Supportive Sandals for Kids – Ideal for Children with Flat Feet, Low Muscle Tone, or Intoeing

Does your child have a foot condition such as flat feet, low muscle tone, intoeing, knock knees, and your medical professional recommends that your child wears a pair of supportive sandals during the summer? There are certain children’s sandals (not necessarily orthopedic) that provide a stable base of support and can help improve your child’s foot posture and stability during the summer.

The most important pair of shoes that your child should wear for most of the day is a pair of everyday sneakers. However, when summertime arrives a lot of parents get confused as to what type of footwear their children should wear. Most parents want to provide their children with a pair of breathable shoes, but they are unsure whether sandals are okay to wear.

Should Children with Foot Conditions Wear Sandals During the Summer?

As long as the sandals provide good support, your child can wear them for 4 to 5 hours a day. You just need to make sure that the sandals are supportive and fit your child’s foot shape correctly.

What Makes the Sandals that I Recommend Ideal for Children with Foot Conditions?

1️⃣ Supportive Outsoles: This feature is going to help improve your child’s foot posture and walking gait. Sandals with supportive outsoles also help provide a stable base of support to attenuate the impact that your child’s feet take when they come in contact with the ground. Take a look at the image below for better visualization purposes.

Do you notice how the sandal on the left has a more supportive outsole compared to the sandal on the right?

dress-sandals-for-kids-with-flat-feet

2️⃣ Targeted Cushion and Support Below the Heels: This feature is going to support your child’s heels and minimize the impact that the feet take when they come in contact with the ground.

Do you notice how the sandal on the left has more cushion and support around the heel area compared to the sandal on the right?

dress-sandals-for-girls-with-flat-feet

Where Can You Find Sandals that Provide These 2 Important Features?

Most children’s sandals don’t come labeled as with extra cushion and support, but I know which models are more supportive than others from having fitted them before. I will show you a list of the most supportive sandals that I have fitted before, but before you buy your children’s shoes online, you must be 100% sure of their exact foot length and shape.

I created a virtual shoe fitting service that will help you retrieve your child’s shoe size from home. In that resource you will find out whether your child has narrow, medium, wide, or extra wide feet. I also be able to determine whether your child has a high instep or not.

Are the Sandals that I Recommend Orthopedic?

Most of the supportive sandals that I recommend are your regular everyday sandals that simply provide better support and structure than others. However, you will notice that some of the sandals that I recommend are orthopedic. Whether you should provide your child with a pair of orthopedic sandals or not depends on the degree of your child’s foot condition and whether your child is experiencing foot or leg pain.

Orthopedic sandals also tend to be more expensive than regular sandals and not all families can afford to invest $100 or more in a pair of shoes that the child might outgrow in a few months.

What a Difference the Sandals that I Recommend Can Provide!

Let’s take a look at an image of a child who has flat feet wearing a pair of unsupportive sandals (left image) versus an image of the same child wearing a pair of the supportive sandals that I recommend. Do you notice how the child’s feet are a lot straighter?

sandals-for-kids-with-flat-feet

What a difference the correct pair of sandals can make!

What Shoe Brands Manufacture Supportive Sandals for Children?

Some of my go-to shoe brands that manufacture high-quality and supportive sandals for children are Keen, Teva, Memo, and Birkenstock. It’s important to clarify that not all sandals manufactured by these shoe brands provide the same levels of support.

Now that you know what makes the sandals that I recommend supportive and what shoe size you should order for your child, you are ready to take a look at the most supportive sandals for kids. Disclosure: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases.

Supportive Sandals for Kids with Foot Conditions

Make sure to read the description below each sandal to find out the following important information:

  • The type of foot shape that specific sandal can accommodate (narrow, medium, wide)
  • Whether the sandal is orthopedic or not
  • The size you should order to provide your child with the correct amount of growing room

Make sure that you pull the velcro straps of the sandals tightly so your child can get the full support and stability that the sandals have to offer.

Unsure About Which Sandal Might Work Best for Your Child?

Feel free to ask any questions in the comments section below or you can also contact me via email:

fittingchildrensshoes@gmail.com

Are the Sandals I Recommend Extra Heavy and Stiff?

No, the sandals that I recommended above are supportive but lightweight and flexible at the same time. Sandals that are too heavy or rigid can make your child’s feet and legs easily tired.

Should Your Child Wear Orthotics Inside the Sandals?

I don’t suggest fitting a pair of orthotics/insoles inside your kids’ sandals as they will end up moving too much inside the sandals, which can defeat the whole purpose of investing in a pair of orthotics. In addition, some orthotics might get ruined if they get wet.

Is Your Child Already Wearing a Pair of Supportive Sneakers?

Fitting your child in a pair of supportive sneakers is the best thing you can do to help treat your child’s foot condition and prevent foot pain. Certain sneakers provide some of the features I mentioned above plus straight lasts and firm heel counters that make them ideal for children with foot problems.

Have you found a pair of supportive sandals that worked well for your child’s foot condition? Share your findings below so other families can benefit from your experiences.