Cute Water Shoes for Littles.

A friend of mine asked for water shoe recs the other day and I couldn’t believe my eyes when I discovered an entire trove of Igor brand jellies on sale for $20 — these were my favorite summer/water shoes for mini when she was younger (seen above in Central Park!), and then I couldn’t find them anywhere the last two seasons. I’m not sure if they are discontinued and Aelxa + Alexa has all of the last stock or what, but they are currently available for $20/pair in pink, red, white, blue, and more. I prefer the style of these to a lot of the others out there — a tad more stylized/less clunky, and the colors are fantastic! Cute enough to wear with a little sundress, but perfect for putzing around at the splash pad.

I’ve also shared these $10 waterproof Birk-lookalikes from Target a trillion times, but I like them because they are inexpensive, lightweight, and have a velcro closure (so easy to put on/off). I’m keeping them in the basket of our stroller for impromptu water sessions at the park! (Gap has a similar style out just now in a good army green and a matte pastel blue, too!)

We also always have a few pairs of Natives on hand in the summer — I like the sky blue on micro (coordinates with most of his swimwear) and the milk pink on mini (though another favorite pair from a season past was this brush stroke style). These are frankly just all-around the best summer shoe for a little one, TBH. They are ubiquitous for a reason. They are virtually indestructible, sturdy enough to run in, work in water, easy to get on/off foot, free of velcros/buckles/ties, and can be hosed down. These must have been designed by a parent!

For dressier occasions, these Footmates sandals are also waterproof and have a nice thick rubberized sole but to be honest, I find them hard for mini to run in. She will gallop into a full sprint and then totally wipe out when wearing these. But! Totally doable if you are going to be dressed up for something where there’s a potential your child might be playing in water. (At friend’s house with water table, for a beach wedding, a birthday party outdoors, etc.) I also just discovered these fun little Native-like loafers for little gents, or you can always do a Sun-San in the saddle brown color!

And speaking of waterproof gear: this jelly tote bag is genius and these or these (currently extra 25% off with code HAPPY) would be a significant upgrade for myself at the splash pad, walking behind my children! And I have my eye on one of these for mini to carry her little scoops and water toys in.

P.S. Cute swim for littles, to which I would add Minnow’s latest launch and basically all of the High Summer styles from Sun House Children.

P.P.S. Lots of fun backyard and pool toys. Another fun little toy to add to the list here — just added these to my cart to bring with us to a little backyard playdate we have coming up in a few weeks!

P.P.P.S. One of mini’s friends gave out a parcel of water balloons tied with a little note that said “you’ve been a bunch of fun this year” on the last day of school — too, too sweet!