Hiking Boots for Kids with Flat Feet – Supportive, Lightweight, Flexible, and Waterproof!

Are you looking for a pair of supportive hiking boots to support your child’s flat feet? Does your child usually complain about his/her feet and legs feeling tired? Maybe you already found a pair of supportive sneakers and now you are looking for a pair of supportive hiking boots. There is only a small selection of hiking boots for kids with flat feet, but the good news is that I will help you find them.

If your child has flat feet, you need to look for hiking boots that provide good arch support and good cushioning to improve foot posture and help prevent pain.

When parents try to find a supportive hiking boot for their children with flat feet they usually find themselves staring at a wall full of shoes that look very similar and very different at the same time. Kids’ hiking boots don’t come labeled as “supportive” or with “extra arch support”, so the only way to tell whether they are supportive or not is by having fitted them before.

If you are in a rush, you can go directly to the selection of hiking boots for kids with flat feet.

Getting Acquainted with Flat Feet

From my 10+ years of experience working in a specialized fitting children’s store, I have become familiar with the best hiking boots for children with flat feet. In addition, I have fitted certain hiking boots that provide supportive and substantial outsoles that will help prevent pain and treat your child’s overpronation. The boots come with added support right below the arch and it extends through the heel, which helps absorb shock in the heel area as well. In addition to providing good support, the boots provide excellent traction.

When children are flat-footed, their feet tend to collapse and turn inwards, which usually throws their bodies out of alignment and affects their posture. If you provide your child with the correct pair of shoes, you will prevent your child’s feet from collapsing and turning inwards. Let me prove this to you.

Let’s take a look at a picture of a flat-footed child. Do you notice how the feet collapse and turn inwards when standing barefoot?

Before Image: Child with Flat Feet Standing Barefoot

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Now let’s take a look at an image of the same child wearing a pair of the hiking boots that I recommend. Do you notice how the child’s feet are not collapsing and turning inwards anymore? The arch support of the boot helps prevent the child’s feet from collapsing and turning inwards.

After Image: Same Child Wearing Supportive Hiking Boots

Wow! What a difference the correct types of boots can make!

This proves that something so simple just as providing your child with the correct pair of shoes can make a huge improvement on your child’s feet and overall posture.

What Makes the Hiking Boots I Recommend Effective for Kids with Flat Feet?

These are the 3 most important features that the hiking boots I recommend provide:

1️⃣ Substantial/Supportive Outsoles: As I mentioned before, this is one of the most important features that your kids’ hiking boots must provide if your child has flat feet.  Let’s take a look at an example of a hiking boot that comes with a substantial outsole and arch support. Do you notice how the boot on the right provides a thicker and more supportive outsole compared to the boot on the left?

2️⃣ Firm Heel Counters: This is the back part of the boots that provides good ankle and heel support. Take a look at the image below to visualize where the heel counter of the boot is located:

Always press on that part of your kids’ boots and make sure that it feels firm and sturdy. It’s also important for the boots to be well padded right below the heel area, that way they minimize the impact that your kids’ heels take when they come in contact with the ground.

3️⃣ Lightweight and Flexible: While the boots need to be supportive, they need to be lightweight and flexible at the same time. This will prevent your child’s feet and legs from easily getting tired. Your kids’ hiking boots need to bend at the ball of the foot but no further:

The hiking boots that I recommend also provide great traction, are durable, and waterproof.

Now that you know what features the hiking boots I recommend provide you are ready to take a look at a selection of the best hiking boots for kids with flat 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. This allows us to create free content and resources for many families around the world. 

The hiking boots that I recommend are the ones I have fitted before since that is the only way for me to tell how well-made they are, the amount of support that they provide, and how they fit.

Best Hiking Boots for Kids with Flat Feet

Take a look at the description below each boot to find out if it can accommodate your child’s foot shape (medium, wide, extra wide), and the size you should order to allow for the correct amount of growing room. Many of the hiking boots featured below come in several color options, so if you want the boots to be made of a specific color, please make sure to click through and see if they are available in that specific color.

Please keep in mind that how effective these hiking boots will be in treating your child’s flat feet depends on the degree of your child’s flat feet and pronation.

In certain cases, when a child has strong pronation, you might have to provide that child with an orthotic in addition to a supportive boot.

Should I Provide My Child with a Pair of Orthotics Inside These Boots?

If after trying any of the boots I recommend your child is still complaining about foot or leg pain, I suggest that you fit an orthotic inside the boots for extra support. If you believe your child might need an orthotic to be fitted inside the boots, you can find another article on orthotics, which are capable of fitting inside the boots I recommended.

Get in Touch With Us for a Personalized Suggestion

Without a doubt, children’s shoe needs can vary depending on their age, activity level, and any specific foot conditions they may have. If you have any questions or need any further assistance, you can also contact us via email and we will get back to you as soon as possible. We are happy to help you find a different pair of boots or shoes for your child’s flat feet so don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

Families Testimonials – Get Inspired!

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The hiking boots that I recommend are also waterproof, which means that you won’t have to worry when your child jumps or passes through a puddle. If the boot doesn’t have a label that reads waterproof, then it’s because it isn’t.

Does Your Child Also Need a Pair of Supportive Sneakers?

If you are unsure whether your child’s current sneakers provide the correct amount of support I suggest that you take a look at a different resource I created on other footwear options for flat feet.

It’s important that you lace the shoelaces of your kids’ hiking boots properly since that will provide your child with better support and stability. One common issue that kids complain about when wearing hiking boots is how their heels tend to slip off.

If You Chose a Hiking Boot with Laces Apply this Shoe Lacing Technique

There is a particular shoe tying technique method that I use that works really well especially for children with narrow heels. I also use this method when children wear orthotics inside their shoes since it helps to keep the orthotics in place and prevents the heel from slipping off the shoes.

Let me show you how this shoe tying technique works.

1️⃣ Start by lacing up your kids’ hiking boots as you would normally do but leave the first top two holes (eyelets) of the shoes unlaced.

2️⃣ Loop the lace through the top hole first as shown in the image below.

3️⃣ Loop the lace through the hole that we left open and make sure you tie them properly.

This method will push your kids’ feet back, securing the heels against the back of the boots, which will fill up any remaining gap and prevent your child’s heel from slipping off the boots.

To get the full benefits that the hiking boots have to offer, you need to provide your child with the correct boot size, which involves getting the correct shoe length and the correct shoe width.

Are You 100% Sure of Your Child’s Foot Size? – Let’s Find Out!

Hiking boots that are too short or too narrow can make your kids’ toes rub against one another or the front or side of the shoes. On the other hand, hiking boots that are too long or too wide allow for too much foot movement inside the boots, and that constant rubbing and friction between your kids’ feet and the boots can lead to blisters, calluses, and corns.

Our longtime readers know I always recommend parents take their children to be properly fitted for shoes at their U.S. local shoe store, where a shoe fitter can properly measure their feet and find shoes accordingly. Although an ongoing issue is that most specialized children’s shoe stores have been closing down, and parents need to either buy their kids’ shoes online or have them fitted at big retailers.

How to Retrieve Your Child’s Foot Shape and Length Online

If after looking at that resource you still can’t seem to find a shoe store in your area, then take a look at an article I created where I describe the simplest, yet most effective way to figure out your child’s exact foot size from home. In this article, I help parents determine their child’s exact foot size 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.

Hiking Socks for Kids – Comfortable and Breathable

Hiking socks play a key role in keeping your child’s feet healthy and comfortable. While I can’t get into too much detail about the best hiking socks for kids, you can read at another article where I describe them in detail.

If you have found a particular hiking boot that has worked well for your flat-footed child, please share your findings below so other parents can benefit from your experiences.