shoes are offered in different colors seasonally with the ability to customize your colors! They also come in narrow, regular, and wide widths.
Vivobarefoot Wyn – Sizes US 2-7Y. Use code ANYA25 for 25% off for 10% off
ZlaTush Ballerinas (EU) – Sizes EU 25-35
Oxfords & Derby Shoes
Freet Citee (UK) – Sizes EU 30-36. One of the only vegan dress shoe options for kids! Use code AnyaFreet10 for 10% off.
Saguaro – Sizes EU 36-46. Affordable non-leather option. Use code ANYASREVIEWS for 15% off
ZeaZoo (EU) – Sizes EU 29-36. Classic leather lace ups available in many colors, with a velcro closure option! Use code ANYASREVIEWS for 5% off
Dress Boots
Bundgaard Chase (EU) – Sizes EU 28-42. The Chase model is wool lined, water resistant, and classically styled. US customers can find Bundgaard at Pedterra and use code ANYASREVIEWS for 10% off your first order.
Bundgaard Selma (EU) – Sizes EU 28-37. These stylish taller boots are leather, wool lined, and have a water resistant membrane!
Bundgaard can be found at retailer Mugavik Barefoot that ships worldwide. Use code ANYASREVIEWS for 5% off
Froddo Ankle Boots (EU) – Sizes EU 23-40
US residents can find Froddo at PedTerra and use code ANYASREVIEWS for 10% off first order.
Ruth Emily Davey (UK) – Custom and Standard sizes starting at UK 4.
Vivobarefoot Gobi & Addis – Available seasonally in a few colors. Use code ANYA25 for 25% off for 10% off
Cramped toes when dressing up is not a rite of passage. There’s no need for kids (or adults for that matter) to torture their feet to look nice. Barefoot dress shoes for kids give littles the opportunity for self expression without damage. Win-Win all around!
18 thoughts on “20 Barefoot Dress Shoes for Kids to Wear to Fancy Occasions”
Anya, do your kids play sports that normally require cleats? Like baseball? If so, what do you do?? If not, do you have any suggestions on someone I could look to for input on this?
My boys play baseball and have just worn normal shoes or the Vivobarefoot Primus Trail. Unfortunately there isn’t anything out there right now, it’s a semi-regular topic of discussion in my Facebook group. You can join the group to keep tabs and check in to see if any new options have been released!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/677722582951840
Thank you!! My Facebook is locked for some crazy reason but I will join and stop asking you so many questions directly haha! Thank you sooo much for your help
The Vivobarefoot trail has been excellent!!! Just wanted to say thanks!!
I play soccer and softball. My soccer and baseball cleats are super tight and I eventually switched to INOV-8 X-Talon 225s. They have a 4mm drop, pretty thin sole, and hefty 8mm lugs which are a very good spiky shape. Roomier than conventional shoes and definitely more comfortable than soccer cleats, but not as wide as most minimal shoes. You don’t get the touch for soccer, if that matters. They’ve been great for softball on the infield and especially in the grass. They’re not really designed for quick cutting movements, so I’ll have to see how the lugs hold up, but I’ve been pleased with them as a compromise to traditional cleats and they are worlds better than typical trail shoes.
Thank you so much for this post, Anya! I have been searching for ideas for this forever! For some reason nobody realizes kids sometimes need dress shoes too. We got the bobux boots per another post on your blog!
Is formal shoes or school shoes acceptable with any dress apart from school dress.
Hi Anya! I’m currently looking at two Mary Jane options: the Wyn School II from Vivo Barefoot and the Atlas 2.0 from PaperKrane. I’m not sure which one to choose, might you have any idea about the differences between these two?
PaperKrane has a little narrower fit in the toe box. Otherwise they are pretty similar!
What shoes are being worn in the middle picture in the header? The black ones.
Those are the Vivobarefoot Gobi. They come in and out of stock at Vivobarefoot, currently there is the Vivobarefoot Gobi Addis available: https://tidd.ly/3KpSTvo
Hi, do you think See Kai Run is barefoot friendly? They have some cute Mary Jane and sparkly sandal options! I’m looking for cute flower girl shoes and Amazon has a lot of See Kai Run options but I’m not sure if they’re flexible enough 🙂
The “first walker” line from SKR is pretty good, beyond that the outsole changes and they start adding a heel rise and “support”. Last time we contacted them, they said only the sneaker could be zero drop and that was if you removed the insole. The toe box is a bit rounded, not exactly foot shaped. Check out Little Love Bug for sparkly mary janes for a flower girl.
My daughter is deadset on having a pain of loafers. Is there a kids barefoot or bearfootish loafer option available for kids?
What is her shoe size? The first thing that comes to mind is these from FeelBarefoot on Etsy. If she fits into small women’s sizes, there are a lot more options that you can find here in my Best Loafers Article
She’s only 6 and size 12 but had big ideas😀
Feelbarefoot Is perfect! How do there sizing work?
They have a size chart on their listing pages (should be there for the kids’ models too). You can read more about how they fit in adult models here: https://anyasreviews.com/feelbarefoot-affordable-handmade-barefoot-shoes/
It should be pretty similar to their kids’ fit.