The Best Back to School Shoes for Narrow Feet – The Top 4 Choices!

Many busy parents contact me feeling exasperated and discouraged when shoe-shopping for their kids with narrow feet. When it comes to finding the best back to school shoes for narrow feet, I suggest looking for shoes that provide narrow heel counters and platforms, while being supportive, lightweight, and durable. The shoes should also comply with the school uniform code policy. I will show you a list of these shoes shortly.

When children with narrow feet wear shoes that are too wide, they are likely to suffer from blisters, calluses, and corns. The constant friction from excess movement inside the shoe often leads to these painful ailments.

The Challenges of Finding Narrow Back to School Shoes for Kids

In addition to addressing schools’ style requirements, for example, specific colors or a non-marking outsole, parents face the added challenge of finding shoes that fit the shape of their kids’ narrow feet.

Leveraging My Experience Every Back-to-School Season

For the last decade, at every start of the school year, I have dedicated myself to helping parents find the perfect pair of shoes for their children online and explaining the key role that shoes play in keeping their kids’ feet healthy. I have become familiar with the best shoe brands for children with narrow feet and the best styles among those brands.

What Makes the School Shoes I Recommend Effective for Narrow Feet?

The shoes come with a very narrow heel counter compared to most school shoes. The heel counter is the back part of the shoe that provides ankle support.  When children have narrow feet, there is usually a lot of extra space around this area, leading to foot problems.

Take a look at the picture below. Do you notice how much narrower the heel counter of the shoe on the right is compared to the shoe on the left? This narrow counter will prevent your children’s heels from moving up and down every time they walk or run.

The heel counter is one of the most important features that a shoe style must provide to fit the shape of a child with narrow feet. However, you can also see how the shoe on the right also has a narrower toe-box compared to the shoe on the left.

Now let’s compare a narrow pair of Mary Jane back to school shoes versus a wider pair.

Before I provide you with a selection of the best back to school shoes for narrow feet, I want to first show you what features these shoe styles will provide to your child’s feet.

Key Features of Reliable Back to School Shoes

1️⃣ Stable Base of Support: This feature adds support and durability to the shoe, minimizing the impact on your kids’ feet and legs.

2️⃣ Firm Heel Counters: This is the part of the shoe that provides ankle support, and the firmer it is, the better. Let me show you the difference between a soft and a firm heel counter. The first shoe style provides a firm heel counter. When I press on the heel it feels firm and doesn’t bend:

The second image shows a shoe with a soft heel counter:

3️⃣ Durable: Did you know that on average children wear their school shoes for over 1500 hours per year jumping, kicking and running around on multiple surfaces? The shoes I recommend are made to last, since they come with a perpetual rubber outsole and a full grain leather upper. Therefore, your children will typically outgrow the shoes before wearing them out.

4️⃣ Lightweight and Flexible: The shoes must be supportive, but lightweight and flexible at the same time to prevent your kids’ feet from easily getting tired.

5️⃣ Breathable: This feature helps prevent the buildup of bacteria inside your kids’ shoes. Breathable shoes also prevent your kids’ shoes from getting too smelly.

How to Order the Correct Shoe Size Online?

Before you buy a pair of shoes for your kids online, you must be 100% sure that you know their exact foot size. To assist parents in determining their kids’ shoe size at home effectively and with ease, I created a virtual shoe fitting service that will help you retrieve your child’s shoe size from home. In that resource I help parents determine their child’s exact foot length 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.

Please make sure that your children are always wearing the correct shoe size to prevent painful foot problems and injury. In addition, ordering incorrectly sized shoes often leads to additional expenses for families as they need to replace the shoes prematurely.

Below you can find a selection of the best back to school shoes for narrow 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.

Best Back to School Shoes for Narrow Feet for a Better FIT

Are Any Other Back to School Shoe Choices Available?

If you would rather receive specific shoe recommendations for your child or if you need the shoes to be made of a specific color don’t hesitate to email me at:

fittingchildrensshoes@gmail.com

Does It Make a Difference Whether You Choose Shoes with Velcro or Laces?

Yes, it does. I recommend shoelaces instead of velcro closure when it comes to fitting a child with narrow feet. The shoelaces will “hug” your kids’ feet better and provide your children with more support and stability. There is a specific shoe lacing technique that can help minimize any extra space around your kids’ heels, since the shoelaces will push your child’s feet back, securing them against the back of the shoe.

The best alternative to shoes with laces are shoes that come with double velcro straps as they emulate shoes with laces, since the double velcro strap will push your kids’ heels back and secure them against the back of the shoes.

Tongue Pads – Increase the Chances of the Shoes Fitting Your Child’s Narrow Feet

Fitting a pair of tongue pads inside your children’s shoes can highly increase the chances of the shoes fitting the shape of your child’s narrow feet. A tongue pad is a self-adhesive backed pad that goes in the tongue of the shoes and works in all enclosed shoes.

Tongue pads are extremely effective, especially for children with narrow feet, since they push the heels back, protecting and securing them against the back of the shoes. This will fill any remaining gap inside the shoes and prevent your child’s heels from moving up and down. You can view a selection of the best tongue pads and learn how to fit them inside shoes in a different article I wrote.

What Are the Best Sneakers for Children with Narrow Feet?

I created a different resource that showcases the best sneakers for children with narrow feet.

Is there another school shoe style that you can recommend for children with narrow feet? Please share your findings below so other parents can benefit from your experiences.