FAQs

How Do I Customize The Fit?

How Do I Put On Booties?

What Size Should I Get?

Have your child stand on a flat surface on a piece of paper and mark the tip of the longest toe and the back of the heel; measure and add ½” for growing room.  Refer to the sizing chart to find the corresponding size. If the measurement is within ¼”, go up a size.  Our felted wool booties will stretch and mold to the little one's feet after a few hours of wear.

Can Booties Be Worn As Winter Boots?

Our booties are crafted from felted New Zealand lambswool, resulting in a breathable, warm, and water-resistant product that will keep your little one dry even in cool and damp weather. For particularly cold days, they can also wear wool socks inside the booties to enhance warmth.

Although the natural leather outer soles are internally lined with felted wool for cushioning and insulation against cold surfaces, they are not designed to replace heavy winter boots that offer full wind and water-proof protection. If you're in search of foul-weather footwear that combines the benefits of soft soles, we recommend pairing our booties with weatherproof nylon shells for the best performance in challenging conditions.

How Do I Wash My Merino Wool Cardigan or Knit Bonnet?

To keep your hand-knit goods clean and looking good, hand wash them with lukewarm water and mild detergent like the Eucalan wool soap we carry on our website. Rinse well, gently press out any remaining water, and lay flat to dry.

If the garment is heavily soiled, machine wash separately with cold water on a gentle cycle and lay out to dry.  (Washing with other garments in the machine will cause the wool to felt and the garment to shrink.)

Putting your wool products in a dryer will cause them to shrink dramatically and should therefore be avoided. Damage/shrinkage due to drying in a machine will void warranty.

Can You Wash Nooks Booties?

To keep your booties clean, we recommend using a gentle detergent and hand washing them. In cases of heavy soiling, it is safe to machine wash them in cold water on a delicate cycle, but it's advisable to launder them separately from other clothing items. The crucial step in the cleaning process is to air dry them and refrain from exposing them to high heat sources, such as a dryer or a hot air vent. Please be aware that using a dryer to dry your booties will result in the voiding of the warranty.

What Type of Leather Do You Use?

We take pride in our commitment to using premium-quality leather, exclusively opting for 100% genuine cowhide leather in the crafting of our booties. While our finish is designed for durability, extensive wear and contact with abrasive surfaces may result in scuffs and scratches. This occurrence is entirely typical and does not indicate any manufacturing flaws.

It's important to be aware that there may be a potential for the leather dye to transfer onto lighter-coloured fabrics and clothing when exposed to moisture. This occurrence is not indicative of a manufacturing defect or cause for concern; it's a natural characteristic of the dye despite our use of high-quality materials.

Is Wool Going To Be Scratchy?

The felting process is a method that entails the application of warm water, soap, and friction to knitted wool. This process encourages the wool fibers to interlock, resulting in a material that possesses structural integrity and strength. Any loose ends are neatly tucked back into the fabric, yielding a soft and smooth surface that is gentle on the skin and doesn't cause irritation or scratching. If your child has a heightened sensitivity to wool fibers or experiences eczema, it is advisable to wear our booties with socks for added comfort and protection.

Slight Size Variation Between Pairs

Nooks Design booties are handcrafted, and as a result, they may have subtle sizing variations caused by differences in material thickness and the sewing process. These distinctions tend to be minimal and will disappear as your little one wears them and gently stretch them over time.

Good For Babies Learning To Walk?

Absolutely! Our initial inspiration for designing the first pair of booties stemmed from the desire to provide a fashionable, comfortable, and soft-soled shoe that would be perfect for our baby's early walking journey. A substantial body of research within the global pediatrics community underscores the benefits of allowing babies to walk either barefoot or in soft-soled shoes. This practice promotes improved balance, posture, and coordination. As children grow, they develop muscle strength by adapting to the varying contours of the ground they traverse.

When Can I Expect To Receive My Order?

We pick and ship your online orders within 48 business hours and as soon as they’re sent out the door to the post office, a note is sent to you electronically providing a tracking number. Please check your spam/junk box if you haven’t received this message as your email system may have filtered it out.

Ordered The Wrong Size?

Please refer to our Exchange Policy for all the details. We’re always happy to coordinate an exchange for unworn product towards anything else that’s listed on our website. Please note that you are responsible for return shipping, any difference in price between the returned and new item(s), and shipping back to you.  If the mistake was ours (ie. we sent the wrong item), please contact us and we will make things right and will take care of associated costs.

Do Your Booties Run “True To Size”?

Believe it or not, there is no international standard for baby/kids’ shoe sizes so fit will vary between brands. In order to ensure you get the correct size for your little one, please refer to our sizing chart.

Chubby Feet, Thick Ankles, Wide Feet?

One of the wonderful attributes of crafting our booties from felted natural wool is that they have the capacity to stretch and adapt to comfortably accommodate a broad spectrum of foot sizes and shapes. If you've followed our stretching techniques as demonstrated in our instructional videos and find that there are still some snug areas, dampen the wool booties using steam from a kettle and manually stretch between pinched fingers.  Once sufficiently cooled down, have the little one wear them for a few hours; the heat and pressure from their feet will help the booties conform to their foot shape.