Nearly 8 Years of Jelly Welly… & What I’ve Learnt About Little Feet 👣

It’s actually crazy to think that Jelly Welly has been around for nearly 8 years.

Over that time, I’ve watched the children's footwear world change A LOT. Trends have come and gone, new brands have popped up everywhere, and there is now more information than ever telling parents what they should and shouldn’t put on their little ones' feet.

I’ve also been through a lot personally over those years. Life hasn’t always been easy, and there have definitely been times when I’ve stepped away from Jelly Welly or wondered whether I still had it in me.

But I keep coming back to it.

I think one of the reasons is that this little business keeps my brain busy. 😂 There is ALWAYS something to design, change, research, improve or obsess over. And after nearly eight years of creating footwear for little ones, I’ve learnt an incredible amount along the way.

So… let’s talk little feet. 👣

There is SO much information online about children's shoes.

Barefoot shoes. Supportive shoes. Flexible shoes. Wide shoes. Structured shoes. Sock shoes.

It can honestly become overwhelming.

I'm not a podiatrist, so I'm not here to give medical advice or tell another parent exactly what their child needs. Every little foot is different, and if you have concerns about your child's feet, walking or development, a qualified health professional is always the person to speak to.

But as a mum and someone who has spent nearly eight years developing children's footwear, these are the things I personally look for.

1. Wide where it actually matters

I LOVE room for little toes.

A child's toes shouldn't be squashed together inside a narrow shoe. I look for a nice, roomy toe box that allows those little toes to spread and move naturally.

But there's an important difference between having room around the toes and simply making the entire shoe really wide.

Wide doesn't automatically mean a better fit.

The shoe still needs to fit the child's foot properly.

2. Secure around the foot

This is a BIG one for me.

I'm personally not a fan of shoes that have an extremely loose ankle or heel area, particularly when they're combined with very stretchy, sock-like materials.

If the entire shoe is loose and the foot is moving around inside it, having an extra-wide insole isn't necessarily helping.

Roomy at the toes. Secure around the foot.

For me, that's the balance.

3. FLEXIBILITY!

Little feet are constantly moving.

They're bending, balancing, climbing, running and figuring out the world underneath them.

I like a shoe that can move with the foot rather than feeling like a hard little brick attached to it. 😂

That has always been incredibly important when developing our Jellys.

4. Don't forget the actual FIT

We can get so caught up in buzzwords that sometimes we forget the simplest thing:

Does the shoe actually fit your child properly?

Two children of exactly the same age can have completely different shaped feet.

Check the length. Check the width. Look at the heel. Watch them walk in the shoes.

If their heel is constantly lifting, their foot is sliding around or they're gripping with their toes trying to keep the shoe on, it's worth checking the fit.

5. Let little feet be LITTLE FEET

Children don't need miniature versions of stiff adult shoes.

Whenever I'm designing Jelly Welly footwear, I keep coming back to the same idea:

Give their toes room. Keep them secure. Keep them comfortable. And let their feet MOVE.

That's also why we've changed our Jellys so many times over the years.

Different moulds. Different materials. Different soles. Different insoles. Samples upon samples upon samples. 😂

Because I'm always asking:

"Can we make this better for little feet?"

Nearly 8 years later… 💗

I'm still learning.

I'm still changing things.

I'm still driving everyone around me CRAZY when a sample isn't exactly how I pictured it. 😂

And I'm still incredibly passionate about creating gorgeous little shoes that aren't just cute on the outside — but have had thought put into what's happening inside the shoe too.

Trends will keep changing and there will always be another opinion online about what children's footwear should look like.

For me, I'll keep focusing on the things that have mattered since the beginning:

Room to grow. Room for little toes. Flexibility. Comfort. A secure fit. And shoes kids actually WANT to wear.

Here’s to nearly 8 years of Jelly Welly… and the thousands and thousands of tiny feet that have worn our Jellys along the way. 🥹💗

Nikky xx