Dress Sandals for Kids with Wide Feet – Stylish, Supportive, and Comfortable!
Are you having a hard time finding a pair of dress sandals for your child with wide feet? Do you feel like you try a whole bunch of different sandals but always end up empty handed? Finding a pair of dress sandals for a child with wide feet can be a frustrating and time-consuming experience. Let me show you a list of the best dress sandals for kids with wide feet
What sounds worse? Shopping for your dress sandals or shopping for dress sandals for your children with wide feet? There is only a small selection of dress sandals for kids with wide feet, but the good news is that I will help you find them.
You might be thinking: That’s great, but my child has high instep too. So, what to do in that case? No worries, the dress sandals that I recommend are capable of fitting children with high insteps as well.
If you are in a rush, you can go directly to the selection of dress sandals for kids with wide feet.
How Does a High Instep Look Like?
The instep is the top part of the foot, and when it’s high, it makes it really difficult to find shoes that fit. Below is an image of a child with wide feet and a high instep:
My Practical Experience with Dress Sandals for Kids with Wide Feet
Thanks to my many years of experience working at a specialized shoe store, I have become familiar with the best children’s shoe brands and the best shoe styles among those brands from having fitted them before.
The sandals that I recommend provide extra depth and a rounder toe-box to accommodate the shape of a child with wide feet. The sandals are also supportive, lightweight, flexible, durable, comfortable, and made out of 100% leather. Leather sandals are always softer and mold to the shape of your child’s feet. Always avoid dress sandals made of synthetic materials as they often feel hard against your kids’ feet.
Did I forget to mention stylish? While I am no fashion expert, I have been told that the sandals that I recommend are very stylish.
Some of the shoe brands that manufacture dress sandals for children with wide feet are:
- See Kai Run
- Frodo
- Livie & Luca
- Nina
- Stride Rite
Did I forget to mention a particular brand that makes high-quality and supportive dress sandals for children with wide feet? Feel free to let me know in the comments section below.
What Makes the Dress Sandals I Recommend Effective for Wide Feet?
Let me show you why the sandals that I recommend are the best type for children with wide feet and high insteps.
1️⃣ Rounder Toe-Boxes: This feature helps prevent your child’s toes from rubbing against one another or the side of the sandals.
2️⃣ Extra Depth: This feature allows the child’s wide feet to fit deeply inside the sandals and prevents the top part of the feet (instep), from rubbing against the top part of the sandals.
Do You Know Your Child’s Foot Size? – Let’s Find Out!
To buy your kids’ shoes online, you must know their exact foot size. I always recommend parents take their kids to be properly fitted for shoes at their local shoe store, where a shoe fitter can measure their feet and find shoes that fit. Start by taking a look at a resource I created where I describe the best fitting children’s shoe stores by state.
If you don’t happen to have a children’s shoe store in your area, then take a look at an article that describes the simplest, yet most effective way to figure out your child’s foot size from home. Go to the link below:
In that article I help parents determine their child’s exact foot length and whether the child has narrow, medium, wide, or extra wide feet. I also will be able to tell you whether your child has a high instep or not.
Now that you know your child’s exact foot size and what 2 important features these sandals provide, you are ready to see a selection of the best dress sandals for kids with wide feet. 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.
The Best Dress Sandals for Kids with Wide Feet
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.
Girls
- Shoe style Summer Time by Stride Rite
- Fits medium, wide, and extra wide feet (fits high insteps)
- 100% leather
- Padded heel collar for comfort
- Memory foam insole for enhanced comfort
- Order this sandal half a size larger than your toddler’s current foot size
- Shoe style Gloria III by See Kai Run
- Fits wide and extra wide feet
- Water-friendly and machine washable
- EVA foam footbed cushions and softly supports for all-day comfort
- Rigid at the toe box
- Order this sandal half a size larger than you toddler’s current foot size
- Shoe style Sr Whitney by Stride Rite
- Available in wide widths
- 100% leather
- Padded heel collar for comfort
- Memory foam insole for enhanced comfort
- Order this sandal half a size larger than your toddler’s foot size
- Shoe style Paley Ii by See Kai Run
- Fits wide and extra wide feet
- Water-friendly and machine washable
- EVA foam footbed cushions and softly supports for all-day comfort
- Rigid at the toe box
- Order this sandal half a size larger than you child’s current foot size
- Shoe style Sr Whitney by Stride Rite
- Available in wide widths
- 100% leather
- Padded heel collar for comfort
- Memory foam insole for enhanced comfort
- Order this sandal half a size larger than your toddler’s foot size
- Shoe style 360 by Stride Rite
- Fits medium and wide feet
- Double adjustable straps
- Machine washable
- Memory foam footbed
- Order this sandal the same size as your child’s current foot size
- Shoe style Bare Steps by Merrell
- Available in wide widths
- 100% Leather
- 2 adjustable velcro straps for easy on and off
- Outsole with rounded edges to follow the natural shape of a child’s foot
- Flexible grooves on the outsole for a barefoot feel
- Order this sandal a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Shoe style Kaisa by See Kai Run
- Fits wide and extra wide feet (fits high insteps)
- FlexiRun EVA foam outsole is ultra-lightweight and flexible with durable traction pattern for outdoor wear
- Dual hook-and-loop straps allow for a secure fit and custom adjustability
- Water-friendly and machine washable
- Order this sandal half a size larger than your toddler’s foot size
- Shoe style Gloria V by See Kai Run
- Fits wide and extra wide feet (fits high insteps)
- Textile and synthetic upper
- Adjustable ankle strap with hook-and-loop closure.
- Water-friendly
- Order this sandal half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
Boys
- Shoe style SRT Archie by Stride Rite
- Available in wide and extra wide widths
- Easy on-and-off with an oversized opening and hook and loop closure
- Slip-resistant traction with sensory pod technology to help feel the ground underneath
- Order this sandal half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Shoe style Bare Steps H20 by Merrell
- Available in wide widths
- 100% leather
- Flexible grooves on the outsole for a barefoot feel
- Convenient alternative closure for a snug fit and easy on/off
- Order this sandal half a size larger than you toddler’s current foot size
- Shoe style SRT Oaklynn by Stride Rite
- Available in wide widths
- 100% leather
- Flexible grooves on the outsole for a barefoot feel
- Double velcro straps for easy on and off
- Order this sandal half a size larger than you toddler’s current foot size
- Shoe style Flex Sydney by Pediped
- Fits medium and wide feet
- Water-friendly and machine washable
- EVA foam footbed cushions and softly supports for all-day comfort
- Rigid at the toe box
- Order this sandal half a size larger than you child’s current foot size
- Shoe style Jude Iv Fisherman by See Kai Run
- Fits wide and extra wide feet
- Water-friendly and machine washable
- High heel design provides better support and helps with lateral movements
- Order this sandal half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Shoe style Double Strap by Lucky Brand
- 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
- Order this sandal half a size larger than your toddler’s current foot size
- Shoe style Kolding by UGG
- Fits wide and extra wide feet (fits high insteps)
- Textile and synthetic upper
- Adjustable ankle strap with hook-and-loop closure.
- Water-friendly
- Order this sandal half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
What Sandal Size Should You Order?
Please note that most sandals are only available in whole sizes only. In each of the descriptions of the sandals, I indicate whether you need to order a half a size or a whole size bigger than your child’s foot size to provide the correct amount of growing room.
These are the features that these sandals provide:
1️⃣ 100% Leather: The sandals are all made out of leather, which helps keep your kids’ feet healthy and comfortable. Leather sandals are softer and more comfortable, and leather helps prevent the sandals from developing a smell. The leather material is always softer and it molds to the shape of your children’s feet, making them feel more comfortable.
2️⃣ Support: This feature helps attenuate the impact that your kids’ feet and legs take every time they come in contact with the ground, allowing your child to be able to wear these sandals for longer periods of time.
3️⃣ Lightweight and Flexible: These two features help prevent your kid’s feet and legs from easily getting tired.
Are Your Kids’ Sandals Wide Enough?
- Do you usually notice imprints on your kids’ feet when you take the sandals off? This is the first sign that the sandals that your child is wearing might be too narrow:
- Are your kids’ toes cramped against the side of the sandals? This is the second sign that the sandals might be too narrow:
Keep in mind that when children don’t feel comfortable in a particular shoe, they will refuse to wear it, so make sure that the shoes that you provide for your child are always the correct size and made from comfortable, high-quality materials.
What Are the Best Sneakers for Kids with Wide Feet?
I created a different resource that describes the best everyday sneakers for kids with wide feet.
Are Any Other Sandal Choices Available?
Do not hesitate to contact me directly via email if you have any further questions or if you need a different pair of sandals for your child.
Are you having a hard time finding a pair of wide sandals for yourself? There is a different website that describes the best wide sandals for women that also provide excellent support.
Is there a particular shoe brand or sandal style that has worked well for your kids with wide feet? Please share your findings below so other parents can benefit from your experiences.
Thank you for your article. My daughter is 14 and wears a size 3-4 in kids. Her foots is very wide and her toes are short. She would like to wears wedges or heels of some kind, but we can’t find any shoes that fit her foot that aren’t little girl shoes.
Hello Shawna,
I understand your frustration. It’s hard for me to tell what might work without looking at her feet, so please feel free to email me pictures of her feet to get a better idea of how wide her feet are. In the meantime you can start trying a couple of styles that I have fitted before for girls with wide feet.
Wide Sandal: Option 1
Wide Sandal: Option 2
I hope this helps!
Shawna,
Keep in mind that you can always get her a pair of sandals in women’s sizes (she will translate to a woman’s shoe size 5). Let me know if you will be interested in doing that, I can send you more options.
I am a 55 year old woman just diagnosed with plantar fasciitis. I often have to buy kids shoes that don’t look grown up enough. Help! I am a size 4 semi-wide (not narrow for sure, but not extra wide). I was buying shows from Naturalizer but they have gotten more expensive and their size 4 shows have gotten more narrow. And did I say that they are expensive! Any suggestions would be helpful. Even the shoes the ortho told me to try like Teva or Hoka don’t come in size 4. I have lived with small feet my whole life; it’s not fun as most shoes start at size 5 for women’s grown-up looking shoes. P.S. I have tried New Balance in the past and they did not work for me. It’s been many years ago now so I don’t remember why they didn’t work. Nike seem to feel the best (in kids) but they don’t have lots of support. Sorry to rant but you seem to be the only person that gets how difficult it is having kids’ sized shoes, being an adult, and having plantar fasciitis (left foot). Lastly, I also have a very high arch.
Hello Kathy,
Finding shoes for narrow feet can be a frustrating and time-consuming experience if you don’t know what shoe styles to look for, especially when you are in those particular hard sizes.
A woman’s shoe size 4 translates to a kids’ shoe size 2 1/2.
Correct me if I am wrong, but it seems like you need a pair of supportive shoes that come with a firm heel counter (for your plantar fasciitis), and the shoes need to be deep as well (to accommodate your high arch).
I know you said that New Balance shoes didn’t work for you, but there are hundreds different styles among that brand and they all fit different. I mention this because there is a particular shoe style made by New Balance (the 990 series), that fit extremely well.
I don’t know how much you are looking to spend but here is how the style looks like, and you might find a previous version for a cheaper price:
New Balance Deep and Supportive Shoe: Option 1
New Balance Deep and Supportive Shoe: Option 2
If you have tried these styles before and they haven’t worked, please get back at me and I can recommend some Asics shoe styles that might work.
I hope this helps!
Hello again,
I forgot to mention one thing. Have you ever tried inserting a tongue pad inside the shoes? They are extremely effective in snugging up the whole shoe and filling any remaining gap around the ankles. A tongue pad is an adhesive backed pad that goes in the tongue of the shoe and pushes your heels against the back of the shoe securing and protecting them. You can learn more about tongue pads here:
Leather Shoe Tongue Pads – Stop Heel Slippage