Protection

• Sun protection is one of the most important and most overlooked factors in selecting footwear for the beach. You should always make sure to apply adequate sunscreen to your kids' feet, top and bottom, especially if you have very young children. Beyond that, jellyfish stings and puncture wounds are always a risk in open water. Also, a sun-baked, sandy beach can get exceedingly hot for adults to walk on, let alone children who haven't yet developed the callouses on the soles of their feet that adults have taken years to build. While your older kids, preteens and teens will certainly push for the most stylish option, on particularly hot days, it is important to make sure your younger children especially have at least a layer of buffer between the sensitive skin on their feet and the hot sand, sidewalk or parking lot.
  
  

Beach Shoes

• Summer footwear ranges in style from simple rubber flip-flops, thongs or slides for those who don't like anything between their toes to leather sandals, athletic Teva-style shoes, plastic or rubber clogs originally designed for gardening use, multiuse swim shoes and the classic, good old-fashioned sneaker. It should be noted that none of these shoe designs offer particularly strong support for long walks or hikes.
  
  All of these provide at least adequate foot protection for the summer but each is designed for a different purpose.
  
  Sneakers -- Offer probably the most protection of the bunch, but from a style standpoint, sneakers on the beach is frowned upon as a "look" and they're not very comfortable when wet.
  
  Flip-Flops -- Classic and inexpensive, flip-flops give your kids the feeling of bare feet, but offer some protection while walking on hot pavement or sand. These do expose their little feet to almost the same amount of sun as going barefoot and will likely fall off and risk loss if they feel the need to run.
  
  Clogs - Very popular in recent years is the plastic or rubber Croc-style clog. Originally designed for use in the garden, clogs offer slightly more protection than flip-flops and a bit of style, but run the same risk of loss if your child acts on the impulse to dash away down the sand.
  
  Athletic Sandals - Teva is probably the most well-known brand in this category but many manufacturers produce this type of sandal usually held on with Velcro straps. These sandals will stay in place even in the water if they are fastened properly.
  
  Swim Shoes - Sometimes also called water shoes or aqua shoes, these one-piece, stretchy and almost sneaker-like swim shoes have an upper made of a quick-to-dry stretchy material and a full rubber, sneaker-like sole. These shoes can be worn in the water and completely cover your child's feet, offering probably the best combination of sun and sole protection that can be worn all day long. Low on the style scale for older kids, swim shoes are a great choice for the younger set on the beach.