Native Shoes: What are these cool and lightweight shoes with holes in them? (Haha, I am kidding)

In all seriousness, I had seen Native Shoes and had always wanted to try them. When my daughter adopted Native Shoes as her easy-on easy-off toddler pool shoes for the summer months, I wondered if our whole family would benefit from trying Natives in all sizes.

In this review, you’ll learn about Native Shoes through our whole family’s experience: wearing them to the pool, the beach, on vacation and out around town. I’ll walk (literally) through a few different styles, the sizing and how they fit, because these are some points where we had a little challenge.

What are Native Shoes?

In my own words, Native Shoes are like no other shoe I’ve had before! They’re a modern version of a flip flop (and I can’t stand flip flops), and they’re BETTER. They’re a shoe you can wear from spring to early fall, to keep the feeling of summer always close by.

Native Shoes have expanded from some of the originals (the Jefferson: the most iconic of the Native Shoes) to more offerings like sneakers and boots. But for the sake of this article, I’ll be talking about the best-sellers and basics, the EVA molded sneaker-that-is-more-like-a-sandal.

Native Shoes (a few key things) are:

  • Lightweight (they’re made of EVA: a cushioned polymer material)
  • Odor-resistant
  • Totally washable (great for kids)
  • Smart to take on trips (especially summer ones)
  • Functional (go from dry to wet, and back)
  • And great-looking! (they look so cool with shorts, dresses, skirts, swimwear, pants, or whatever!)

I was introduced to them via my toddler. They’re basically ubiquitous for toddlers around where I live: they’re like the “go-to” of summer sandals for kids because they protect the toes of little ones who like to play, run and slip around.

My toddler can wear them out for the day in the summer, and whether we wind up at the pool, or dancing in puddles, or playing at a playground, she is ready for anything with just one shoe.

To me, Natives are a step above a sandal because of the covered back and covered toe.

The design

Natives are cool. Let’s just be clear on that! I talk a lot about lifestyle sneakers for millennial moms and Dan has written about cool shoes for dads in their 30s. We try to stay fun and fresh in what we wear, and Natives help with that.

There is something laid-back and chill about the way the Miles are reminiscent of slip-on sneakers, and the way the Jeffersons are like low-top Chuck Taylors or Converse lace-ups, without the laces.

I didn’t think I’d really enjoy these styles as much as I did when my Natives first came in the mail. They make me smile!

What we got:

We got Natives for the whole family, and our toddler already had a pair to start the summer with.

Here’s what we ordered:

Sizing

Natives are kind of a unique shoe, so I want to let you know about the sizing in case it helps.

Sizing for women

I’ll start off with this: typically I am a size 7 in shoes like Nike, and a 6.5 in other sneakers or sandals. I wear size 37 (Euro) Birkenstocks, if that helps, in the area of sandals.

So I thought it would make sense to order Natives in a size 7, as I surely wasn’t going to order a Women’s 8. In addition, every page of Native’s website (for adult sizing, at least) tells the customer: “If your foot is wide, we recommend going up one size.”

When I received my Jefferson Natives and Miles Wanderfoam shoes, they were absolutely gigantic. I walked around my living room in them and they slid right off. I put them on the “exchange for a size down” list.

Shown here are the Jeffersons in the larger size before my smaller ones shipped as the exchange.

When I got both of them in a size down (which was Women’s 6), the Miles Wanderfoam actually had a better fit for me. The Jeffersons in a size 6 still have a bit more space and gapping than the Miles, so I wear the Miles much more often.

Shown here below are the Miles in the size UP, before I exchanged them.

Sizing for men

In addition to how we found (just our experience!) that the Jeffersons actually ran big, despite the website saying to size up, Dan, who is always a men’s 10, found the Jeffersons to be too big in a Men’s 10.

For the first time since I’ve known him, he had to size down to a Men’s 9. Now his Jeffersons fit, after the exchange.

And they look great on him (below). Like I mentioned above, Dan also got the Apollo 10 sneaker and decided to size up to a 10.5. It fit perfectly, so the conclusion here is to size up just a dab from your regular shoe size. (While Jefferson and Miles sandals do not come in half sizes, the Apollo does.)

Sizing for kids

Shockingly, I am finding that after what we experienced the above in the adult sizing, the kids shoes might run a little small!

Our daughter (two years old) started off summer wearing size 6 Natives, and they fit great. All her sneakers are size 6. The Natives started getting tight on her before her sneakers all did (she wears Nike and Adidas kids).

So, be sure to check where your child’s big toe hits the front of the Native shoe. As your toddler or kid may be wearing these as water shoes, you want them to have a bit of space in there so that they don’t get uncomfortable when wet.

Quality

For what these shoes are (molded EVA), they’re good quality overall. I found myself feeling fine while walking around for the entire morning during our Jersey Shore vacation over the summer. I say this as a good thing, because I have flat feet and my left foot is bigger than my right, so finding comfort is actually pretty challenging for me.

My daughter wore her Natives every time she had “water play” and sprinkler/pool time at her camp this summer, as well as to the town pool in our area. The kid-size Natives take quite a beating, but THEY HOLD UP, I tell you!

Her Natives don’t look like they even got much wear and that’s after being worn multiple times, for several hours at a time, all summer from the end of May til the first day of September.

Next summer she’ll size up, and I’m excited for her to have NEW Natives!

Are Native shoes good for toddlers and kids?

Yes, absolutely. I consider my toddler’s Native shoes among the essentials for a toddler pool bag when we head off for some pool time. I have other sandals and summer shoes in the house for my toddler, but there are a few things that stand out about Native shoes:

  • The closed toe
  • The closed heel (no straps)
  • Easy to put on by him/herself, starting around age 2!
  • Durable and washable
  • It’s possible to put Jibbitz™ on Natives (although it’s a tight fit)! (We found this out at a birthday party where they were the party favor)

Pictured below, I’ll show you just how easy Natives are to put on: our 2.5 year old puts them on herself, but sometimes gets them on the wrong feet 🙂. It’s the effort that counts!

Feel and comfort

Like I said above in that I have flat feet and sensitive arches, I am not the best person to be talking about comfort in shoes that don’t have natural arches or deep structural cushioning like my Nike sneakers I wear day in and day out.

During summer, my feet need to breathe, though, so what I look for in terms of safe shoes for my feet are:

  • NOT a thong style (I have sensitive ankles)
  • High design covering the top of the foot toward the ankle
  • Closed back
  • Closed toe and front

Difference in fit between the Miles and Jefferson (for adults)

OK, now it all makes sense. The Native website tells you (but it’s easy to overlook, if you’re looking at design and look of the shoe alone) that the Miles tends to run shorter as well as wider than the Jefferson. The Jefferson, in the same size, would be longer and narrower.

I don’t consider myself as having wide feet at all—quite the contrary—so I have a short AND narrow foot. That being said, though, the Miles is a better fit for me because in a size 6, the Miles stays on better than the Jefferson, which has gapping in the back.

For Dan, though, just given the length and size of his feet, the Jefferson works out great (and look so good when he’s wearing shorts in summer!).

Issues and Complaints with Native Shoes

I’m just going to tell it like it is: because of our sizing inconsistencies with our Native ordering, we had to exchange three of the six pairs ordered for different sizes.

Customer service at Native was very helpful.

We were instructed to begin the size exchange process by using Happy Returns. I had used Happy Returns with other brands before, and the concept is simple. We put our shoe boxes into the giant box in which all the Natives arrived, and took it to the nearest Happy Returns partner location, which was our local UPS. We didn’t even have to print a label.

I got an email within minutes that our Natives exchange had been put into motion, and within a week, we got two of the three shoe sizes updated to the sizes down that we needed.

But there was something missing: my pair of Jeffersons in the size down never arrived. I supposed it was coming, so I waited.

It didn’t show up. So, I reached out to Customer Care again at Native, and they looked into the issue. They found that the warehouse marked my Women’s Jeffersons as shipped, but they actually had not shipped out! They sent them right away. Within a few days, I got them on my doorstep.

Lesson learned: if you’re expecting a size exchange and it doesn’t come within a week, reach out to them!

Where to get Native Shoes

Naturally, you can get Natives at the Native website. This is where you’ll see all the new releases, best-sellers and cute launches of things like funky patterns.

I’ve also seen great prices for Native shoes on Zappos. Zappos also has a page just for Native Kids.

And if you are already shopping on Amazon, you can check out the Native storefront on Amazon, but note that you may experience a lack of sizing or color choices in any given style!

How to get Natives for cheaper

You can also see which Native shoes are on final sale at the Native website. This is the best hack for getting your Natives at a discount.

I especially recommend shopping after summer is over, like in August, September and October (but check back all year round, because you may be surprised!). There are loads of styles that are going out of season (if you’re an adult, it’s smart to buy for next year because your feet won’t change; with kids it is a dab harder).

There are also colors that are going to be discontinued, or colors that are going out of stock and aren’t being restocked. It’s super fun to shop the Native sale page, so I suggest heading to the Last Chance page, first, if you want to dive into owning Natives at a discount.

Note: There is a separate page for Kids Last Chance Sale.

Currently, I do not have a discount code for Natives, but I will update this article if I get one!

Native shoes vs. Crocs

I wouldn’t even compare Natives to Crocs, yet lots of parents (and adults, who are shopping for themselves) are doing this. That’s because both are made of each company’s version of proprietary EVA foam.

Crocs are a different beast when it comes to kids, though. Yes, they’re super easy to put on, with the strap in the back, but they can also fall off. And for that reason, the original Crocs don’t have a closed back.

In my opinion, I want my toddler in Natives. If they fit correctly, the closed toe and the closed heel are what make these water shoes and summer shoes SAFE for little kids who are running and tripping around.

So, it is as plain as that. We’re not really a “Crocs household,” and no one in our family has Crocs. I’m glad we’re a Natives family: less tripping, fewer scuffed toes and just lots of fun in the summer.

Thank you to Native for providing us with products for the whole family in order to create this review for you. All opinions, experiences and photos are strictly ours.