DIY Barefoot Toddler Sandal - Sandal Type 1

Carmen Fourie
Sep 16
2 min read

Updated: Sep 16

Toddler in pink shirt and black sandals crouches on grass. Text: "How to Make Barefoot Toddler Sandals, Step by Step." Sunny day.

Shop Pattern & Clear Written Instructions on Etsy

While I would greatly appreciate your support, I do also understand the appreciation and value DIY-ers get from free patterns and tutorials. The free pattern is linked below, along with a free Youtube step-by-step tutorial.

Barefoot Background

We've been a barefoot family for years - and when our toddler kept insisting that she wants to wear sandals and I couldn't find ones that were barefoot enough for my liking - I made them myself.

These DIY barefoot toddler sandals are:

🦶 Wide toe box
🟰 Zero drop
🌀 Flexible sole
👣 Designed for sensory feedback

They’re beginner-friendly and made with soft leather on a regular sewing machine—no special tools or skills required.

If you're looking for TRULY barefoot sandals for your toddlers - these are great. They're minimal, but protective and, tried and tested with Elba running, jumping, climbing, sliding and riding her bike in them (on all sorts of terrain).

Black toddler sandal on grass with a dandelion. Text: "Beginner Friendly," "Pattern & Step-by-Step," "Barefoot Toddler Sandals."

How to make these Sandals

Clear written instructions and the pattern is in the Digital Download you can get on Etsy, as well as the Free Youtube tutorial video.

The list of materials and my recommendations can be found here - Recommended Leather Barefoot Sandal making supplies.

Watch Youtube Tutorial

You are able to sew these are a beginner to sewing - they are really easy to make! You can also make them on your home sewing machine, and you do not need specialized tools (although for the sake of your sewing experience and machine I recommend a leather needle).

Download the Free Pattern Here

*Please do not share this pattern or take credit for it. Feel free to use it for personal use or even shoes to sell, but please do not sell or share this pattern. Please refer people to my website for this and give credit when it is used. - Thank you.

Size of the Sandals

The Sandal Patterns are currently only in one size - as I make more shoes for our toddler I will upload more patterns, and more sizes. The current size will fit approximately a 2- to 3-year-old toddler. My kiddo wore them for several months (she is just over 2.5 years old). The foot length is 14.5cm, but Elba is still wearing hers and her foot length is now 15.3cm (the Velcro, elastic and soft leather mean they fit for longer without compromising on being barefoot).

I do believe that you can quite easily adapt this pattern for smaller and larger sizes.

Explore Sandal Type 2 here

If all things Barefoot Shoes interests you - I have more patterns, and how to's coming, but I also share my recommendations for shoes that I purchase for each season. I share here on my website and on my Youtube channel.

You can join my mailing list below to stay updated (No unnecessary filling of your inbox at all!).

And you can check out my ETSY shop for more patterns (and other things).