Best Sandals for Heel Pain – Let’s Treat Your Child’s Heel Pain During the Summer!
Parents are often confused as to how they can treat and prevent their children’s heel pain during the summer. If your child wears summer sandals that don’t provide adequate support to the heels, your child will feel uncomfortable and in pain for most of the summer. Certain sandals provide extra cushion and padding right below the heels that makes them ideal for children with heel pain.
Keep in mind that when heel pain is left untreated, it can lead to difficulty in walking which will require complicated therapy. There is a very small selection of sandals that provide targeted cushion and support to the heel area, but the good news is that I will help you find them.
What Causes Heel Pain in Children?
Your kids’ heel’s growth plate is sensitive to repeated running and pounding on hard surfaces, resulting in muscle strain and inflamed tissue. In simple words, when there is too much repetitive stress on the growth plate, inflammation can develop.
One of the most common reasons why children experience heel pain is from having Sever’s disease, which is a condition that might take your child out of sports and out of gym classes for several years. Sever’s disease, also known as Calcaneal apophysitis, is the most common cause of heel pain in children.
Do Kids’ Sandals Provide Good Support?
Most off-the-shelf sandals provide minimal support and stability for the arch, heel, and forefoot. Because of the way that more sandals are designed, they can cause your kids’ toes to grab down, which can lead to making their plantar fascia tighter, increasing the chances of developing plantar fasciitis.
Key Features of the Supportive Sandals I Recommend
1️⃣ Heel Support: One of the reasons why the sandals that I recommend are so effective in significantly reducing or fully eliminating your kids’ heel pain is that the sandals feature extra padding around the heel area to promote equal weight distribution and enhance proper gait. This will take unnecessary pressure off your kid’s plantar fascia, relieving your kids’ heel pain and allowing your child to walk comfortably.
The sandals I recommend provide targeted cushion and support around the heel area. This will help treat and significantly reduce or fully eliminate your child’s heel pain during the summer.
2️⃣ Stable Base of Support: The sandals come with an internal support mechanism to absorb shock and provide extra cushion around the heel area to keep the heel supported. Notice how much thicker the sole of the Keen sandals is compared to the sandal on the left.
One additional feature that I love about this sandal is that even though it’s supportive, it’s lightweight and flexible at the same time, which will prevent your kids’ feet from easily getting tired.
I only review shoes that I have fitted before since that is the only way for me to tell how well-made the shoes are, the amount of support that they provide, and how they fit. Disclosure: Some links in this post may be affiliate links and we may receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you) when you click our links and make purchases.
Sandals for Kids with Heel Pain – Extra Cushion Below the Heels
Many of the sandals featured below come in several color options, so if your child likes a specific model, please make sure to click through and see if they have the desired color.
Toddler Sizes (0 to 10)
- Order the sandal style Newport H2 by Keen on Zappos
- Fits medium and wide feet (fits high insteps)
- This internal support mechanism is anatomically engineered to provide excellent arch support
- Machine washable
- I suggest that you get this sandal half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the sandal style Newport H2 by Keen on Zappos
- Fits medium and wide feet (fits high insteps)
- This internal support mechanism is anatomically engineered to provide excellent arch support
- Machine washable
- I suggest that you get this sandal half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the sandal style Pedro by Memo on Amazon
- Fits medium and wide feet
- Thermoplastic asymmetric stiff heel counter for proper feet protection and support
- This is an orthopedic sandal
- Genuine leather lining
- I suggest that you get this sandal a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the sandal style Betti by Memo on Amazon
- Fits medium and wide feet
- This is an orthopedic sandal
- Thermoplastic asymmetric stiff heel counter for proper feet protection and support
- Genuine leather lining
- I suggest that you get this sandal a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the sandal style Psyclone by Teva on Zappos
- Fits medium, wide, and extra wide feet
- Eva foam footbed cushions and softly supports
- Rubber outsole for great traction
- I suggest that you get this sandal half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the shoe style Hurricane by Teva on Zappos
- Fits medium, wide, and extra wide feet
- Two adjustable velcro straps
- Eva foam footbed cushions and softly supports
- Rubber outsole for great traction
- I suggest that you get this sandal a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the sandal style by Apakowa on Amazon
- Fits medium and wide feet
- Leather insole with arch support
- Two points of adjustability
- I suggest that you get this sandal a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the sandal style by Apakowa on Amazon
- Fits medium and wide feet
- Leather insole with arch support
- Two points of adjustability
- I suggest that you get this sandal a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the sandal style by Lucky Brand on Amazon
- Fits medium and wide feet (fits high insteps)
- Supportive footbed
- Adjustable buckles at the front and velcro strap at the back for easy on and off
- I suggest that you get this sandal half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the sandal style by Geox on Zappos
- Fits medium and wide feet
- EVA foam footbed cushions and softly supports for all-day comfort
- Rigid at the toe box
- I suggest that you get this sandal half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
Little/Big Kid Sizes (10.5 to 7)
- Order the sandal style Agnes by Memo on Amazon
- Fits medium, wide, and extra wide feet
- 100% leather made
- Extra depth to accommodate orthotics, AFOS, and internal modifications
- Ability to adjust the Hook and Loop strap length to the different feet width
- This is an orthopedic sandal
- I suggest that you get this sandal a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the sandal style Michael by Memo on Amazon
- Fits medium, wide, and extra wide feet
- 100% leather made
- Extra depth to accommodate orthotics, AFOS, and internal modifications
- Ability to adjust the Hook and Loop strap length to the different feet width
- This is an orthopedic sandal
- I suggest that you get this sandal a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the sandal style Newport H2 by Keen on Zappos
- Fits medium and wide feet
- This internal support mechanism is anatomically engineered to provide excellent arch support
- Machine washable
- I suggest that you get this sandal half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the sandal style Newport H2 by Keen on Zappos
- Fits medium and wide feet
- EVA insole with arch support for all-day comfort
- Machine washable
- I suggest that you get this sandal half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the sandal style Hurricane by Teva on Zappos
- Fits medium and wide feet
- 3 points of adjustability so children can make the sandals as tight or loose as they want
- Eva foam footbed cushions and softly supports for all day comfort
- Rigid at the toe box
- I suggest that you get this sandal a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the sandal style Hurricane by Teva on Zappos
- Fits medium and wide feet
- 3 points of adjustability so children can make the sandals as tight or loose as they want
- Eva foam footbed cushions and softly supports for all day comfort
- Rigid at the toe box
- I suggest that you get this sandal a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the sandal style Rio by Birkenstock on Zappos
- Fits medium and wide feet
- Suede-lined cork footbed offers excellent arch support, a deep heel cup, roomy toe box, and molds to the shape of each individual’s foot
- Flexible and lightweight EVA outsole is durable and shock-resisting
- I suggest that you get this sandal a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the sandal style Milano by Birkenstock on Zappos
- Fits medium and wide feet
- Suede-lined cork footbed offers excellent arch support, a deep heel cup, roomy toe box, and molds to the shape of each individual’s foot
- Flexible and lightweight EVA outsole is durable and shock-resisting
- I suggest that you get this sandal a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the sandal style Newport H2 by Keen on Amazon
- Fits medium and wide feet
- EVA insole with arch support for all-day comfort
- Machine washable
- I suggest that you get this sandal half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the sandal style Newport H2 by Keen on Amazon
- Fits medium and wide feet
- This internal support mechanism is anatomically engineered to provide excellent arch support
- Machine washable
- I suggest that you get this sandal half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
What Sandal Size Should You Order?
It’s important to note that most sandals are not available in half sizes; they are available in whole sizes only. This factor plays a key role in determining the final size that you will end up ordering for your child.
The sandals that I recommend fit true to size, so let’s take a look at a couple of different scenarios that will help you identify which sandal size your child should wear:
- If your child measures a foot size 7, I recommend ordering the sandal in a size 8 to allow for growing room.
- If your child measures a foot size 7 ½, I recommend ordering the sandal also in a size 8 to allow for growing room.
Makes sense?
Always keep a close eye on your kids’ feet for the following symptoms:
- Swelling and redness on your child’s heels
- Check if your child is limping or walking on his/her toes
- Check if your child complains about stiffness in the feet when waking up
- Check if your child complains about pain when you squeeze the heel on both sides
How to Order the Correct Shoe Size Online
I created a virtual shoe fitting service that will help you retrieve your child’s shoe size from home.
What Are the Best Sneakers for Kids with Heel Pain?
Before you leave, I wanted to leave with a different article that describes supportive sneakers for children with heel pain.
Allow your kids to have a pain-free summer with sandals that support their feet!
Have you tried any of the sandals that I recommend? Have you found a particular sandal that has been effective in reducing or fully eliminating your child’s heel pain? Please share your findings below so other parents can benefit from your experiences.