Fun, Non-toxic Alternatives to PVC Jelly Shoes

At my full-time job, one of my coworkers asked me what I was working on in my freelance life. When I mentioned our upcoming jelly shoes piece, he froze. “What's wrong with jelly shoes?”

Like many parents, he had innocently bought his daughter jelly shoes for the summer without knowing they're made of phthalate-filled PVC.

I don't blame him! We work long hours for pretty low pay. We're both in face-to-face fundraising, and it pays more in warm fuzzy feelings than cash. But even if that weren't the case, why would it occur to him that the children's shoes at his local store might be dangerous?

We’ve made some major changes to the updated version of this guide. We cut Vans, Crocs, and Old Navy because they aren’t providing information about what the material is, exactly, instead using vague proprietary language. We also cut the leather shoes because we want you and your kiddos to feel comfortable wearing these to the beach or pool.

The best alternative for water-friendly shoes is EVA made with sugar or algae. There’s also some safer synthetics in the Keen and Indosole shoes, which is why they ranked last this time. They’re not synthetic-free, but with good chemical management, they’re still way better than PVC!

Oh, and all of these brands make water-friendly styles for adults, too! If you’ve bought a pair, share your experience in the comments so others can benefit.

Did you know the British maker of the original jelly shoe is actually chemical conscious? I didn’t! Turns out, it’s just the cheaper, derivative versions that are the problem. JuJus are made of REACH-compliant phthalate-free EVA. Misprint pairs can be recycled into new ones—though there doesn't seem to be a recycling option for used shoes at the end of their lifespan. Kids styles cost $28, and ship from the U.K.