Extra Wide School Shoes – Extra Depth and with a Round Toe-Box!

March 20, 2023 Back to School Shoes Juan Valenzuela 0 - Comments

Are you having a hard time finding a pair of extra wide school shoes for your child? Do you feel like you try a whole bunch of different shoes and they all end up being too narrow? Finding a pair of extra wide back to school shoes can be a time-consuming and frustrating thing to do, especially if you don’t know what shoe brands to look for. Even if you know what shoe brands are better for children with extra wide feet, there will only be a few shoe styles among those brands capable of accommodating the shape of a child with extra wide feet.

Don’t Make This Common Mistake

One common mistake that parents make is providing their children with longer shoes aiming to reduce the pressure on the widest part of their feet. This will allow for too much foot movement inside the shoe which can lead to blisters, and you will also end up compromising your child’s stability, making your child more prone to slipping and falling.

Another common mistake parents make is assuming that once they find a pair of shoes that is labeled as wide (“W”) or extra wide (“XW”), then that shoe style will automatically fit the shape of their child’s extra wide feet.

In addition to being labeled as wide or extra wide, your kids’ back to school shoes must provide two important features that most parents are not aware of:

1️⃣ Extra Depth: This particular feature allows your children’s feet to fit deeply inside their school shoes, preventing the top part of their feet (instep) from rubbing against the top part of the shoes. Shoes that provide extra depth also prevent the top part of your kids’ toes from rubbing against the top front part of the shoes. Let me show you the difference between a school shoe that provides extra depth versus one that doesn’t:

2️⃣ Rounder Toe-Boxes: This feature helps prevent your child’s toes from rubbing against one another or the side of the shoes. Let me show you the difference between a school shoe that comes with a rounder toe-box versus one that comes with a pointier one:

Through my 10 years of fitting children’s shoes, I have noticed that there are only a few back to school shoe styles that will fit the shape of a child with extra wide feet. Some children have extra wide feet and a high instep, which makes the selection of shoes that can fit their feet even more limited.

What Is the Instep of the Foot?

Do you know what the instep of the foot is? The instep is the top part of the foot. Take a look at the image below for clarification. When children have high insteps, there is a lot of extra foot volume that needs to be fitted inside of the shoes:

That is the reason why I was mentioning the key role of finding shoes with extra depth, since they allow for the foot to fit deeply inside the shoes, preventing the top part of the child’s feet from rubbing against the top part of the shoes.

Certain schools require you to follow a certain dress code policy, which means that your kids’ back to school shoes must be made of a specific material and from a particular color (black or white). Please check this before you decide to order any of the shoes I recommend below.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at a selection of the best extra wide school shoes for kids. Disclosure: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases.

Best Extra Wide School Shoes – Round Toe-Boxes and Deep

All of the back to school shoes below are capable of fitting children with extra wide feet, just make sure that you choose the correct width

Order the shoe style Jace by Hush Puppies on Amazon

Available in medium and wide widths

Double velcro straps

Padded collar for comfort

Memory Foam foot bed for all-day comfort and support

I suggest that you get this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size

Order the shoe style Claire by Stride Rite on Zappos

Available in medium, wide, and extra wide widths

100% leather

Padded collar for comfort

Memory foam insole for enhanced comfort

I suggest that you get this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size

Order the shoe style Lanyard by Sperry on Amazon

Fits medium and wide feet

100% leather

Cushioned insoles with additional padding at the heel

Lace up closure for secure fit

I suggest that you get this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size

Order the shoe style Jungle Moccasin by Merrell on Amazon

Fits medium and wide feet

100% leather

Outsole has excellent grip

Air Cushion midsole allows long-wearing comfort

I suggest that you get this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size

Order the shoe style Fresh Foam 650v1 by New Balance on the New Balance website

Available in medium, wide, and extra wide widths

The ABZORB midsole absorbs impact through a combination of cushioning and compression resistance

Padded collar for comfort

Lace-up closure

I suggest that you get this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size

Order the shoe style Prodigy 5100 by School Issue on Amazon

Available in medium and wide widths

100% leather

Padded collar for comfort

I suggest that you get this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size

Order the shoe style Fresh Foam 650v1 by New Balance on the New Balance website

Available in medium, wide, and extra wide widths

The ABZORB midsole absorbs impact through a combination of cushioning and compression resistance

Padded collar for comfort

Lace-up closure

I suggest that you get this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size

Order the shoe style Sr Murphy by Stride Rite on Amazon

Available in medium and wide widths

Lace-up closure

Premium leather with a padded heel collar

Memory-foam insole provides enhanced comfort

I suggest that you get this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size

Order the shoe style Dirty Buck by Polo on Amazon

Fits medium or wide feet

100% leather

Lace-up closure

Full welt stitching

I suggest that you get this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size

Order the shoe style Fresh Foam 650v1 by New Balance on the New Balance website

Available in medium, wide, and extra wide widths

The ABZORB midsole absorbs impact through a combination of cushioning and compression resistance

Padded collar for comfort

Velcro closure

I suggest that you get this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size

Order the shoe style Fresh Foam 650v1 by New Balance on the New Balance website

Available in medium, wide, and extra wide widths

The ABZORB midsole absorbs impact through a combination of cushioning and compression resistance

Padded collar for comfort

Velcro closure

I suggest that you get this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size

Order the shoe style 990v6 by New Balance on the New Balance website

Available in medium, wide, and extra wide widths

The ABZORB midsole absorbs impact through a combination of cushioning and compression resistance

I suggest that you get this shoe a half size larger than your child’s current foot size

Order the shoe style Jace by Hush Puppies on Amazon

Available in medium and wide widths

100% leather

Easy on-and-off with an oversized opening hook and loop closure

Lace up closure for secure fit

I suggest that you get this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size

Order the shoe style Hp-Reese Mary Jane by Hush Puppies on Amazon

Available in medium and wide widths

100% leather

Outsole has excellent grip

Supportive outsole

I suggest that you get this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size

Order the shoe style Fresh Foam X 860v13 by New Balance on the New Balance website

Available in medium and wide widths

The ABZORB midsole absorbs impact through a combination of cushioning and compression resistance

Synthetic and engineered mesh upper

Lace-up closure

I suggest that you get this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size

Order the shoe style Jungle Moc Moccasin by Merrell on Amazon

Available in medium and wide widths

100% leather

Outsole has excellent grip

Air Cushion midsole allows long-wearing comfort

I suggest that you get this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size

There are no other back to school shoes that fit wider than the ones I just recommended, so if you find that these shoes are still not wide enough for your child’s feet, you might have to consider using a shoe stretcher to make the shoes fit a little wider.

These shoes will also provide good support to your child’s feet by minimizing the impact that your kids’ feet take when they come in contact with the ground. Furthermore, these shoes are also extremely durable which means that your children will outgrow these shoes before they wear them down.

How to Order the Exact Shoe Size Online

Parents should take their children to be properly fitted for shoes at their local specialized children’s shoe store, where a shoe fitter can accurately measure their child’s feet and find shoes that fit.

The issue is that most specialized children’s shoe stores have been closing down, and parents either have to take their children to big retailers such as Nordstrom’s or Payless, where they don’t really know how to measure children’s feet properly. For that reason, I created a virtual shoe fitting service that will help you retrieve your child’s shoe size from home.

Get a Personalized Recommendation!

There are sports shoes, boots, sandals, and dress shoes that will fit children with extra wide feet. You just need to know which styles these are, and if you are in doubt, please contact me directly and I will help you find them:

fittingchildrensshoes@gmail.com