First Walkers

Improper shoes, both in size and shape, are the number one reason behind foot-related problems, with 60% of kids losing some anatomical health in their feet by age six. Given that the bones in a child’s foot do not fully develop and harden until at least age 13, the shoes that your child wears in the early years are incredibly important.

Our First Walkers are the perfect first walking shoe because of their healthy design, lightweight materials, and new walker-friendly features. Developed in collaboration with doctors and awarded the APMA Seal of Acceptance (The American Podiatric Medical Association), our TenForm™ Fit System supports healthy development and natural movement in growing kids. Prioritizing a natural shape, our First Walkers mimic a child’s bare foot with wide, foot-shaped toe boxes to match the asymmetrical splay of their toes and flexible, zero-drop soles for optimal ground feedback. Our soft cotton upper makes these first walkers extra lightweight and flexible, while the velcro straps ensure an adjustable, secure fit. They are also designed with new walker-friendly features such as durable toe caps that protect your little one’s toes as they take those wobbly first steps and an extra-wide opening that makes it easy to put on your little one’s shoes. 

Our First Walkers, like all our sneakers, come with our signature removable insoles featuring Spot the Cheetah, which help parents verify their child’s size and encourage kids to put their shoes on independently. The matching cheetah pattern on the insoles fits together like puzzle pieces, making it easy for your child to identify left and right. 

Our proprietary TenForm™ Fit System is designed to support natural movement and healthy growth at every stage. Grounded in medical insights and biomechanical research, TenForm™ ensures every Ten Little shoe is built around how children’s feet actually grow and move, prioritizing anatomical shape, balance, flexibility, and comfort without compromise. TenForm™ supports healthy foot development through:

• Wide, foot-shaped toe boxes for natural toe splay

• Zero-drop construction with no heel raise for proper gait and posture

• Minimal soles for optimal ground awareness

• Flexible soles that bend and move with growing feet

You may need a larger size in Ten Little shoes compared to mass brands, as our molds are made custom. We recommend using our Size Guide, where you can download our Printable Fit Finder, take our Fit Finder Quiz, or view our Size Chart to determine your child’s best size in Ten Little.

We do not offer different-width shoes, but our shoes have adjustable velcro straps to obtain the proper fit. They were specifically designed to mimic kids’ feet, three-dimensionally, with plenty of room for wiggles. They have been successfully tested with a variety of foot shapes, including both wide and narrow feet. If you are using our fit finder or insoles to check your little one’s fit, please note that these are best used for matching the length of the feet to the right shoe size and do not represent the three-dimensional fit of our shoes.

We expect little ones to grow out of their shoes every 2-3 months during this stage. You can double-check the fit of your current Ten Little shoes using the removable cheetah insoles in your child’s shoes. Simply remove the shoe insoles to see where your child’s toe lands in relation to the size band. In the proper size, your child’s longest toe will land right within the cheetah print line. If their toes go past the line at all, it’s time to size up! We also recommend saving our shoeboxes, which have printed size guides inside them.

When it’s time to size up, we will text and email you a reminder to check if your little one is ready to graduate to the next size. If you have any questions about sizing or size-up notifications, you can email hello@tenlittle.com.

Both our APMA-approved First Walkers and Everyday Originals are great options for new walkers. That said, our First Walkers are made with a soft, lightweight cotton fabric and an extra-wide opening, making them a better fit for little ones and their wobbly first steps. Our Everyday Originals are made of water-resistant vegan leather that is better suited for kids who are starting to run and play outdoors more often, and hence, need a more durable shoe to withstand days at the playground, recess, or the park.

Our Everyday Baby Booties are great year-round, keeping feet cozy in colder months and protected from the sun in warmer months. We recommend our Everyday Baby Booties for little ones who are still getting steady on their feet indoors, as these have a soft, non-slip sole. Once your child is ready to walk on their own outside, you can switch over to any of our sneaker styles, especially our First Walkers. There is some overlap in sizing between our Baby Booties and sneakers, so you can decide which style to choose based on whether you plan to be indoors or outdoors.

Both the upper and outsole of the shoe can be spot-cleaned using a clean, soft cloth dampened with water, with the addition of a mild soap as needed. You can also try using a magic eraser on our outsoles to remove scuff marks or scratches. We don’t suggest machine washing because multiple washes or constant submerging in water can start to break down the shoe materials. It’s best to remove the insoles before hand washing and let the shoes air-dry completely!

Our shoes are made to mimic your child’s natural foot shape and do not come with arch support. Arch support in infant and toddler shoes is not recommended for them to develop a healthy arch and the muscles around it, unless advised by a doctor. If your child needs arch support, Ten Little shoes fit with orthotics - just remove the insoles.

Yes! Approved Vegan by PETA, our First Walkers are made with a breathable, soft cotton blend upper, 100% cotton lining, and natural rubber non-skid outsoles made from the milk of the Hevea tree. Like all of our shoes, our First Walkers are non-toxic, cruelty-free, and made without animal products or by-products. Our materials are rigorously tested to ensure that they are safe for your little ones and exceed the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s standards for children’s products.