
Yep, baby feet are irresistible — and so are tiny shoes! We’ve hunted down 21 happy little kicks for the tiniest tots. From dapper to dazzling, each pair is almost too cute to be true and sure to make a new parent smile. We kinda wish they were available in our size (although we’ll settle for these killer kicks)!
1. Striped Skimmers ($30): Striped skimmers for spring? Yes, please! These colors will pair beautifully with everything in baby’s spring wardrobe.
2. Benten Cadet Duck ($35): These dapper darlings encourage adventure. (Boys will be boys!) It’s reassuring to know that they’re made of sturdy materials — waterproof duck canvas and a gum cup sole. That gorgeous cadet blue is irresistible too.
3. Toms Classic Tiny Glitter Slip-On ($29): Yes, Toms are available in tiny sizes. These sparkly slip-ons are perfect for little fashionistas, and you’ll feel good about being a part of their “one for one” philosophy. For every pair you purchase, Toms will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need.
4. Sperry Top-Sider Kids ($35): These colorful kicks will put some spring in baby’s step… er, crawl?
5. Anchor Bow Sandal ($12): The sun has never been so fun! A peppy pair of anchor sandals offer lots of support for little tots who are starting to pull up and toddle. And how fun is that modern stripe bow!?
6. Nike Fusion Run Athletic Shoe ($42): A tiny take on a much-loved classic proves that you can never be too young to be on trend.
7. Robeez Boys Crib Nate Soft Soles ($25): Straight from a trusted name in children’s shoe wear, a pair of crib kicks that will protect babies’ feet when they’re on the move. Perfect for the little prepster.
8. Baby Girl Cloth Handmade Shoes ($26): A cute cloth flower adds girly detail to some seriously cute shoes. A rainbow of colors makes it easy to match up with everything in baby’s closet.
9. Stride Rite Crawl Espadrille Sandal ($30): Skip into spring style with mini size espadrille sandals. They’re the perfect accessory to a pretty floral sundress.
10. Cherokee Gilda Ballet Flats ($15): Adorable meets affordable. Finally! With this fun and fancy shoe, you get the best of both worlds (plus a frilly pom pom!).
11. Classic Leather Basketball Boot ($36): These shoes feature the practicality of an everyday leather shoe, but with a pop of color. They are the perfect shade of citron for spring. Snazzy.
12. Lime Green Polka-Dot Baby Girl Shoes ($12): Look who’s (not) walkin’! Showing off baby’s snappy polka-dot shoes can be every bit as exciting as her first steps.
13. Bright Pink Canvas Shoes with Gold Brogued Leather ($34): We’re officially handing out the Cutest Canvas Shoe Ever award. These handmade shoes make a great baby shower gift. (Get ready for oohs and aahs!)
14. Trumpette Glitter Tennis Shoes ($32): What can be more fun than the combination of pink and sparkles? Let your darling dazzle in these teeny tiny tennis shoes.
15. Infant’s Studded Mary Jane Ballerina Flats ($35): Start your baby girl off right with a pair of studded glam shoes… or two. It’s true — a girl can never have too many shoes.
16. Baby Bogs Camo in Orange Multi ($35): Little tots will have a blast splishin’ and splashin’ in 100% waterproof baby bog boots. The handles are nice grab ‘n’ go touch, perfect for post-playtime toting.
17. Bahama Slip-On ($30): Your little one looks sweet right down to her toes in these colorful canvas kicks. They also offer some solid support for pre-walkers who are just learning the basics of balance.
18. Mary Jane Baby Girl Shoes ($36): A modern navy and white geo print pairs with red poppy flowers to create a feminine little flat. We’ve said this before (but it’s impossible to resist saying again)… SO cute.
19. Brooklee Union Jack Boot ($75): Who says a leather boot has to be boring? Make a statement with a pair of leather kicks that are styled with a vintage-inspired Union Jack. They’re lined in leather and feature an air cushion insole to protect little feet.
20. Barefoot Baby Sandal ($15): Why cover up those irresistible baby tootsies? Barefoot baby sandals are one of the hottest new trends. Basically, it’s hair bows meet sandals meets frilly baby girl accessories.
21. Baby Souls Ballet Slippers ($32): Every girl, no matter how small, deserves a pair of pretty ballet slippers. These extra special lacy flats in navy and cream are lined with natural canvas and an insole of soft fleece for ultimate comfort.
What mini kicks are you coveting? Talk to us in the comments below.
Welcome to Selfmade Finance School, our new money series with Block Advisors to help small business owners with their tax, bookkeeping, and payroll needs year-round. This week, we explore the tax implications of bringing family members into your business.
The question for today is this: Does hiring your family members make sense for your business? Let me be clear. This is not a piece about whether hiring your family members makes sense for your relationships with those family members. As someone who is part of a family business, I could fill up a lot more than 600 words on my opinions about that. For today's purposes, we focus on whether it makes sense from an overall "good business and tax implication" perspective. As it turns out, there is a decent amount of tax nuance when it comes to employing your family. Let's break it down based on relationship to the employee:
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Spouses Who Are In Business Together
Personally, if I had to be in business with my husband, it would not go well. However, many couples build viable, strong businesses together and I say, good for them! Depending on how you have your business entity structured, it will make a big difference on the tax treatment of you and your spouse working as partners. Because a business jointly owned and operated by a married couple is generally treated as a partnership for Federal tax purposes, the spouses must comply with filing and record keeping requirements imposed on partnerships and their partners. The election to file two Schedule C (Form 1040) forms, (one for each spouse) permits certain married co-owners to avoid filing partnership returns, provided that each spouse separately reports a share of all the businesses' items of income, gain, loss, deduction, and credit. Under the election, both spouses will be subject to self-employment tax and on net earnings from self-employment and receive credit for Social Security earnings.
One Spouse Employs Another
If you have a dynamic where your spouse is an employee of your business, then your spouse's wages are subject to income tax withholding, Social Security and Medicare taxes. If you are self-employed (not a corporation or a partnership), your spouse's pay does not have to be included in your federal unemployment tax account (FUTA) contributions and payments. However, if your business is a corporation or a partnership you must include that spouse's pay in your unemployment tax contribution calculation.
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You Employ Your Child
First, let's be clear. I work in my family business, but I am an adult, so I am treated just like a normal employee. However, if you, for example, run a family restaurant and want to hire your children under 18 to work for you, there are some tax benefits. But first, you should check with your state for rules on how many hours minors can work (in non-agricultural jobs) and reference the Fair Labor Standards Act for information on limitations on the kinds of work children can perform.
"This is an often overlooked or under-utilized strategy. Paying your children for true services they provide in your business can be a powerful tax-saving tool," says Cathi Reed, Block Advisors Regional Director. "If you are a sole-proprietorship or single member LLC, and the child is less than 18 years of age, the business is not required to withhold FICA or payroll taxes. The child can use his or her standard deduction against income you pay."
You Hire Your Parent
Oh dear. If you are brave enough to do this, know that you will need to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes on your parent's wages and make the appropriate withholdings, but you don't have to pay unemployment taxes. Now all you have to do is convince your parent that you are the boss. Have fun with that!
Is Hiring Family Members Worth It For The Tax Benefits?
"There are some positive tax advantages to hiring family members. It's important to treat a family member like any other employee. Hiring your children can result in substantial savings for businesses. Make sure your child has real, age-appropriate work to do and a reasonable pay rate, comparable to other employees. Consult with a Block Advisors small business certified tax pro to ensure that you are complying with all requirements," advises Reed. "Block Advisors, a team within H&R Block, is dedicated to meeting the tax, bookkeeping and payroll needs of small business owners year-round. To start working with the tax experts at Block Advisors, visit blockadvisors.com."
In my opinion, you should not hire a family member solely because of the tax benefits. You should always hire based on whether that person is right for the job and keep in mind how this hire could materially impact your relationship with that person and others in your family. Finally, as I mentioned, make sure you have a tax professional on your team when making these determinations. As you can see, things can get a little tricky!
*All details were sourced from IRS.gov and blockadvisors.com
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect those held by Kestra Investment Services, LLC or Kestra Advisory Services, LLC. This is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific investment advice or recommendations for any individual. It is suggested that you consult your financial professional, attorney, or tax advisor with regards to your individual situation. Comments concerning the past performance are not intended to be forward looking and should not be viewed as an indication of future results. Securities offered through Kestra Investment Services, LLC (Kestra IS), member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Kestra Advisory Services, LLC (Kestra AS), an affiliate of Kestra IS. O'Keeffe Financial Partners and any other entity listed herein is not affiliated with Kestra IS or Kestra AS Investor Disclosures: https://bit.ly/KF-Disclosures