Keen sandals are hands-down the most popular sandals for children to wear during the summer season. Parents love how versatile these sandals are since children can wear them to the beach, summer camp, going hiking, riding their bicycles, and walking for long periods of time as the sandals offer excellent support. One common question parents ask me at the shoe store that I work for is: How do kids’ Keen sandals fit?
Keen sandals are the most versatile types of sandals. They are mostly known for the good support and comfort that they offer to children’s feet, and also for being practically indestructible.
One of the most common mistakes that I see parents make is to generalize and assume that all Keen sandals fit the same way. There are several different kids’ Keen sandals styles, and they all fit a little differently.
Why Are Keen Sandals Considered the Best Summer Choice for Children?
All Keen sandals provide an internal support mechanism that cushions the child’s feet and significantly reduces the impact that the feet and legs take when they come in contact with the ground. However, if the sandals are not fitted properly, your child won’t get any of the benefits that the sandals have to offer. What’s even worse, you might end up creating all sorts of foot issues for your child’s feet such as blisters, calluses, and corns.
My Experience Fitting Children’s Shoes – Over a Decade of Shoe Fitting Experience!
I have been working for a specialized children’s shoe store for over 10 years now. This experience has afforded me many insights into children’s shoes and the way they fit. Our store specializes in fitting shoes for children with “complex” foot shapes as well as foot and leg problems, but we provide regular shoe fittings as well.
From my experience fitting thousands of kids, I have become familiar with the best shoe brands for children and the best styles among those brands.
How Do Keen Sandals Fit? – Find Out Now!
Let’s take a look at how each Keen sandal style fits so you can order the correct shoe size online:
➡️ Keen Newport
The Keen Newport is one of the most popular Keen styles and my go-to style for children who require extra support from their sandals. This style comes with a substantial outsole that helps cushion and protect your kids’ feet.
This style fits children with medium or wide feet, and it is capable of accommodating the shape of children with high insteps. This style won’t fit children with narrow feet.
➡️ Keen Seacamp
The Keen Seacamp is very similar to the Keen Newport, but it doesn’t provide the same amount of support. It is the perfect choice for children who don’t have any foot conditions but will be walking long distances during summertime.
This style fits children with narrow or medium feet. This style won’t fit children with wide feet.
➡️ Keen Moxie
The Keen Moxie is one of the most fashionable Keen styles and my go-to one for children with narrow feet. This style is very lightweight and flexible, and while it doesn’t offer the same amount of support as the Newport, it still offers a good amount of support for your child to wear the sandals for most of the day.
This style fits children with narrow or medium feet only. This style won’t fit children with wide feet.
➡️ Keen Knotch Creek
The Keen Knotch Creek is one of the newest Keen styles and one of the kids’ top choices in terms of comfort and style. This style fits children with medium or wide feet. This style won’t fit children with extra wide feet.
The Best Keen Sandals for Kids
Below I have put together a selection of the best Keen sandals for kids based on my many years of shoe fitting experience.
Keen Newport and Keen Knotch Creek: Fits Medium and Wide Feet
- Fits medium and wide feet
- This internal support mechanism is anatomically engineered to provide excellent arch support
- Machine washable
- Order this sandal half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Fits medium and wide feet
- This internal support mechanism is anatomically engineered to provide excellent arch support
- Machine washable
- Order this sandal half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Fits medium and wide feet
- EVA insole with arch support for all-day comfort
- Machine washable
- Order this sandal half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Fits medium and wide feet
- Metatomical EVA footbed provides excellent arch support and cradles the natural contours of the foot
- Machine washable
- Eco Anti-Odor for natural odor control
- Order this sandal half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Fits narrow and medium feet
- Double velcro straps
- This internal support mechanism is anatomically engineered to provide excellent arch support
- Machine washable
- Order this sandal half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Fits medium and wide feet
- Open-toe with support and protection underfoot
- Two adjustable hook-and-loop straps for easy on/off and an always-secure fit
- Machine washable
- Eco Anti-Odor for natural odor control
- Order this sandal half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
Keen Seacamp: Fits Narrow and Medium Feet
- Fits narrow and medium feet
- Metatomical EVA footbed provides excellent arch support and cradles the natural contours of the foot
- Adjustable hook-and-loop strap with bungee closure for a secure fit
- Machine washable
- Order this sandal half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Fits narrow and medium feet
- Metatomical EVA footbed provides excellent arch support and cradles the natural contours of the foot
- Machine washable
- Eco Anti-Odor for natural odor control
- Order this sandal half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Fits narrow and medium feet
- This internal support mechanism is anatomically engineered to provide excellent arch support
- Machine washable
- Order this sandal half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Fits narrow and medium feet
- Metatomical EVA footbed provides excellent arch support and cradles the natural contours of the foot
- Adjustable hook-and-loop strap with bungee closure for a secure fit
- Machine washable
- Order this sandal half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
Keen Moxie: Fits Narrow and Medium Feet
- Fits narrow and medium feet
- This internal support mechanism is anatomically engineered to provide excellent arch support
- Machine washable
- Order this sandal half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Fits narrow and medium feet
- This internal support mechanism is anatomically engineered to provide excellent arch support
- Machine washable
- Order this sandal half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Fits narrow and medium feet
- Metatomical EVA footbed provides excellent arch support and cradles the natural contours of the foot
- Machine washable
- Eco Anti-Odor for natural odor control
- Order this sandal half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Fits narrow and medium
- Metatomical EVA footbed provides excellent arch support and cradles the natural contours of the foot
- Adjustable hook-and-loop strap with bungee closure for a secure fit
- Machine washable
- Order this sandal half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
As a standard rule, if you are fitting your kids’ Keen sandals at the beginning of the summer, you should leave 3/16 of an inch or 0.4 centimeters of space between your child’s longest toe and the end of the sandals to allow for growing room. However, depending on how that particular Keen sandal style fits, you might need to allow for more or less growing room.
For example, if that particular Keen sandal style that you are getting for your child fits:
- Short: you will need to provide your child with a whole size longer instead of a half a size longer.
- Long: you will need to provide your child with the same size that he/she measured on the foot measuring scale.
- True to Size: you will have to provide your child with half a size longer.
If there is a particular Keen sandal style that you are unsure of how it fits please do not hesitate to contact me and I will tell you exactly how it fits:
fittingchildrensshoes@gmail.com
We all know how children like to go barefoot in the sand, but days at the beach often involve walking around boardwalks and being active. Providing your child with the correct amount of support during the summertime will keep your child’s feet and legs healthy.
Keen sandals have been the most popular type of sandals for the last 10 years. There is no other sandal brand that offers the support and comfort that these sandals provide, and parents love how they are practically indestructible. Your child will outgrow these sandals before anything happens to them.
Do you agree with my statement about how each Keen sandal style fits? Have you tried any of the Keen sandals before? Please share your thoughts below so other parents can benefit from your experiences.
2
what size in boy’s US sizing is a boy’s sandal that measures 6″ from front to back on the bottom of the shoe and
I also have another pair that neasures 8″ from front to bottom.
both pair are in excellent condition they are boy’s brown with orange stitching.
thank you so much for your help.
‘
Hello Julie,
The sandal that measures 6 inches is a shoe size 9, and the sandal that measures 8 inches is a shoe size 2.
Can you tell me how the Closed toe Little Kids’ Knotch Creek Sandal compares to the Newport H2, Including comparison of width? Thanks,
Pam
Hello Pam,
They are very similar. The main differences are that the Keen Newport fits a little wider and provides better support. The Knotch Creek is more lightweight and the holes along the side of the sandal are not as wide as the ones in the Newport.
Thanks for your help
I am happy to help!
Hi,
My son has extra wide feet and has been wearing the Keen Newport H2 since he learnt to walk and has progressed through sizes 5-7. He has just turned 2 and needs to move to size 8 but I’ve noticed the size 8 has a much thicker sole and is considerably heavier than his size 7, meaning the sole is less flexible than the size 7. Is this normal or anything to be concerned about? He just seems a little ‘clompy’ running around in the new size 8’s.
Thank you!
Hello Emma,
That’s a great observation. The outsole of the Keen Newport is thicker starting at a size 8 because at that stage most children are walking more confidently and stable. Wit that said, if you notice that your son is having a hard time adjusting to the thicker outsole, you can always look for a different sandal that might be more lightweight and flexible. I do suggest giving your son some time to adjust to the new Newport style. If he doesn’t, I suggest that you take a look at this resource:
Extra Wide Sandals for Boys – They Do Exist!
Just wondering why some of the Keen links are not working?
Hello Emma,
There was a problem with the images not displaying correctly, but I believe it has been fixed. Please refresh your browser.