Editor’s Note: This post has been updated and revised for accuracy on May 2022 and reflects an up-to-date selection of shoes that prevent bunions.
I decided to write an article about the best shoes that help treat and prevent bunions, as I have been contacted by several parents that have children who are dealing with this foot condition.
Certain shoes help treat and prevent this condition. However, the selection is very small, but the good news is that I know exactly which shoe styles are more effective than others from having fitted them before.
My Experience Fitting Children’s Shoes
I have been working for a specialized children’s shoe store for over 10 years now. This is a specialized shoe store that focuses on children with foot and leg problems, but we provide regular shoe fittings as well. Over the years I became familiar with the best shoes that are capable of preventing bunions.
There are 2 key features that your kids’ shoes must provide to effectively treat and prevent bunions:
✅ Extra Depth: This feature allows your kids’ feet to fit deeply inside the shoes and prevents the bunion from rubbing against the top part or side of the shoes. Below you can see the difference between a shoe that provides extra depth and one that doesn’t:
✅ Rounder Toe-Box: This feature prevents your kids’ toes from overlapping or rubbing against one another or the bunion from being pressed against the side of the shoes. Below you can see the difference between a shoe with a round toe-box and one with a pointier one:
I only write reviews of shoe styles that I have fitted before, otherwise, I wouldn’t know how well-made they are, the amount of support that they provide, and how they fit.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at the best shoes that prevent bunions. Disclosure: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases.
The Best Shoes that Prevent Bunions ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
These shoes are available in medium (M), wide (W), and extra wide widths (XW).
Toddler Shoe Sizes (0 to 10)
- Available in medium, wide and extra wide widths
- Oversized opening for easy on and off
- Lightweight injection-molded EVA foam midsole provides lightweight cushioning
- Hook and loop closure
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your toddler’s current foot size
- Available in medium, wide and extra wide widths
- Oversized opening for easy on and off
- Lightweight injection-molded EVA foam midsole provides lightweight cushioning
- Hook and loop closure
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your toddler’s current foot size
- Fits medium, wide, and extra wide feet (accommodates high insteps)
- Breathable textile lining and cushioned insole
- Double velcro straps for easy on and off adjustability
- Padded tongue and collar for added comfort
- Order this shoe a half size larger than your toddler’s current foot size
- Fits medium, wide, and extra wide feet (accommodates high insteps)
- Canvas upper
- Toe cap is durable for early steps
- Double velcro straps
- Oversized opening for easy on and off
- APMA approved
- Order this shoe half a size larger than your toddler’s current foot size
- Available in medium, wide, and extra wide widths (accommodates high insteps)
- Velcro closure
- ABZORB midsole absorbs impact through a combination of cushioning and compression resistance
- Mesh upper for durability and comfort
- Extra deep
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your toddler’s current foot size
- Available in medium, wide, and extra wide widths
- Velcro closure
- ABZORB midsole absorbs impact through a combination of cushioning and compression resistance
- Mesh upper for durability and comfort
- Extra deep
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your toddler’s current foot size
- Available in medium, wide, and extra wide widths (fits high insteps)
- Hook and loop closure system for easy on and off
- Synthetic and engineered mesh upper
- Fresh Foam midsole cushioning is precision engineered to deliver an ultra-cushioned, lightweight ride
- Order this shoe a half size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Available in medium, wide, and extra wide widths (fits high insteps)
- Hook and loop closure system for easy on and off
- Synthetic and engineered mesh upper
- Fresh Foam midsole cushioning is precision engineered to deliver an ultra-cushioned, lightweight ride
- Order this shoe a half size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Available in medium, wide and extra wide widths
- Velcro closure
- Leather and mesh upper for durability and breathability
- APMA Certified
- Traction pods on the outsole for serious grip
- EVA midsole for lightweight feel
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your toddler’s current foot size
- Available in medium, wide and extra wide widths
- Velcro closure
- Leather and mesh upper
- Non-marking traction pods to help improve stability
- APMA approved
- Toe cap for extra durability
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your toddler’s current foot size
- Available in medium, wide, and extra wide widths (fits high insteps)
- Velcro closure
- Strong rubber outsole and cushioned midsoles
- Suede/mesh upper provides durability and breathability
- Order this shoe half a size larger than your toddler’s current foot size
- Available in extra wide widths
- Oversized opening for easy on and off
- Breathable textile lining is effective in protecting your child’s feet from micro-organisms
- Hook and loop closure
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your toddler’s current foot size
- Available in extra wide widths
- Oversized opening for easy on and off
- Breathable textile lining is effective in protecting your child’s feet from micro-organisms
- Hook and loop closure
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your toddler’s current foot size
- Available in medium, wide, and extra wide widths (fits high insteps)
- Lace-up closure
- Strong rubber outsole and cushioned midsoles
- Suede/mesh upper provides durability and breathability
- Order this shoe half a size larger than your toddler’s current foot size
Little and Big Kid Shoe Sizes (10.5 to 7)
- Available in medium, wide, and extra wide widths (fits high insteps)
- Velcro closure
- Strong rubber outsole and cushioned midsoles
- Suede/mesh upper provides durability and breathability
- Order this shoe half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Available in medium, wide, and extra wide widths
- Velcro closure
- Synthetic and engineered mesh upper
- Fresh Foam midsole cushioning is precision engineered to deliver an ultra-cushioned, lightweight ride
- Order this shoe a half size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Available in medium, wide, and extra wide widths
- Velcro closure
- Synthetic and engineered mesh upper
- Fresh Foam midsole cushioning is precision engineered to deliver an ultra-cushioned, lightweight ride
- Order this shoe a half size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Available in extra wide widths (fits high insteps)
- Oversized opening for easy on and off
- Breathable textile lining is effective in protecting your child’s feet from micro-organisms
- Velcro closure
- Order this shoe a half size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Available in extra wide widths (fits high insteps)
- Oversized opening for easy on and off
- Breathable textile lining is effective in protecting your child’s feet from micro-organisms
- Velcro closure
- Order this shoe a half size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Available in medium, wide, and extra wide feet (fits high insteps)
- Velcro closure
- Oversized opening for easy on and off
- Lightweight injection-molded EVA foam midsole provides lightweight cushioning
- Order this shoe half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Available in medium, wide, and extra wide feet (fits high insteps)
- Velcro closure
- ABZORB midsole absorbs impact through a combination of cushioning and compression resistance
- Mesh upper for durability and comfort
- Order this shoe half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Available in medium, wide, and extra wide feet (fits high insteps)
- Oversized opening for easy on and off
- 100% Suede
- Velcro closure
- Order this shoe half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Available in medium, wide, and extra wide feet
- Velcro closure
- Oversized opening for easy on and off
- Lightweight injection-molded EVA foam midsole provides lightweight cushioning
- Order this shoe half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Available in medium, wide, and extra wide feet (fits high insteps)
- Lace-up closure
- ABZORB midsole absorbs impact through a combination of cushioning and compression resistance
- Leather/mesh upper
- Order this shoe half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Available in medium, wide, and extra wide feet (fits high insteps)
- Lace-up closure
- ABZORB midsole absorbs impact through a combination of cushioning and compression resistance
- Leather/mesh upper
- Order this shoe half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Available in medium, wide, and extra wide feet
- Lace-up closure
- Oversized opening for easy on and off
- Lightweight injection-molded EVA foam midsole provides lightweight cushioning
- Order this shoe half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Available in medium, wide, and extra wide feet
- Lace-up closure
- Lightweight injection-molded EVA foam midsole provides lightweight cushioning
- Synthetic and mesh upper
- Order this shoe half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Available in medium, wide, and extra wide feet (fits high insteps)
- Dual-layer midsole construction featuring top-bed foam cushioning and underfoot Fresh Foam X
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Available in medium, wide, and extra wide feet (fits high insteps)
- Lace-up closure
- Strong rubber outsole and cushioned midsoles
- Suede/mesh upper provides durability and breathability
- Order this shoe half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
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.
How to Retrieve Your Child’s Exact Foot Length and Shape
If you want to be 100% sure about what shoe size to order online, I suggest that you follow the instructions in the article below:
How to Measure Your Kids’ Foot – 2 Simple Steps to Determine Foot Length and Foot Width
Shoes that Prevent Bunions – Learn About Other Families with Similar Experiences!
Take a look at a conversation between myself and a parent who had a child that was dealing with bunions and foot pain, and we were able to solve it by finding a pair of shoes that were supportive, deep, and came with a round toe-box. You might relate to this conversation if you are going through a similar scenario.
Good afternoon,
I’ve been reading your blog and wanted to ask you for some help with my daughter. We live in a small community that has big box shoe stores, but no specialty stores that would be able to help me make the most appropriate choices for purchasing shoes for my daughter.
Before moving here, my 7-year-old daughter was diagnosed with overpronation. As a result, she developed bunions on both feet and at times had bruising on the top of her feet where her shoes rub because I believe her arches are high.
This is a huge issue since she will complain about foot pain all the time and refuse to participate in high intensity activities – she used to be extremely active.
I was told that she needs shoes that have arches, solid/sturdy quarters, and mesh around the bunion area to limit irritation to that part of her foot. She was also given inserts to wear in her shoes.
The problem that we are having is that she has narrow to medium feet and I can’t seem to find shoes that fit the shape of her feet properly. Before getting the bunions and experiencing foot pain, she used to be extremely active and the shoes didn’t hold up properly.
The inserts caused us to purchase shoes that were too loose for her, so we stopped using them. The podiatrist suggested Keens as being a great shoe for her, but Keens tend to be too loose for her feet. Shoes with mesh around the bunion area of her feet tear because she plays hard. We just purchased shoes for school and within three weeks, the mesh in both shoes around the bunion area is torn.
In one of your articles, I read that you recommend Geox shoes since they seem to be the sturdiest shoes for kids.
Do your think that this brand would meet our needs? If not, do you have other suggestions for her? Can New Balance or Saucony also work for her feet?
I would appreciate any suggestions that you might have.
Thank you,
Dariah
Hello Dariah,
Based on what you told me, I wouldn’t recommend the shoe brand Geox for your daughter. Other shoe brands manufacture shoe styles that are capable of fitting the shape of a narrow foot better. I also suggest providing her with shoes that come with shoelaces instead of Velcro closure.
New Balance and Saucony are both excellent shoe brands for children and will work for your daughter’s narrow/medium feet. However, it will depend on the style as the shoe needs to provide several features to minimize or fully eliminate the foot and leg pain that your daughter is experiencing.
Most girls start tying their shoes between the ages of 6 and 7 (it takes a little longer for boys), so hopefully, your daughter already knows how to tie her shoes or is ready to learn. The reason why I want you to focus on a pair of shoes that come with shoelaces is that they provide better support and stability, and they will fit the shape of her narrow feet a lot better than a pair of Velcro shoes.
The fact that she has developed bunions concerns me a lot. From what you are telling me, even though she has narrow feet her shoes might be too tight around the widest part of her feet which is putting pressure on her bunions.
My recommendation is to look for shoes that come in medium width and that provide extra depth, but that also have a rounder toe-box to make sure that the shoes don’t rub on the sides of her feet – this will prevent her foot pain and also prevent the shoe from falling apart too quickly.
The deeper the shoes are, the better. This will allow you to fit the orthotic inside the shoes without raising her feet.
We must be very careful with the shoe style that we choose for your daughter, as it must fit all the requirements if we want to minimize, or fully eliminate her foot pain as well as the rubbing on the sides and top of her feet.
For example, Asics is a great shoe brand for kids with narrow feet, but my concern is that they have a very pointy toe-box and they tend to not be deep enough.
There is a particular shoe style that I have in mind for your daughter ( I have fitted this shoe style before) which provides extra depth, good support, and comes with a rounder toe-box. You can find that shoe style here:
New Balance KJ990V3 Running Shoe
You must choose the medium width for your daughter. I believe this is the right shoe style for her considering what you told me, and it might be available in other colors, but remember that fit remains our top priority.
I have a question for you: When your podiatrist recommended Keens, was he/she referring to Keen shoes or Keen sandals?
The shoe brand Keen is known for making some of the most supportive summer sandals, but I wouldn’t recommend wearing an everyday shoe from Keen.
Next time that you have questions and feel comfortable asking them in the comment section please do, as that way, other parents that might be in the same situation can provide their suggestions too and benefit from your experience.
Good luck and please follow up and tell me how your daughter’s feet are doing.
Dear Juan,
Thank you so much! I ordered a pair today and will follow up with your once we try them on.
The podiatrist was referring to a pair of Keen sandals since where we live it gets really hot.
Thanks again,
Dariah
Dear Juan,
We tried the shoes with the orthotics and they have made a tremendous difference. The first thing I noticed was how she was walking and running straighter, and not complaining about the shoes being tight around her bunions – I also noticed the bunions are not poking out the shoes, I am sure this is because the shoes have a round toe-box and are deep, and she doesn’t have any bruises on the top of her feet anymore.
I am so grateful for all your time and you have no idea how much time you have saved me since I have been looking to find the correct type of shoes for my daughter for a long time!
I have one more question, is there a way to tie her shoes now that she is wearing an orthotic? I don’t know if there is a particular method to hold the orthotic in place or for the shoelaces to not become untie.
Thank you!
Hello Dariah,
I am glad that the shoes worked out for your daughter’s feet. Something so simple such as providing your children with the correct pair of shoes can make a tremendous difference in the way they walk and in keeping their feet and legs healthy. There is an article I wrote where I describe the best method to tie shoes with orthotics and you can find it here:
How to Tie Shoes with Orthotics – Stop Heel Slippage
The reason why the Keen sandals that you tried were too wide for your daughter is because you didn’t try the “Moxie” style, which is the one that fits the narrowest. You can find that style below:
Narrow and Supportive Sandals for Girls
If you can’t find an answer in the article, please do not hesitate to contact me.
If you happen to know of a family that is going through the same situation but with a boy, please refer them to the shoe style described below —the same shoe style I recommended for your daughter but the boy version:
New Balance KJ990V3 Running Shoe
I also created a tool that allows you to filter shoe options by your child’s unique footprint. The tool involves a simple process in which consumers select the child’s age, shoe size, type of shoe that they are looking for, whether they want Velcro closure or shoelaces, and other important features such as whether the shoe is capable of accommodating an orthotic.
The tool involves shoe styles that I have fitted before, so I know exactly how each shoe style fits and what type of features it will provide for your child’s feet. Go to the link below:
Find The Best Shoe Style For Your Child’s Unique Feet
Thank you again for sharing your experiences.
Dear Juan,
We tried the Keen “Moxie” sandal and it fits the shape of my daughter’s feet perfectly!
You were right, this style fits narrow feet much better than the others.
Thank you for all your time and advice!
I wanted to share that conversation because I believe that it might be beneficial to other parents who are going through the same situation. Like I promised at the beginning of the article, I am going to provide you with a selection of the best shoes that prevent bunions.
Are Any Other Shoe Choices Available?
Do not hesitate to contact me if you need help finding a particular shoe style for your child’s feet or if you are having trouble figuring out your child’s foot size. My e-mail address is: fittingchildrensshoes@gmail.com
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