A bit about us....

Happy Little Soles is a family business committed to the importance of the right footwear to allow children’s feet to develop naturally. It was originally founded by enthusiastic barefooter Kate Harrington, with a mission to promote and make barefoot shoes available more widely.

Happy Little Soles was founded in 2010 in response to the frustration at the issues around children’s shoes available in the high street. Kate came to barefoot shoes when her younger daughter Keala was struggling with shoes and balance, and a series of chance conversations led her to Happy Little Soles and the solution to Keala's balance problems!

The more research she did, the more sense it made and the more amazed she was that these options weren’t more widely available. Years of practicing Yoga had taught her the importance of posture, alignment and the role of feet in maintaining healthy posture and good core stability. However she quickly realised that many of the exercises she had been doing were trying to put the flexibility and strength back into her feet that shoes had taken away! It was the light bulb moment! Keala stopped falling over, the family embraced barefoot shoes and Kate took on Happy Little Soles.

Kate passed on the Happy Little Soles baton to Steve and Chris in 2016 and they have continued to grow and expand the business, with the addition of more brands and a new adult range! Despite handing over the reins, Kate still plays an active role in Happy Little Soles and is in charge of making sure we have a lovely selection of barefoot shoes available on our website. 

Did you know that many Podiatrists now recommend that barefoot is best for the development of healthy feet? The human foot is amazing and the complex bone structure doesn’t fully develop until children are around 18 years old. It is therefore vital for future health that little feet have lots of freedom to move and grow naturally. However, we know that barefoot is not always practical and that our children's precious feet need protection from rough surfaces, the wet and extremes of temperature.

Barefoot shoes are the next best thing to going barefoot, and at Happy Little Soles we scour the world to find the best barefoot shoes and make them available in the UK. We currently stock over 40 different brands from all over world ranging from as far as New Zealand to brands based right here in the UK. We are passionate about barefoot shoes and ensuring your children's feet have the best possible start in life!

Our Barefoot Range

Barefoot shoes have flat, lightweight, flexible soles to mimic barefoot walking and wide toe boxes to give little feet plenty of 'wriggle room'. We personally select every pair of shoes on our website, making sure they meet this strict criteria to be as close to barefoot as possible. We work hard to find something to suit every stage of walking from those first steps onwards and for every situation from school shoes to snow boots. We source brands and styles to enable us to fit every possible type and shape of foot and test and measure all of the shoes ourselves to ensure the best possible fitting guidance.

Shopping with Us

We pride ourselves on providing the best online shopping experience for our customers. 

We appreciate that buying shoes online can be a daunting experience. Our aim is to provide the excellent customer service, unbeatable product knowledge and support necessary to ensure a straightforward and hassle-free shopping experience. Our website is full of useful help and advice but we are also on hand via phone or email to if you need a helping hand.

With super quick shipping and free returns, we hope you'll be back time and again. Oh, and if that isn't enough, we also have a generous loyalty scheme that will save you money on any future orders!