Kids’ Shoes for Supination – Stop Your Kids Foot and Leg Pain!
Do you have a child who has been diagnosed with supination and complains about foot and leg pain? Children with high arches usually experience supination and unsupportive, ill-fitting shoes might lead to foot and leg problems. I have put together a list of supportive shoes for kids with supination based on my many years of fitting children’s shoes.
What Is Supination?
Let’s start by clarifying what supination is. Supination is the opposite of pronation and refers to the outward rolling of the foot during normal motion. Simply speaking, supination occurs when your kids’ feet roll outward as they walk.
When children don’t supinate or pronate, the body weight is evenly distributed throughout the width of the foot. The problem arises when they place weight on the inside or the outside of their feet when walking or running since it creates stress points that will affect their feet, ankles, knees, hips, and even lower back.
The type of shoes that you want to provide for your children are the ones that have a high arch since this will help distribute the pressure on your kids’ feet more evenly. I know which shoes are more effective in treating children with supination from having fitted them before. Let me prove it to you!
Before and After Images: Barefoot and with Supportive Shoes
Let’s take a look at an image of a child with high arches and supination standing barefoot. Do you notice how the child is placing weight on the outside of the feet?
Now let’s take a look at an image of the same child wearing a pair of supportive shoes I recommend. Do you notice how straighter the feet are?
If you have noticed your children walking or running differently, or if your children have been complaining of their feet and legs feeling tired, you should take them to your pediatrician or physical therapist to have their feet checked. However, if you already took your child to your pediatrician and were told that your child will “outgrow” their foot and leg pain, you came to the right place.
The Issues with Supination – Learn the Facts!
It’s important that you provide your child with a pair of quality supportive shoes because supination can lead to the following foot conditions:
- Calluses
- Foot rigidity
- Hammer toes
- Ankle sprain and foot instability
- Hammer toes and claw toes
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Back and hip pain
The Best Kids’ Shoes for Supination to Improve Posture and Prevent Pain
Below you can find a selection of the best kids’ shoes for supination that can fit a child with medium (M), wide (W), or extra wide (XW) 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.
Toddler Shoe Sizes (0 to 10)
- Order the shoe style 990V6 by New Balance on the New Balance website
- Available in medium, wide, and extra wide widths
- Lace-up closure
- Strong rubber outsole and cushioned midsoles
- Suede/mesh upper provides durability and breathability
- I suggest that you get this shoe a half size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the shoe style 990V6 by New Balance on the New Balance website
- Available in laces and velcro
- Fits children with medium, wide, or extra wide feet
- Synthetic/mesh upper provides durability and breathability
- I suggest that you get this shoe a half size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Lace-up closure
- Strong rubber outsole and a cushioned midsole
- 100% leather made
- I suggest that you get this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the shoe style SRT Emilia by Stride Rite on Amazon
- Lace-up closure
- Strong rubber outsole and a cushioned midsole
- 100% leather made
- I suggest that you get this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the shoe style 574 on the New Balance website
- Velcro closure
- Generous toe box and instep to accommodate and support your toddler walker’s needs
- Extra deep
- 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 Online Store
- Velcro closure
- ABZORB midsole absorbs impact through a combination of cushioning and compression resistance
- Removable insoles
- Extra deep
- I suggest that you get this shoe a half size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the shoe style Gabi by Memo on Amazon
- Genuine leather and breathable mesh
- Thermoplastic asymmetric stiff heel counter for proper feet protection and stabilization
- Stiff and high ankle support
- I suggest that you get this shoe a half size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the shoe style Gabi by Memo on Amazon
- Genuine leather and breathable mesh
- Thermoplastic asymmetric stiff heel counter for proper feet protection and stabilization
- Stiff and high ankle support
- I suggest that you get this shoe a half size larger than your child’s current foot size
Little and Big Kid Shoe Sizes (10.5 to 7)
- Order the shoe style GT-1000 by Asics on Amazon
- Fits narrow and medium feet
- Velcro closure
- Padded collar and tongue for added comfort
- GEL Technology – Cushioning provides excellent shock absorption
- Removable insoles
- I suggest that you get this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the shoe style GT-1000 by Asics on Amazon
- Fits narrow and medium feet
- Velcro closure
- Padded collar and tongue for added comfort
- GEL Technology – Cushioning provides excellent shock absorption
- Removable insoles
- I suggest that you get this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the shoe style Contend 8 PS by Asics on Zappos
- Fits narrow and medium feet
- Velcro closure
- Supportive leather and mesh upper for breathability and durability
- Removable insoles
- I suggest that you get this shoe a half size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the shoe style GT-1000 11 PS by Asics on Zappos
- Fits narrow and medium feet
- Velcro closure
- Supportive leather and mesh upper for breathability and durability
- Removable insoles
- I suggest that you get this shoe a half size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the shoe style Kinvara LTT by Saucony on Zappos
- Lace-up closure
- Fits children with medium or wide feet
- Cushioned footbed
- I suggest that you get this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the shoe style Shadow 6000 by Saucony on Zappos
- Lace-up closure
- Fits children with medium or wide feet
- Cushioned footbed
- I suggest that you get this shoe a half size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the shoe style 574 by New Balance on the New Balance website
- Lace-up closure
- Fits children with medium or wide feet
- ENCAP midsole cushioning provides good arch and heel support
- I suggest that you get this shoe a half size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order th shoe style 327 by New Balance on the New Balance website
- Lace-up closure
- Fits children with medium or wide feet
- Suede and mesh upper
- 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 1080v13 on the New Balance website
- Lace-up closure
- Fits children with medium or wide feet
- Suede and mesh upper
- I suggest that you get this shoe a half size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the shoe style Fresh Foam X 1080v13 by New Balance on the New Balance website
- Lace-up closure
- Fits children with medium or wide feet
- Suede and mesh upper
- I suggest that you get this shoe a half size larger than your child’s current foot size
Looking for Other Shoe Recommendations?
Do not hesitate to contact me directly at my e-mail if you need other shoe recommendations or if you can’t decide which specific shoe might work best for your son’s feet. My e-mail address is: fittingchildrensshoes@gmail.com
Shoes that come with shoelaces always provide better support and more stability than shoes that come with a velcro closure. That is because shoelaces will hug your kids’ feet better, secure their heels, and allow them to walk and run with more confidence.
Are You 100% Sure of Your Child’s Foot Size?
I created a virtual shoe fitting service that will help you retrieve your child’s shoe size from home. In that 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.
Now, if you have tried a pair of well-fitting and supportive shoes but your child still complains about foot and leg pain, you might need to provide extra support in the shoes such as an orthotic. This is nothing to stress over since we have a lot of children who come to the shoe store referred by their pediatricians to be fitted for orthotics.
Orthotics for Kids with Supination – Extra Cushion and Support
The correct type of orthotic will help align your child’s feet and legs and help them walk and run straighter. A good-fitting orthotic can also help reduce the stress that children place in parts of their body where they were not supposed to.
While I can’t get into too much detail in this article about the best orthotics for children with supination, there is another article I wrote that will explain to you everything you need to know about the best orthotics for supination.
How to Tell If Your Child is Supinating? – Follow These Easy Steps!
If you notice a wear pattern on the outside of your kids’ shoes from heel to forefoot, it’s likely that they supinate. But let’s break down the steps you can take to figure out if your child has supination or not:
➡️ First Method
1️⃣ Grab a pair of your kids’ everyday shoes —it can be an old pair or a pair that your child has been wearing for more than a month— Take a close look at the wear pattern on the outsoles of their shoes.
2️⃣ If you notice excessive wear on the outer edge of the sole, your child may be a supinator.
➡️ Second Method
There is another popular method you can use to figure out whether your child is a supinator or not.
1️⃣ Take off your kids’ shoes and socks.
2️⃣ Wet your kids’ feet and with their entire weight make them step on a surface where you can see their footprint (such as a brown paper bag).
3️⃣ If very little or none of the arch is outlined, your child is most likely a supinator.
Keep in mind that your children don’t consciously supinate, it happens naturally as they walk. The main problem with supination is that all of your child’s weight and the stress of their gait is placed on their heels and the outside edge of their feet as they walk or run.
Do you happen to have foot and leg pain due to supination as well? There is a different website that describes the best women’s shoes for supination.
Have you found a particular pair of shoes that have worked well for your child with supination? Please share your thoughts below so other parents can learn and benefit from your experiences.
