Bobux are a company based in New Zealand and have been producing shoes since 1991. It all began when Chris and Colleen Bennett designed shoes for their daughter, Chloe. These were the world’s first all leather Soft Sole shoes and from then on, the company has gone from strength to strength and continues to produce soft soled shoes to this very day. Healthy foot development is an area that Bobux heavily focus on and they believe that going barefoot is best. They strive to learn more and increase their knowledge around the physical development of children’s feet and the impact shoes can have on them. In order to do so, Bobux have employed foot experts as well as having created lasting partnerships with podiatrists world-wide. They have studied the way children move and how this changes and adapts as they grow. They understand that it can be a constant challenge day to day to ensure that your child is getting the best out of everything they can, so Bobux believe that the more they learn, the more expertise they have which allows them to worry about your child’s healthy foot development, so you don’t have to.
As babies, their feet are made up entirely of cartilage and it is over several years that the bones develop and create the shape of the foot. Bobux believe that going barefoot allows children’s feet to develop and strengthen naturally. Their philosophy is that rigid shoes can have a negative impact on the development of childrens feet as if the shoes are not correctly designed and shaped to match the shape of the foot then in time the foot they conform to the shape of the shoes rather than the shape that nature intended. However, they understand that children cannot go barefoot all of time and they need some protection when outdoors and believe that the barefoot concept should not be compromised when wearing shoes. They therefore design and produce shoes which conform to a natural foot shape, have thin and flexible soles to mimic barefoot walking, are super comfortable and are also colourful and fun to wear.
After studying the way children move, Bobux have split their range of shoes into 4 distinct ‘stages’ as children go through 4 stages of development. As a child goes through so many developmental changes in the first ten years of their life and children grow at different rates so not all children are the same size and shape. This also applies to their feet and as with clothes, not all shoes will fit all children. When feet are fully grown, they have 26 bones, 33 joints and over 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments. We may feel that they are such a small part of our body, but in actual fact, the feet contain a quarter of all of the bones in the human body. This is one reason to ensure we take extra care of them!
As children grow, their activity levels will change therefore influencing the needs required from their shoes. Therefore, Bobux shoes are designed based on the developmental stages of a child’s life and categorise their shoes into Pre-walking & Crawling, First Walker, Toddler and Pre-schoolers & Kids.
As your little one begins to find their feet and start to walk whilst holding onto furniture, they will require a different ‘stage’ of shoes to those worn when they were continually crawling around. They need more grip and protection and a little more durability at this stage of development and the Bobux Xplorer Range is specifically designed to meet these needs. The Xplorer is a rubber soled pre-walker style shoe that can also transition through to first steps. The Xplorer shoes bridge the gap between crawling, cruising and walking. They have a soft leather upper, similar to a soft sole, but a full, durable rubber sole to allow outdoor use.
This range of shoes is super lightweight and amongst the most flexible rubber soles we offer to allow little feet to develop without restriction and to move freely as this key development stage. They are also designed to endure more wear and tear as your little one begins to pull themselves up and cruise around and explore their surroundings. The anti-scuff toe is an added feature to prolong the length of wear of the shoes. Through increased movement and cruising, their feet begin to strengthen and start to develop their shape naturally.
Did you know that kids’ feet sweat twice as much as adults’? Therefore, it is important that their feet can breathe whilst they are moving around and gaining confidence with their walking. The leather used to make the Xplorer range is not only soft and durable but is mainly used for this reason. It enables the moisture from their feet to be drawn away, so their feet are kept healthy.
As with the Soft Soled shoes, the shape of the Xplorer shoes resembles that of the child at this stage. A custom ‘last’ is used which moulds the shoes into the shape of a foot. At this stage their feet are round, and their toes are a little squared, which is reflected in the shape of the Xplorer shoes. The elastic around the ankle allows the shoes to be put on and taken off easily, along with a small velcro strap which helps the shoes stay on and lets your little one feel all grown up as they can ‘fasten’ their own shoes! In addition, these shoes contain the flexible sole giving an all-round shoe which is flexible, lightweight and durable. Ideal for this stage.
We have a wide range of styles in the Xplorer range at Happy Little Soles. Why not take a look. Maybe you are looking for something vibrant and modern, then the Xplorer Origin would be what you are looking for. With their bright, bold colours your little one will love showing off their new shoes. Or maybe you are looking for something a little different, then the Xplorer Spekkel or Habitat would both be suitable options. With added detail, from tropical palm prints to dotty designs, there’s a style to go with every outfit.