Introducing Magical Shoes! We’re so excited to carry the Bebe model for toddlers and younger children. Barefoot shoes help your kids develop strong, mobile, skilled feet right from the start. The Bebe combines natural cowhide leather with flexible and durable Air Mesh fabric on a thin, barefoot-feeling rubber sole resulting in a lightweight spring and summer shoe to protect their feet while allowing for natural movement.
Magical Shoes recommends the Bebe model for children learning to walk, and for children who confidently take steps. They produce Bebe childrens’ shoes in Poland in a small family manufacturing facility with a focus on attention to quality.
Their shoes are handmade by shoemaking craftsmen with decades of experience. They protect the toddler’s foot against any scratches, while ensuring full comfort of movement. The thin 3.5mm Magical Rubber sole is incredibly flexible, flexes in all directions, and is highly abrasion resistant.
Sizing
Magical Shoes describes the Bebe’s sizing as generous or “runs large.” They recommend the Bebe for these toddlers’ and young kids’ foot shapes: normal, wide, thick, and chubby. They use a unisex European sizing system.
The dimensions in the following size chart are the length and width of the shoe's insole in centimeters (remember to buy a size that will have extra room):
Ground Feel
The Bebe shoe has very thin soles that are grippy, flexible in all directions, abrasion resistant, and sport a colourful design. With a thin and flexible sole, these will be the next best thing to bare feet when a little protection is required. A barefoot feeling shoe not only allows for natural movements through sustainable alignment, but also allows for sensory feedback that helps navigate the environment.
Kids used to stiff, thick-soled, and/or heavy footwear may take a little bit to adapt to wearing barefoot style shoes, though our understanding is that they adapt much more quickly than adults. If you have concerns, you can have your child try on the shoes indoors for sizing and comfort and supervise or ask questions like, do the shoes stop you from moving how you want to move, or does it feel weird or bad anywhere, can you point to that place, etc. We find kids trying shoes on at our shop often know what they like or dislike but don’t always have the words to describe why, so asking both yes or no and open-ended questions can be helpful.
Care
You can wash Magical shoes with lukewarm water and soap. Lay flat to dry at room temperature. Extreme heat such as exposure to the sun or heater can cause shoes to become distorted and faded.
Best Uses
These cute shoes for little feet will be breathable and light for spring and summer weather. They’ll be wonderful for walking around and outdoor playtime. Soft and roomy for “forget they’re on” comfort, their barefoot-like ground feel will allow information about the ground to inform confident moving for toddlers and help bigger kids maintain healthy foot function as they grow. Magical Shoes specifies that the Bebe is not compatible with devices like scooters and run bikes where the child would want to brake with the toe of their shoe.