do you let your kids go barefoot???

[atomic sagebrush]

DH and I go around and around about this - I let all our kids play outside barefoot and he thinks it's too dangerous because they might step on something. Weirdly, he says I'm totally overprotective about everything (esp. with our first two) and is always criticizing me over it but this one thing that I've allowed them all to do, he is SO uptight about. It seems totally harmless to me to go barefoot outside in the summer, esp. compared with some of the crazy stuff he lets them do. He's starting up again with our little boys too even though I thought we had agreed not to overprotect these guys!!! :mad: Drives me crazy!!!

Do you guys allow your kids to play barefoot outside and why or why not??

[nuthinbutpink]

I don't mind if they do but depending on what they are doing- running and just playing or riding a bike, I might yell at them to put their shoes on. Barefoot walking in the grass is wonderful! I love it when I get to put my babies' feet in the grass for the first time!

[pastelpicnic]

I also feel the same as NBP, but I always let them play in our backyard with their shoes off. However, when they play out in the front yard with the other kids and there are bikes, scooters and other toys going on, they have to wear shoes. DS2 couldn't get all his immunizations due to having a bad reaction with his first set, so I'm always more frantic about him having his shoes on since he isn't that protected from things like Tetnaus.

[lindi]

I was told going barefoot is best for developing feet, but maybe that's just when they are really small toddlers- I have always let DS go barefoot when it's not like, the sidewalk or something. I'll take his shoes off at the playground so he can walk in the sand barefoot if he asks. Always at the beach. (we go several times a week). In our grass. Maybe there is going to be something dirty or maybe even sharp in the sand at the playground, but I guess it seems pretty rare to me?

[Glittergirl]

I let mine go in sand or grass barefoot. DS1 has very sensitive feet like DH and hates being barefoot. I don't let them walk around outside barefoot, although, they have never really asked to be barefoot. I think it hurts too much so they really don't take their shoes off outside.

[DoulaMama]

Yup, pretty much always except for when we're in town :) My middle child hates shoes and it's nearly impossible to keep them on him. I prefer if they're barefoot as much as possible because I believe it's much better for developing feet, as well as ours. I go barefoot quite a bit too...and wear "barefoot" shoes when around town.

[My Fabulous Children]

I don't mind if they do but depending on what they are doing- running and just playing or riding a bike, I might yell at them to put their shoes on. Barefoot walking in the grass is wonderful! I love it when I get to put my babies' feet in the grass for the first time!

:agree:

[Flava]

No not really, only sometimes. first all we live in FL and there is damn ants all over here and it hurts a lot when they bite you.:mad:
Second I just can't stand when they run in and out like that making the floor dirty...I hate mess and dirty floor i clean it all the time and we all walk inside barefoot or in socks only. (I even clean off the dog feets lol)
But they can walk like that on the beach in the sand.

[mmsgirlie22]

Depends on the situation. If it's grass or sand I don't have a problem. It grosses me out when I see kids running around places like Chuck E Cheese or something like that barefoot. We just had fun field day at school for the kids this past week, and I was seeing kids all over the place with their socks and shoes off inside the gym and bouncy houses.

[Cinss]

Ours never really wear shoes around the home or yard. Only when we leave the house.

[ThreeLittleCubs]

My kids are barefoot outside a lot during in the summer. Especially my 2 year old. I can't keep shoes on that boy.

[CapricornAquarius]

I never let my kids go outside without their shoes, only barefoot on the sand. I once watched a documentary on TV, it was talking about people who go barefoot can get hook worms, they crawl onto your foot and into your skin EWK!

DD1:biggirl2: 8yrs DD2:biggirl2: 6yrs Hoping for :ttcboy:

[purplepoet20]

I let the boys go "naked toes" when it will not harm them.... talking to the neighbor out front, in grass (not at places were animals may have pooped), the beach, grandmas backyard because it is finished, and in the car.

I saw the show "the monster inside me" and freaked out decided my kids will never touch grass anywhere (except for our backyard). We are currently redueing our backyard and we are going to put in fake grass called forever lawn. We are going to put in a covered patio to enjoy in winter time... so our backyard will be barefoot central. PS we have a very small backyard for now until my hubby transfers to Mesa and we get a new house.

[LolaInLove]

Ours never really wear shoes around the home or yard. Only when we leave the house.

Ours too, and I am a barefoot kinda gal myself. If the ground or floor surface is not rough or dirty, I will pretty much take my shoes off and go barefoot with no shame. In fact, I have become a huge TOMS fan (the shoes) because they feel like you are barefoot.

[purplepoet20]

Ours too, and I am a barefoot kinda gal myself. If the ground or floor surface is not rough or dirty, I will pretty much take my shoes off and go barefoot with no shame. In fact, I have become a huge TOMS fan (the shoes) because they feel like you are barefoot.

I just looked up TOMS shoes.... hubby is going to be upset because I am going to order a few pairs maybe 4!!!

[Hobbermittens]

My kids go outside barefoot all the time. We live in a field, so I know the worst thing they might step on is a dog poo (which is gross, but it won't hurt their feet). I grew up out in the country and hardly ever worse shoes. The first thing I did when I got home from school every day was to take my shoes off, so I could go play outside!

[FiveDiamonds]

All of mine go barefoot most of the time. We live in the country so it's the "norm" for them. The older ones still pull their shoes off at the first chance they get and the youngest goes to a country school where most of the time none of the kids wear shoes except during P.E.

[LolaInLove]

I just looked up TOMS shoes.... hubby is going to be upset because I am going to order a few pairs maybe 4!!!

Purple, you are going to LOVE them, they are so comfy, and not too expensive. I just ordered my first pair of wedges for work.

[Sedona]

well I *should* know better because when I was little I stepped on something poisonous in my grandma's yard and ended up in the hospital.....but I do let my kids go barefoot in the backyard where we have grass. I do, it's just habit.

[TTC5]

Depends where we are. At a park/public they were shoes, except the beach they go footless.
At home, they wear shoes as we have recently built and they could be small shrapnels of metal/nails etc laying around.

[katiemumma]

depends where we are or what were doing

[Feeling Blue]

My boys are barefoot. Play outside barefoot, at the park barefoot, out the front barefoot. If we are going out then the shoes go on :)

[fairyfrog]

Three of my children are legally blind/Albino. I have always been notorious for going barefoot and I let my kids do the same. So I was very happy when my pediatrician and my children's eye doctor have said, "Let your children be barefoot as long as possible. People don't realize that this is another avenue for tactile learning." He said children under two should never have shoes on, but especially the vision impaired! Just look up the new barefoot fad and how much better it is for your feet. I would take precautions in snake or parasite infested areas.

[OneLastDream]

I used to until DS1 stood on a bee and got stung now they normally put crocs on !! Normally their choice though. It's very rare it's hot enough here for that though lol!!

[Shellbelle]

Like others have said, it depends on what they're doing. If they're just playing in the yard, though, absolutely. We live in an area where you can go barefoot most of the year, and if my kids do have shoes on, they're usually flip flops or something else that can be easily kicked off.

[hotdogz&boyz]

Me and DH have similar "arguments." He was brought up very sheltered and was always embarrassed about it. He was certainly not allowed to have bare feet, even in the house they wore slippers. But he does get on me because I always let the kids go outside without shoes (nor do I care if they remove their shoes at outdoor playgrounds, beaches, etc). I keep reminding him that it's an area he was embarrassed about and that we don't want to make them as sheltered as he was (he wasn't allowed to go to a party if someone had a cold a week ago). And he usually let's up for a while. But I think it's hard to change those initial internal reactions. I just have to keep reminding him that it is good for their feet (I can walk on gravel barefoot with no issues, DH can't even tolerate grass because his feet are so sensitive...I vote from never being shoeless!) and they won't have anything bad happen to their feet in our yard or anywhere else. The risks are minimal. But I am rarely found with "real" shoes on...so I am certainly far on the barefoot spectrum.

[EODwife363]

Depends on what the ground is like. In Arizona it's hard to find soft green grass so if it hurts me to walk on then there's no way I'd want my girls walking around barefoot either. Lol

[Yuzu]

I almost never wear shoes; I even kick them off in the car! So naturally I don't ask the boys to wear shoes at home or in the yard. I would NEVER let them go barefoot in a Playspace or restaurant though. I saw some kids at McDonald's playing barefoot on that sticky, nasty floor and I could hardly eat my ice cream. Yicky!

[HopefulMonster]

Definitely in the house, back garden, at the beach etc, but not anywhere where the ground would hurt, obviously! I never wear shoes in the house, I like my feet to be free!

[boymaker]

Depends, like many have said. If they're just playing beside me in the grass or not really going far outside then yes. But if I know we'll be walking around outside or be out there for a long time, then I'd like for them to wear sandals. Things can prick the feet and so forth, never know, what it might be.

[The Anchor]

ALWAYS...that is, if it's warm enough. And I'm pretty much barefoot myself all the time (well, I try to wear shoes to work :))

[Winngrin]

My kids wear shoes all the time outdoors unless at the beach or pool. I am really weird about my feet and washthem several times a day in addition to my shower time. No shoes ever in the house.

[My Three Sons]

We get fire ants here so they wear shoes outside.