How to Make Shoes Fit Kids with Narrow Feet – The 2 Most Effective Steps!
Did you recently buy a pair of shoes but they are too big and wide for your child’s narrow feet? Are you past the return date and stuck with shoes? I am going to show you the two most effective ways of how to make shoes fit your child’s narrow feet.
My Insights on Narrow Fitting Shoes
I work for a specialized children’s shoe store that focuses on helping children with “complicated” foot shapes such as narrow feet. The issue is that sometimes even the narrowest shoe style might be too wide for your child’s feet. In this case, there are two methods that I use to make the shoes fit and feel better.
How to Make Shoes Fit Kids with Narrow Feet
First Method: Tongue Pads
Tongue pads are adhesive-backed pads that if placed correctly on the tongue of the shoes can be extremely effective in pushing the child’s heels back and securing them against the back of the shoes. This helps prevent the child’s heels from coming out of the shoes. Let me show you how a tongue pad looks like:
To place the tongue pad correctly inside your kids’ shoes, you need to place the wider part of the tongue pad on the top of the tongue of the shoe as shown in the image below:
I have put together a list of the 5 main advantages of using a tongue pad inside the shoes:
1️⃣ They can be applied in a matter of seconds.
2️⃣ They can be used in all enclosed shoes.
3️⃣ They eliminate heel slipping.
4️⃣ They prevent the feet from sliding forward.
5️⃣ They help reduce or eliminate the pain caused by the crease of a shoe.
Best Tongue Pads for Shoes for a Narrower Fit
There are a lot of different tongue pads available, but some of them are better than others in terms of quality and durability.
Please follow the instructions below to order your child the correct tongue pad size:
- The small size fits kids’ shoe sizes 8 to 10 1/2.
- The medium size fits kids’ shoe sizes 10 1/2 to 3.
- The large size for kids’ fits shoe sizes 3 to 7.
- The extra large is for children that are wearing adult shoe sizes 71/2 and above.
Second Method: Extra Insole
The second most popular method that I use for making shoes for a child with narrow feet fit better is placing an extra insole inside of the shoes. The insole needs to be placed on top of the original insoles.
The insole that I recommend fits from a toddler shoe size 4 up to a big kid shoe size 7. Just trim the insole to fit inside your kids’ shoes based on your child’s shoe size.
This method is effective in helping the shoes fit the shape of a child with narrow feet better since it will raise the child’s feet and fill any remaining gaps inside the shoes.
Best Insoles for Shoes for a Snugger Fit
- Order two pairs of kids’ insoles in beige with breathable latex on Amazon
- These shoe inserts for kids can be trimmed to well fit the shoe by following the cut lines printed on the kid’s sole inserts
- Quality latex and fabric
If you happen to have any questions about how much to trim the insole or how to fit it inside your kids’ shoes, please do not hesitate to contact me directly via the comments section or via email.
If your child happens to be wearing a pair of shoes with laces I strongly suggest that you apply this shoe lacing technique, as it can help eliminate any extra gaps around your child’s heels.
Additional Resources for Children with Narrow Feet
I created several resources that describe the best shoes for children with narrow feet. You can find interesting articles on sneakers, running shoes, sandals, and dress shoes.
Have you been able to find a particular method to make your child’s shoes fit better? Please share your findings below so other families can benefit from your experiences.
