Expandals are the simple answer to growing feet

As your kids grow, new shoes quickly become too small. These new expanding sandals help you break out of the expensive cycle.

Expandals are the simple answer to growing feet
  • How many shoes are thrown away each year? The best estimate is 300 million pairs. Crazy, huh?
  • How fast do kids’ feet grow? In general, their feet will grow two sizes each year until they’re four, and one size a year after that.
  • What are the best shoes for growing feet? Thanks to a unique design, Expandals can grow five sizes.

Clothing your child is always an expensive business. You would think that two-thirds-sized apparel would come at two-thirds of the price, but apparently not. To make matters worse, kids grow really fast (in case you hadn’t noticed). Shirts and pants that fit perfectly now will be too small in a matter of months.

The same goes for shoes — and undersized footwear can cause significant discomfort. But instead of buying new sneakers on a biannual cycle, it might be worth investing in Expandals. As the name suggests, these are expanding sandals that are made for kids. When your kids need a bigger size, you simply make a quick adjustment.

What are expanding sandals?

While most types of footwear are restricted to a specific size, expanding sandals are much more flexible. In the case of Expandals, a smart piece of design allows the toe box to unfurl. As a result, one pair of sandals can cover five sizes.

There are several benefits to purchasing these sandals. Firstly, it’s much more economical than buying new shoes every six months.

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Long-lasting kicks

Secondly, you’re cutting down on waste. It’s estimated that around 300 million shoes each year end up in landfill. That’s an incredible amount of new trash being dumped in the ground. Expanding sandals are one kind of eco-friendly solution.

[tweet_box]As your kids grow, new shoes quickly become too small. These new expanding sandals help you break out of the expensive cycle.[/tweet_box]

Speaking of eco-friendliness, these sandals are also vegan. You won’t find any animal-based materials in the Expandals range.

Growing feet

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Good looking

At a glance, Expandals look like nice, everyday sandals. They come in four different colors, with a durable sole and soft padding on the inside.

expanding sandals 04

Perfect for growing feet

The expandable part is the toe box, which curves round to meet the instep. The attachment can be moved down the instep at any time to provide extra room.

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Infinitely adjustable

In addition, the velcro side straps and heel can be adjusted to make more room for the foot. You would think that this would make for a clunky design, but these sandals are anything but.

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Kids and adults sizes

The Expandals are available in both kids and adult sizes. They are perfect for wearing throughout the warmer months, and they are made from waterproof materials.

“Tired of purchasing multiple pairs of shoes per year to keep up with your child’s growing feet? As fellow parents, we are too and we’re thrilled to be finally introducing a labor of love: the only expanding footwear available in the world, EXPANDALS by GroFive.” — GroFive on Kickstarter

What we ❤️

It’s important that your kids have the right size footwear. These sandals should offer total comfort and support for years, and save you a few bucks.

expanding sandals 03

Sustainable footwear

Future designs

Making a shoe with a similar design would be a challenge, but a worthwhile one. We’d love to see some expanding sneakers at some point!

Availability

– Kickstarter: Until August 17th

– Pledge: $49 USD

– Delivery: March 2019

Mark is best known for writing about apps, but he also loves the tactile, hardware side of technology. Being a professional photographer, he's pretty handy with a camera, and he's a self-confessed tweetaholic.
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