Best Stride Rite Shoes for Toddlers with Extra Wide Feet

Do you have a toddler with extra wide feet and always struggle to find shoes that fit comfortably? Did a friend or family member recommend that you try Stride Rite shoes but you are unsure about which models can fit an extra wide foot? Stride Rite is the go-to shoe brand for many families of children with extra wide feet, but among this shoe brand, certain models are a lot wider than others. I know which are the best Stride Rite shoes for toddlers with extra wide feet from having fitted them before.

When a child has extra wide feet, it takes a lot more than choosing a shoe that is labeled as wide (W) or extra wide (X-Wide) and hoping that it will accommodate your child’s foot shape. Do you feel like it’s the fight of your life to simply get the shoes on your toddler’s feet? Do you notice indentations and red marks on the top part of your toddler’s feet when you remove the shoes, as shown below?

The best toddler shoes for extra wide feet are designed with extra depth and rounded toe-boxes for a fit that could save the day and your sanity. In addition, you will notice that the Stride Rite shoes that I recommend provide oversized openings to make it a breeze to get the shoes on and off.

What Makes the Stride Rite Shoes I Recommend Ideal for Extra Wide Feet?

1️⃣ Extra Depth: This feature allows your toddler’s feet to sit deeply inside of the shoes, preventing the top part of the foot (instep) from rubbing against the top part of the shoes. This feature is ideal if your toddler has a high instep. Take a look at the image below for better visualization purposes:

2️⃣ Round Toe-Boxes: This feature helps prevent your toddler’s toes from rubbing against one another or the side of the shoes, preventing blisters, calluses, and corns.

3️⃣ Oversized Openings: This feature makes it easier for parents and children to get their shoes on and off. Toddlers with chubby feet have a hard time slipping into shoes that don’t easily open allowing their feet to slide in without any issues

4️⃣ Available in Extra Wide Widths: All of the Stride Rite shoes that I recommend are available in extra wide widths. Sometimes I have seen families buy shoes because they are told that they “fit” wider than others, and while this is partly true, if your child has extra wide feet you will likely need a shoe that is labeled as extra wide.

Are Your Toddler’s Feet Wide or Extra Wide?

Let’s clarify one common misconception about children’s shoes: There’s wide and then there’s extra wide, and Stride Rite offers both sizes! Several families assume that their children have wide feet when in fact they have extra wide feet. If your toddler has extra wide feet a pair of wide shoes might not cut it, you will need the extra wide width, which is not the same.

Sizing Up Is Not the Solution! – Avoid Trips and Falls!

While sizing up might seem like an easy solution, you don’t want your toddler tripping over their feet.

It’s best to take your time until you find a shoe that fits your toddler’s feet perfectly (correct length and width). You can use many of the online measuring charts to identify your toddler’s correct shoe size. However, for width, you’ll need to do a little more investigating. To make things easier for you, I created a resource that in just two simple steps will help you determine your toddler’s exact foot length and shape (wide or extra wide)

Stride Rite shoes help build strength, coordination and confidence from a child’s first steps through their older years. I really value that this shoe company invests money in rigorous testing to earn the APMA Seal of Approval for shoes that help promote kids’ foot health. 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. This allows us to create free content and resources for many families around the world. 

Best Stride Rite Shoes for Toddlers with Extra Wide Feet

Take a look at the description below each Stride Rite shoe that I recommend to find out what features it provides and the size you should order to allow for the correct amount of growing room. There might be 2 or 3 styles that are only available in wide widths, but those specific styles fit really wide.

Do I Have to Buy Multiple Pairs of Shoes for My Toddler?

No, toddlers all need one good pair for everyday wear.

Keep in mind that these are not all of the Stride Rite shoes available in extra wide widths. The reason why some models didn’t make the list is that even though they are available in extra wide widths, they don’t fit as wide as the models I recommended above.

Most of the time you can feel confident that selecting an extra wide sized-shoe will work for your toddler’s extra wide feet. However, I have found that if a shoe doesn’t provide extra depth or has a flexible tongue that can be folded back all of the way, the extra wide size might not cut it.

Additional Features of These Stride Rite Shoes

  • They are Made of Soft and Safe Materials

The shoes are made with flexible, rounded rubber outsoles that match the natural shape of the child’s foot and promote stability and sensory feedback. The shoes made for older children include a reinforced shank for extra support.

  • Sensory Response Technology

This technology helps enhance proprioception, or the way joints and muscles communicate with the brain to help coordinate movement and improve stability.

Fit Should Always Remain Your Top Priority

My philosophy is to try to always find the best-fitting shoe possible. It doesn’t really matter all of the features that a shoe provides, if the shoes are not fitted properly, your child won’t get any of the benefits that the shoes have to offer.

Unsure About Which Stride Rite Shoe Will Work Best for Your Toddler’s Feet?

You can ask your question in the comments section below or send me an email:

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How Often Should You Resize Your Toddler’s Feet?

Did you know that shoes that don’t fit properly might cause malalignment of joints, restrict normal growth of the feet, and limit the natural movement of foot joints?

Toddler’s feet can grow extremely quickly. In my experience, toddler’s can outgrow their shoes every 3 to 4 months.

Do You Have a Good Fitting Children’s Shoe Store in Your Area?

This resource I created is specially for those families who don’t have a local shoe store to take their children to be properly fitted for shoes. It’s always best to visit your local children’s shoe store to have your toddler’s feet properly measured and the shoes properly fitted. I like to make the analogy that when a child needs glasses, most parents won’t buy them off the shelf instead of going to an optician. Check out a list of the best specialized children’s shoe stores by state.

If your toddler constantly removes the shoes, have patience! Your toddler might be trying to tell you something such as whether the shoes are too small or too narrow.

Do you have a favorite shoe for your child’s extra wide feet? Please share your findings and insights in the comments section below so other families can benefit from your experiences!