Mary Jane Shoes for Kids with High Insteps – Extra Deep, Stylish, and Durable!

Editor’s Note: This post has been updated and revised for accuracy on May 2022 and reflects an up-to-date selection of Mary Jane shoes for kids with high insteps.

Have you been looking for a pair of Mary Jane shoes that can fit your child’s high instep? Have you tried several different Mary Jane shoe styles but they all fit too narrow and leave red marks or indentations on the top of your child’s feet?

Whether you are looking for a pair of dressier or casual Mary Jane shoes that your child can wear to run around and play you came to the right place.

Children with high insteps usually have a hard time finding shoes that fit for the simple fact that there is extra foot volume that needs to be fitted inside of the shoes. Below you can find an example of where the instep of the foot is located:

The image below shows you the extra foot volume that needs to be fitted inside of the shoes:

The biggest issue that children with high insteps have when trying to fit in a pair of Mary Jane shoes is that the strap usually rubs against the top part of their feet (instep). Let me show you an image for better visualization purposes. Do you notice how the Mary Jane strap is digging into the child’s feet?

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To prevent this from happening we need to fit that child in a pair of Mary Jane shoes that are deeper. Let me show you the difference once we fit that same child in a pair of the Mary Jane shoe styles that I recommend. There is no extra pressure around the child’s instep.

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There is a limited selection of Mary Jane shoes that are capable of fitting children with high insteps, but the good news is that I will help you find them.

My Experience Fitting Children’s Shoes

I specialize in children’s shoe fittings and I have helped hundreds of different children with “complicated foot shapes” find the perfect pair of shoes for their feet. Having fitted children for shoes for over 10 years and counting, I know which are the best shoes for children with high insteps.

What Makes the Mary Jane Shoes I Recommend Effective for High Insteps?

Extra depth is the key feature that the Mary Jane shoes I recommend provide. This feature is going to allow your child’s feet to fit deeply inside the shoes and prevent the top part of their feet from rubbing against the top part of the shoes.

The issue is that kids’ shoes don’t come labeled as “extra deep”, so the only way to tell whether a shoe provides extra depth is by having fitted the shoe before.

Let me show you a clear example of what I mean by extra depth. Take a look at the image below, these shoes are the same size, but do you notice how the shoe on the top is a lot deeper compared to the shoe below?

In addition to fitting the shape of your child’s high instep, the Mary Jane shoe styles that I recommend provide the following features:

✅ Substantial Outsole: This feature is going to support your kids’ feet when running around. The substantial outsole of the Mary Jane is going to minimize the impact that your kids’ feet take when they come in contact with the ground. This feature is also important as it makes the shoes more durable.

✅ Targeted Padding: The Mary Jane shoes I recommend provide extra padding around the heels to increase comfort and prevent your child from developing blisters.

✅ Lightweight and Flexible: Your kids’ Mary Jane shoes need to be supportive but they need to be lightweight and flexible at the same time to prevent your kids’ feet from easily getting tired.

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

I am going to provide you with a selection of the best Mary Jane shoes for kids with high insteps, but you won’t be able to order the correct shoe size online if you don’t know your child’s foot size is to begin with.

If you don’t know your child’s foot size you should take a look at a different article I wrote where I describe the simplest, yet most effective way to figure out your child’s foot size from home:

How to Measure Your Kids’ Foot – 2 Simple Steps to Determine Foot Length and Foot Width

Now that you know your child’s exact foot size, you are ready to take a look at the best Mary Jane shoes for kids with high insteps. Disclosure: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases.

Best Mary Jane Shoes for High Insteps ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

These are the deepest Mary Jane shoes that I have fitted before. Some of these styles are available in different widths such as wide (W) so make sure to look in the description below the image.

Unsure About What Shoe Size You Should Order?

In each of the descriptions of the shoes I indicate whether you need to order a half a size or a whole size bigger than your child’s foot size to provide the correct amount of growing room.

If you choose the last 2 shoe styles from the left (Tsukihoshi), then I suggest ordering the same size of your daughter’s feet instead of going half a size larger as the shoes fit long.

All the Mary Jane shoes I recommend come with a velcro strap instead of a buckle so your child can easily put them on and take them off:

Are Any Other Shoe Choices Available?

Please do not hesitate to contact me if none of the shoes above match the style that you are looking for:

fittingchildrensshoes@gmail.com 

Let’s see what other families who already have tried these Mary Jane shoes have to say about them.

Reviews from Other Families – Rate it!

“Only Mary Jane that works for my daughter’s feet”

“I was ready to give up on my quest of finding a pair of “nice looking” shoes that my daughter could wear other than her sneakers. Because the top part of her feet is so high, she always complains about the shoes rubbing her in the wrong spot. I tried the style by Pediped and her feet slide right in and the velcro strap wasn’t digging in her feet. I am so happy she is finally able to wear a nicer pair of shoes.”

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“Finally a Mary Jane that doesn’t leave red marks on my daughter’s feet”

“Every time I remove my daughter’s Mary Jane I noticed red marks on her feet. My friend told me to try See Kai Run shoes as they tend to fit wide feet with high insteps. The first style we tried was still too narrow but after I ordered the “Jane” style her feet fit perfectly. It seems like not all See Kai Run shoes are good for high insteps, but there are specific styles that do work.”

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“These Tsukihoshi Mary Jane shoes are amazing”

“I order the Tsukihoshi style that you recommended and I couldn’t be happier. You were right about the shoes fitting really long. We had to exchange them for a smaller size. My daughter has been running around and playing on these shoes for the last 3 months and they have held up perfectly so far. She replaced these with her sneakers and they are the only shoe she will wear.”

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Do This to Check if Your Kids’ Mary Jane Shoes Fit – 2 Simple Steps!

Once the Mary Jane shoes arrive make sure that your daughter puts them on and have her walk around the house. With the Mary Jane shoes on, slide your finger around the widest part of the shoe (as shown below) and make sure that there is not too much pressure between the shoes and your daughter’s instep. If there is no space for you to slide your finger then that’s a sign that the Mary Jane might be too narrow.

Remember that your daughter should have a certain amount of growing room in the front of the shoes. To be more specific, your daughter should have 0.3 inches or 0.7 centimeters of space between her longest toe and the end of the shoes. Keep in mind that her longest toe doesn’t necessarily have to be her big toe, it can be her second or even her third toe.

Should Your Child Wear Socks with her Mary Jane Shoes?

Children can wear Mary Jane shoes with a pair of socks, tights, or nothing. However, I suggest that your daughter wears socks with her Mary Jane shoes as this will increase comfort and prevent your daughter’s heels from rubbing against the back of the shoes.

Socks act as a barrier between your kids’ feet and the shoes, preventing the buildup of bacteria inside the shoes as well irritation and infection.

I hope you found this information helpful and please do not hesitate to contact me if you are having issues finding a different pair of shoes to accommodate the shape of your child’s high instep.

Have you found a specific Mary Jane shoe that has worked well for your daughter’s high instep? Let us know in the comment section below so other families can benefit from your findings.