The Best Kids’ Shoes for Orthotics – Supportive and Comfortable Shoes

Editor’s Note: This post has been updated and revised for accuracy on May 2022 and reflects an up-to-date selection of the best kids’ shoes for orthotics.

Are you having a hard time finding pair of shoes to accommodate your child’s orthotics? Have you tried several different shoes but none of them seem to be deep or wide enough to fit your kids’ orthotics? I have put together a selection of the best kids’ shoes for orthotics that I will show you shortly.

If your child has been diagnosed with flat feet, overpronation, rolled ankles, or any other foot condition that requires wearing an orthotic inside the shoes, you need to find shoes that provide good support and are capable of accommodating the orthotic at the same time.

There is only a small selection of shoes that work with orthotics, but the good news is that I will help you find them.

My Experience Fitting Children’s Shoes

I have been working for a specialized children’s shoe store for over 10 years now that specializes in children with foot and leg problems, but we provide regular shoe fittings as well. We carry some of the most supportive children’s shoes and orthotics, and I am familiar with which shoe brands and which shoe styles are capable of accommodating orthotics.

Orthotics can improve your children’s posture tremendously by preventing their feet from collapsing and aligning the feet and legs, helping them walk and run straighter. However, if your child’s orthotics are fitted in the wrong pair of shoes, your child won’t get any of the benefits that the orthotics have to offer.

What a Difference These Shoes Can Make!

One of the most common reasons why children need to wear orthotics is from having overpronation due to flat feet. When children are flat-footed, their feet collapse, which throws their whole body out of alignment.

Let’s take a picture of a flat-footed child standing barefoot. Does it look familiar?

Let’s take a look at the results of the same child wearing the same orthotic but in a pair of unsupportive shoes. Do you notice how the feet are still collapsing and turning inwards?

Now let’s take a look at a picture of the same child wearing a pair of supportive shoes and orthotics. Do you notice how straighter the feet are?

What Makes the Shoes I Recommend Effective for Fitting Orthotics?

Orthotics take a lot of extra space inside the shoes, so the shoes need to provide extra depth and be available in different widths such as wide (W) and extra wide widths (XW), as this allows for extra space for the orthotics to be fitted inside the shoes.

The depth of the shoes plays a key role, as it’s important for the orthotics to fit deeply inside your kids’ shoes to not give your child the impression that their feet are coming out of the shoes.

Let me show you what a tremendous difference a shoe that provides extra depth can make.

Below is a picture of an orthotic fitted in a pair of shoes that provide extra depth (image on the right) and a pair of shoes that don’t provide extra depth (image on the left). Do you notice how much deeper the orthotic is fitting inside the shoe on the right?

These are the type of shoes I will recommend below, but before I provide you with a selection of the best kids’ shoes for orthotics shortly, let’s first take a look at what features these shoes provide.

The Best Kids’ Shoes for Orthotics – The 5 Most Important Features!

These are the 5 most important features that the shoes I recommend provide:

✅ Extra Depth: This feature allows the orthotic to fit deeply inside the shoes and prevent your kids’ feet from being raised by the orthotics.

✅ Substantial Outsole: The shoes must provide a substantial outsole to hold the orthotic in place and reduce the impact that your child’s feet and legs take every time they become in contact with the ground. Let me show you the difference in support between one of the shoes I recommend and a different shoe:

✅ Firm Heel Counter: The shoes must come with a firm heel counter to help the orthotic provide good ankle support. Shoes that come with a firm heel counter help strengthen and straighten your kids’ ankles. Let’s take a look at the difference between a shoe that provides a firm heel counter and one that doesn’t:

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

✅ Rounder Toe-Box: This feature is going to prevent the orthotic from poking a hole in the front of the shoes.

I only write reviews of shoes 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 kids’ shoes for orthotics. Disclosure: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases.

The Best Kids’ Shoes for Orthotics ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Please note that all of the shoes below are available in different widths such as medium (M), wide (W), and extra wide (XW).

What Shoe Size Should You Order?

To allow for growing room, I highly recommend that parents order these shoes half a size larger than their child’s current foot size. This translates to 3/16 of an inch or 0.4 centimeters of space between your child’s longest toe and the end of the shoes. However, you should strongly consider providing your child with a whole size larger to allow the orthotic to fit correctly inside of the shoes. This translates to 3/8 of an inch or 0.8 centimeters of space between your child’s longest toe and the end of the shoes.

I always recommend a pair of shoes that come with shoelaces instead of velcro closure for children who wear orthotics, as shoelaces help keep the orthotic in place. Shoelaces also provide better support and stability, and they will push your kids’ heels back supporting and securing them against the back of the shoes.

There is a specific shoe lacing technique that I like to use for children who wear orthotics. You can learn about this shoe lacing technique in the article below:

How to Tie Shoes with Orthotics – Stop Heel Slippage

For parents to order the correct shoe size online, they need to be 100% sure of their child’s foot size. This leads me to this next question: Are you 100% sure that you know your child’s exact foot size?

I always recommend parents to take their kids to be properly fitted for shoes at the local shoe store that they trust, where a shoe fitter can properly measure their feet and find shoes that fit. However, not all parents have a good fitting children’s shoe store in their area. That is the reason why I decided to create a resource where I describe the best fitting children’s shoe stores by state:

The Best Kids’ Shoe Stores in the United States – Where to Go for Proper Fittings!

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

If after looking at the resource you still can’t seem to find a kids’ shoe store in your area, then proceed to read an article I created 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

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.

Now that you know which are the best kids’ shoes for orthotics, you are ready to make the most informed decision.

Not Sure What Orthotic to Order for Your Child? – Let’s Find Out!

I have fitted several different types of orthotics through the years, but there is a particular one that I have found to be the most effective one when it comes to treating and preventing flat feet, rolled ankles, and overpronation. This orthotic also makes a tremendous difference in improving a child’s overall posture.

The reason I recommend this particular orthotic is that it provides excellent arch and heel support, and at the same time is not as invasive as other orthotics. This means that this orthotic allows the child’s foot and leg muscles to develop on their own while supporting them.

If you are unsure about which orthotic to get for your child, you should read an article along with a video I created where I describe the best orthotics for children. Go to the link below:

The Best Orthotics for Kids – The Most Effective Way to Correct Your Child’s Overpronation

In that article I describe the orthotic I was telling you about which provides optimal arch support, comes with a heel cup to help strengthen and straighten your child’s ankles, and it’s made from comfortable materials. The video will also help you visualize how you can fit the orthotics inside your kids’ shoes.

Are Any Other Shoe Choices Available?

Do not hesitate to contact me if you are having trouble finding a different pair of shoes other than sneakers to fit your child’s orthotics:

fittingchildrensshoes@gmail.com 

Have you tried a particular shoe style that has worked well in accommodating your child’s orthotics? Please share your findings below so other parents can benefit from your experiences.