Extra Wide School Shoes – Extra Depth and with a Round Toe-Box!
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.
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.
Pro Tip: If you’re pressed for time, you can go straight to the selection of extra wide school shoes for kids.
What Makes the School Shoes I Recommend Effective for Extra Wide Feet?
In addition to being labeled as wide or extra wide, your kids’ back to school shoes must provide 2 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.
The issue is that children’s shoes don’t come labeled as “extra deep” or with a “round toe-box”, so parents get confused as to how they are supposed to find them. The good news is that I know exactly which shoe styles provide those 2 key features from having fitted them before.
Your children’s back to school shoes must fit the shape of their extra wide feet perfectly, otherwise, your child might end up developing blisters, calluses, and corns, as well as foot and leg pain.
In addition to fitting the shape of your child’s extra wide feet, your kids back to school shoes must provide good everyday support and should be made from breathable materials.
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.
Families of Children with Extra Wide Feet – Can You Relate to Their Experiences?
I have been contacted by several families who were having the hardest time finding a pair of extra wide back to school shoes for their children. Let’s take a look at what they had to say since you might relate to their experiences:
“I am going nuts trying to find a pair of back to school shoes for my boy with extra wide feet and a high instep. I always notice imprints on the top of my child’s feet when I take the shoes off”
“My boy’s feet look like frying pans and every year we have the hardest time finding school shoes that fit”
“I am really struggling to find school shoes for my girl’s feet. She has extra wide feet and wants to wear a Mary Jane but I can’t seem to find a single style to accommodate her extra wide feet.”
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.
The Best Extra Wide School Shoes
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
- Shoe style Jace by Hush Puppies
- Available in medium and wide widths
- Double velcro straps
- Padded collar for comfort
- Memory Foam foot bed for all-day comfort and support
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Shoe style Claire by Stride Rite
- Available in medium, wide, and extra wide widths
- 100% leather
- Padded collar for comfort
- Memory foam insole for enhanced comfort
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Shoe style Lanyard by Sperry
- Fits medium and wide feet
- 100% leather
- Cushioned insoles with additional padding at the heel
- Lace up closure for secure fit
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Shoe style Jungle Moccasin by Merrell
- Fits medium and wide feet
- 100% leather
- Outsole has excellent grip
- Air Cushion midsole allows long-wearing comfort
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Shoe style Fresh Foam 650v1 by New Balance
- 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
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Shoe style Prodigy 5100 by School Issue
- Available in medium and wide widths
- 100% leather
- Padded collar for comfort
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Shoe style Fresh Foam 650v1 by New Balance
- 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
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Shoe style Sr Murphy by Stride Rite
- Available in medium and wide widths
- Lace-up closure
- Premium leather with a padded heel collar
- Memory-foam insole provides enhanced comfort
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Shoe style Dirty Buck by Polo
- Fits medium or wide feet
- 100% leather
- Lace-up closure
- Full welt stitching
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Shoe style Fresh Foam 650v1 by New Balance
- 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
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Shoe style Fresh Foam 650v1 by New Balance
- 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
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Shoe style 990v6 by New balance
- Available in medium, wide, and extra wide widths
- The ABZORB midsole absorbs impact through a combination of cushioning and compression resistance
- Order this shoe half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Shoe style Jace by Hush Puppies
- 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
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Shoe style Hp-Reese Mary Jane by Hush Puppies
- Available in medium and wide widths
- 100% leather
- Outsole has excellent grip
- Supportive outsole
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Shoe style Fresh Foam X 860v13 by New balance
- 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
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Shoe style Jungle Moc Moccasin by Merrell
- Available in medium and wide widths
- 100% leather
- Outsole has excellent grip
- Air Cushion midsole allows long-wearing comfort
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
In each of the descriptions of the shoes, I indicate whether you need to order a half size or a whole size bigger than your child’s foot size to provide the correct amount of growing room.
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.
Please remember that wearing shoes that are too narrow can cause several issues to your child’s feet that range from blisters, calluses, and corns, to general foot and leg pain.
Let’s Figure Out Your Child’s Exact Foot Size – Simple Steps!
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.
That is the reason why I created a listing of the US where you will be able to find specialized children’s fitting shoe stores by state.
If after looking at that resource you still can’t seem to find a good shoe store in your area, please proceed to take a look at another article that I created where I describe the simplest, yet most effective way to figure out your child’s foot size from home. 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.
Contact Us – Get a Personalized Recommendation!
Finding a pair of extra wide shoes is not an easy task, but I have written several other articles that cover pretty much everything that parents need to know about children with extra wide feet and a high instep.
I want you to remember one thing: it doesn’t matter how wide your children’s feet are, there is always at least one particular shoe style out there that will fit the shape of your child’s feet perfectly, and I will help you find them.
What Are the Best Extra Wide Sneakers for Kids?
Take a look at a different resource I created to access a selection of the best extra wide sneakers for kids.
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:
