I sought these out while looking for some black shoes for my kiddo that weren't too structured; he's a little picky about shoes and wants the most mobility, and these ones seemed to fit the bill. The sole is flexible but thick enough that I'm not worried about anything poking through. The upper is made out of mesh, but it's of a thickness similar to a gym shoe. The shoes are also wide, so if you're struggling to find shoes that'll fit your kiddo's little flippers, I'd say that these would probably work for you.That being said, these shoes are shipped using an overseas company, and thus I--nor Amazon--wasn't really able to track the package much at all. They simply arrived at my mailbox after a few weeks with no warning or indication. If being able to have the product arrive very quickly with full tracking is important to you, I'd keep that in mind when ordering this product.My toddler has 5 1/2 inch feet or 14 cm. His regular shoes from two different companies are just now fitting him perfectly and they are a size 8. I bought the 7 1/2 because according to measurements that is his size. I would’ve ordered an 8 just because they’d get to be worn longer but there were none in 8 of the color I wanted. The shoes feel really nice. Haven’t got to use them yet but the rubber sole is really cushy. They look to be the same size of his regular shoes and his toes seem to have room but I can’t tell about his big toe since the rubber is so thick. Wish there were adult sizes because I’d like to try a pair since a toddler can’t exactly tell you how a shoe fits like you can for yourself.Edit: it’s November now and these shoes are just now getting to be small. He is a solid 8 now and his big toe is obviously cramped now but these shoes have held up very well since ai bought them in May. The Velcro still works and the soles aren’t worn at all. Other than the dingy look from constant wear these feel like new. I wish they went up in bigger sizes with different colors/weren’t always sold out because he needs 8-9 water shoes now and the only color available is pink and yellow. These are great shoes for the price and for everyday water wear.They are so easy to put onDefinitely look at the size chart for sizing to make sure you get the exact size. My son wears a toddlers 5 but it seems like his feet are growing everyday up a size lol. I was worried that they would be too smalls so I ordered a Toddlers 5 1/2 and the fit perfectly, they were perfect for the peach and they even came with a cute red bracelet.These worked out really well. The only thing is the strap doesn’t do too much tightening but if you buy the right size they stay on pretty well. My son wore them for the better part of 6 hrs and didn’t complain not once, didn’t have any rashes from rubbing or anything. I love that it gives you plenty of space for babies with wider feet as well.These work great for my boy who gets super hot when running around. He's been wearing them outside everyday for about a month and no show of damage yet! And he RUNS in them. I'll actually probably buy the next size up once he grows out of these.Sizing is pretty accurate. He's the toddler 6 measurement but we got a 6.5 bc he wears them with socks.These were pretty much all my almost 2 yr old wore all summer. I didn’t have high expectations since they were so cheap but figured they’d get us through a late spring camping/canoeing trip. These little shoes blew my mind! They held up great for 5 months of non stop daily wear tear from a very active kid and numerous runs through the washing machine. I did replace the insole pads a few times which had gotten a bit ratty & stinky from all the sock less action. I would buy these over and over again if they made them in his current size.Overall I like the shoe. My little one seems to like wearing it and can walk better than those with stiff bottoms. I will know to re-order in a bigger size next time.