Kids’ Shoes that Make You Taller – The Best Shoes That Add an Extra Inch!
While parents have tried different methods to make their kids taller, the most effective and inexpensive one is to provide their child with a pair of everyday sneakers that comes with a higher platform. However, if you have recently purchased a pair of new shoes for your child then you can always try a pair of height increase insoles or heel lifts. I will expand on this shortly.
2 Most Common Reasons Why Parents Want Their Children to Look Taller
The two most common reasons are:
1️⃣ Being admitted on most of the rides in Disney World: Not being able to board some of the most fun roller coasters because the ride operator says you’re too small is upsetting to many kids. Sometimes, you will be allowed to ride with an adult, but in most cases, children won’t be able to get on the ride.
Disney World has height requirements for obvious safety reasons, but if your child can reach the height requirement by simply wearing different shoes, then the difference it’s very minuscule at best anyway.
Going to Disney World is an experience that children will never forget, and most of us normally go there once in a lifetime. That’s why it’s so important to try to get the most out of it!
Children grow relatively quickly, so don’t be surprised if by the time you get to Disney your child is already tall enough!
2️⃣ Improve the child’s confidence: This is usually an issue when children are small, as they might feel insecure about their height.
You should be mindful about how much taller you want your child to be, since one thing is trying to gain ½ an inch or 1 inch, and another very different thing is to try to gain several inches that might put your child at risk of falling. As long as you are trying to gain only 1 inch or less of height for your child, it should be safe and easy.
I am going to show you a selection of the best everyday kids’ shoes that come with a higher platform that will help your child gain one extra inch. I will also provide you with a selection of the best height increase insoles for kids in case your child just got new shoes.
Bear in mind that shoes with higher platforms are not wacky shoes, just everyday shoes that your child can wear for their everyday activities.
What Makes the Shoes I Recommend Ideal for Kids Who Need Extra Height?
The shoes that I recommend provide a taller outsole which is ideal for children who need some extra height. Take a look at the image below for better visualization purposes:
Comfortable Kids’ Shoes for Disney – Follow These 3 Steps!
First and foremost, you must never compromise your kids’ safety and comfort. Follow the steps below to make sure that your child is wearing comfortable, flexible, and supportive shoes, and at the same time gain that extra inch needed to enjoy all the fun rides.
1️⃣ First step: Make sure that the shoes that you provide for your child are comfortable. Remember, your child is going to be wearing these sneakers for other activities besides Disney World, so we want your child to be able to walk, run, and play comfortably.
2️⃣ Second step: The shoes need to help add that extra height but be available in different widths to be able to accommodate your child’s particular foot shape. Children’s feet come in all different shapes and sizes, but the good news is that the shoes that I describe below are capable of fitting children with medium, wide, and extra wide feet.
3️⃣ Third step: Make sure that the shoes fit properly. If the shoes are not fitted properly, your child won’t get any of the benefits that the shoes have to offer.
If you follow these 3 steps, your child will have an everyday shoe to wear to school and all types of different activities.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at a selection of the best kids’ sneakers that add extra height. 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.
The Best Sneakers that Add Extra Height
Below you can find a selection of the best kids’ shoes that make you taller. These shoe styles come with a thicker outsole that will help your child add that extra height to get on the fun rides.
Lace-Up Closure
- Shoe style Karmen Rebelle by Puma
- Fits medium and wide feet
- Lightweight and flexible
- SOFTFOAM+ sockliner that provides superior cushioning and optimal comfort
- Lace-up closure
- Order this shoe the same size as your child’s current foot size
- Shoe style Winston by Steve Madden
- Fits medium and wide feet
- Lightweight and flexible
- Canvas
- Lace-up closure
- Order this shoe the same size as your child’s current foot size
- Shoe style Nizza Platform Mid by Adidas
- Fits medium and wide feet
- Lightweight and flexible
- Rubber toe bumper
- Lace-up closure
- Order this shoe the same size as your child’s current foot size
- Shoe style Forum Low by Adidas
- Fits medium and wide feet
- Lightweight and flexible
- Rubber outsole
- Lace-up closure
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s foot size
- Shoe style Winston by Steve Madden
- Fits medium and wide feet
- Lightweight and flexible
- Textile and synthetic lining and outsole
- Laces closure with side zipper
- Order this shoe the same size as your child’s current foot size
- Shoe style Disruptor II by FILA
- Fits medium and wide feet
- Lightweight and flexible
- Rubber outsole
- Lace-up closure
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s foot size
Velcro Closure
- Shoe style Canvas Lightweight by Fefoe
- Fits medium and wide feet
- Lightweight and flexible
- Velcro closure for easy on and off
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s foot size
- Shoe style Neo Willis by Michael Kors
- Fits medium and wide feet
- Lightweight and flexible
- Wedge construction with a synthetic fabric upper
- Lightly cushioned insole for supportive comfort
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s foot size
- Shoe style by Lucky Step
- Fits medium and wide feet
- Lightweight and flexible
- Velcro closure for easy on and off
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s foot size
- Shoe style Running Leather Sneakers by YAVY
- Fits medium and wide feet
- Lightweight and flexible
- Durable leather upper with breathable holes
- Anti slip stripes on the sole help prevent slipping and falling on wet and slippery surfaces
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s foot size
- Shoe style Sport Lighted by Skechers
- Fits medium and wide feet
- Lightweight and flexible
- Velcro closure for easy on and off
- Machine washable
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s foot size
- Shoe style Neumel Platform by UGG
- Fits medium and wide feet
- Lightweight and flexible
- Foam footbed for elevated comfort
- This product contains real fur from sheep/lamb
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s foot size
- Shoe style Uno Gen 1 by Skechers
- Fits medium and wide feet
- Lightweight and flexible
- Velcro closure for easy on and off
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s foot size
While these shoes are going to help your child meet the height requirements needed for the fun rides, I would advise all parents to speak with their children to explain them that there are height requirements for certain rides, and that it is important to comply with these requirements.
If they don’t, no big deal—they will be able to ride them on the next trip! This is important for your kids to not be extremely disappointed when they don’t get to experience a certain ride!
Don’t forget that your child can wear any of the shoes I describe above as their everyday shoes, even after wearing them to Disney World.
How to Retrieve Your Child’s Exact Foot Length and Shape
I always recommend parents take their children to their local kids’ shoe store, to have their feet properly measured and their shoes properly fitted. However, several parents have contacted me telling me how they don’t have a local children’s shoe store in their area.
If you are one of these parents then start by reading an article I wrote that explains how to measure your kid’s foot size from home and be absolutely sure that your child is wearing the correct shoe size.
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.
What Can You Do if Your Child Already Has Sneakers?
While I will always feel more comfortable when parents provide their kids with a pair of sneakers to make them a little taller, in certain cases, parents already have shoes for their kids and don’t want to spend money on new shoes.
In case you recently got your child a new pair of sneakers, you can always insert a heel lift to raise your child’s feet and gain that extra inch. I wrote a post about heel lifts, and I explain how they are normally used when a child has a leg length discrepancy and needs a lift to match the other leg length. However, they can also be used to make your kids look a little taller.
The main advantage of providing your child with a pair of heel lifts is that you can easily know how much you are raising your kids’ feet since heel lifts come in different shapes and sizes. The other advantage is that you won’t have to buy your child another pair of sneakers!
Below you can find a pair of heel lifts.
- This heel lift is available in 3 different height levels: .75″, 1″, 1.5″
Can You Fit These Heel Lifts in Any Shoes?
It’s highly likely that you will need a pair of high top shoes for these heel lifts to fit properly inside the shoes.
Going to Disney World? – Wear the Right Type of Shoes!
I have been lucky enough to go to Disney World twice, once as a kid, and recently with my two cousins. This time I went I truly understood the importance of wearing the correct type of shoes to an amusement park as huge as Disney World.
Walking around with wet, heavy sneakers won’t ruin your whole Disney experience, but it will definitely make you feel uncomfortable! Wearing shoes that are not secure enough will also be a nightmare when you are riding a roller coaster.
Imagine being up in the air being turned upside down… the last thing you want is to worry about your kids or your shoes falling off! This happened to me on the Harry Potter roller coaster, where I had to maneuver my feet in different ways for the shoes to stay on!
While I can’t get into too much detail in this article about the whole experience and the struggle of walking around with wet, heavy sneakers, you will find everything you need to know about which are the best type of shoes that you can wear to Disney World.
Are you going to Disney World soon and you are afraid that your child won’t get to experience most of the fun rides? Have you found a particular shoe style that has helped your child gain that extra inch? Please share your thoughts and experiences below so other parents can benefit from your experiences.
The rave shoes did not add any height, completely disappointed.
Hello Nia,
I am sorry to hear that. How much height are you trying to gain for your child? Maybe you should consider adding an extra insole.
Height not being an issue, what about the best shoes for summer at Disney World. Wondering to go with tennis shoes or sandals. Kids range from toddler to big kids.
Hi Brittany —
I suggest a pair of supportive and comfortable sandals that dry fast instead of sneakers, especially if your kids will be riding the water rides. Take a look at this article:
The Best Shoes for Disney World – Keep Your Kids Feet Happy!
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Have your recommendations changed for shoe brands/models? Looking to add some height to my 5 year old girl 🙂 I don’t want anything super obvious, but adding an inch would be great!
Hi Ryan,
The recommendations did change as the shoe styles that I recommend in 2020 provide the same height increase but they are more supportive than the previous styles. The new shoe recommendations also allow you to insert an extra insole from any other pair of your daughter’s shoes in order to have more control of how much height you want to add. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Ah, so you keep them up to date? 🙂 Good man. Thank you so much. Might not hurt to add a date that you last updated the selection 😀
Hi Ryan –
Yes, I keep them up to date. That’s actually a great idea, thank you.
My granddaughter has Dwarfism. She’s very spunky but started 5th grade this week and soon to be in Middle School with much taller crowds. I’d like to help her be able to reach things that us average people can. Aside from the Kangaroo Shoes that bounce or the strap on prosthetic-type spring or stilt feet, I don’t know what to do for her. Anyone else contact you with this problem? THANKS! – Bonnie
Hi Bonnie,
Yes, I have been contacted by parents with the exact same question. I actually will be publishing an article soon that will be covering shoes for children with dwarfism. We can add some height by using heel lifts but we don’t want to raise your kids’ feet too much since this might lead to tight muscles. What shoe size does your daughter wear? I also need to know your daughter’s foot width (narrow, medium, wide or extra wide).
Where is the list of shoes you recommend to add an extra inch? Nothing is listed under the passage, “Below you can find a selection of the best shoes that will make your child taller.”
So what brands aside from sketchers do you recommend? I only need to add 1 inch.
Hello Kim,
If you can’t see the shoe recommendations refresh your page or make sure you are not using an ad blocker.
These are the shoes I have fitted and I know will add that extra height. I don’t know about other children’s shoe styles that will add that extra inch.
I hope this helps.