The Best Sandals for Kids with Foot Pain – Extra Arch and Heel Support!
Does your child complain of foot pain and you are looking for a pair of supportive sandals? I have found certain kids’ sandals that provide supportive outsoles with extra cushion and padding below the heels to help support your child’s feet. If your child has been diagnosed with a foot condition such as flat feet, weak ankles, overponation, low muscle tone, etc.,selecting appropriate sandals can alleviate discomfort and promote foot health.
The Importance of Supporting Your Child’s Feet During the Summer
Most children’s foot pain and foot injuries occur during the summer when a child plays hard and runs around in overly flimsy sandals. When it comes to protecting your children from foot injuries, timely prevention is particularly important. Most kids might not be mature enough to speak up or realize that a foot condition is developing until the pain can no longer be tolerated, which means that they might not receive a diagnosis as promptly as they should.
What Shoe Brands Manufacture Supportive Sandals?
My go-to shoe brands are:
- Keen
- Teva
- Memo
These shoe brands manufacture some of the most supportive sandals for children with foot issues. Among these shoe brands, certain styles provide better support than others, and I will describe them shortly.
Most of the sandals that I recommend provide an internal support mechanism that is anatomically engineered to provide excellent arch support. In addition to minimizing the impact that your kids’ feet and legs take when they come in contact with the ground, these sandals will help your child walk and runs straighter, improving your child’s overall posture. Let me prove it to you!
What a Difference the Correct Pair of Sandals Can Make!
Let’s start by taking a look at a picture of a flat-footed child. Do you notice how the child’s feet are collapsing and turning inwards?
Before Image: Child Standing Barefoot
Now let’s take a look at an image of the same child wearing a pair of the sandals that I recommend. Do you notice how the child’s feet are a lot straighter? The internal support mechanism of the sandals is preventing the child’s feet from collapsing and turning inwards, which will help your child walk and run straighter.
After Image: Child Wearing Supportive Sandals
Remember how I told you that not all sandals provide the same amount of support? Let’s take a look at the same child wearing a different sandal. Do you notice how the child’s feet are still not as straight as in the previous image?
After Image: Child Wearing Unsupportive Sandals
What Makes the Sandals I Recommend Effective for Kids with Foot Pain?
Reason #1: Targeted Arch Support
The internal support mechanism is anatomically engineered to provide excellent arch support and cradle the natural contours of the foot. Do you notice how the sandal on the right image (Keen) has a much thicker and supportive outsole than the sandal on the left image?
Reason #2: Targeted Heel Support
In addition to providing excellent arch support, these sandals also come with extra support around the heel area. This is a great feature, especially if your child has rolled ankles. Let me show you the difference between a Keen sandal style that provides extra cushion around the heel versus one that doesn’t. This extra padding helps reduce the impact on your kids’ heels and prevents ankle and heel pain.
The sandals that I recommend can tackle all terrain, meaning that children can wear them to go to the beach, the swimming people, ride their bikes, go hiking, or any other activity you might think of. 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.
The Best Sandals for Kids with Foot Pain – Supportive to Improve Foot Posture and Stability
Many of the sandals featured below come in several color options, so if your child likes a specific model, please make sure to click through and see if they have the desired color.
Toddler Sizes (0 to 10)
- Order the sandal style Newport H2 by Keen on Zappos
- Fits medium and wide feet (fits high insteps)
- This internal support mechanism is anatomically engineered to provide excellent arch support
- Machine washable
- I suggest that you get this sandal half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the sandal style Newport H2 by Keen on Zappos
- Fits medium and wide feet (fits high insteps)
- This internal support mechanism is anatomically engineered to provide excellent arch support
- Machine washable
- I suggest that you get this sandal half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the sandal style Pedro by Memo on Amazon
- Fits medium and wide feet
- Thermoplastic asymmetric stiff heel counter for proper feet protection and support
- This is an orthopedic sandal
- Genuine leather lining
- I suggest that you get this sandal a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the sandal style Betti by Memo on Amazon
- Fits medium and wide feet
- This is an orthopedic sandal
- Thermoplastic asymmetric stiff heel counter for proper feet protection and support
- Genuine leather lining
- I suggest that you get this sandal a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the sandal style Psyclone by Teva on Zappos
- Fits medium, wide, and extra wide feet
- Eva foam footbed cushions and softly supports
- Rubber outsole for great traction
- I suggest that you get this sandal half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the shoe style Hurricane by Teva on Zappos
- Fits medium, wide, and extra wide feet
- Two adjustable velcro straps
- Eva foam footbed cushions and softly supports
- Rubber outsole for great traction
- I suggest that you get this sandal a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the sandal style by Apakowa on Amazon
- Fits medium and wide feet
- Leather insole with arch support
- Two points of adjustability
- I suggest that you get this sandal a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the sandal style by Apakowa on Amazon
- Fits medium and wide feet
- Leather insole with arch support
- Two points of adjustability
- I suggest that you get this sandal a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the sandal style by Lucky Brand on Amazon
- Fits medium and wide feet (fits high insteps)
- Supportive footbed
- Adjustable buckles at the front and velcro strap at the back for easy on and off
- I suggest that you get this sandal half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the sandal style by Geox on Zappos
- Fits medium and wide feet
- EVA foam footbed cushions and softly supports for all-day comfort
- Rigid at the toe box
- I suggest that you get this sandal half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
Little/Big Kid Sizes (10.5 to 7)
- Order the sandal style Agnes by Memo on Amazon
- Fits medium, wide, and extra wide feet
- 100% leather made
- Extra depth to accommodate orthotics, AFOS, and internal modifications
- Ability to adjust the Hook and Loop strap length to the different feet width
- This is an orthopedic sandal
- I suggest that you get this sandal a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the sandal style Michael by Memo on Amazon
- Fits medium, wide, and extra wide feet
- 100% leather made
- Extra depth to accommodate orthotics, AFOS, and internal modifications
- Ability to adjust the Hook and Loop strap length to the different feet width
- This is an orthopedic sandal
- I suggest that you get this sandal a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the sandal style Newport H2 by Keen on Zappos
- Fits medium and wide feet
- This internal support mechanism is anatomically engineered to provide excellent arch support
- Machine washable
- I suggest that you get this sandal half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the sandal style Newport H2 by Keen on Zappos
- Fits medium and wide feet
- EVA insole with arch support for all-day comfort
- Machine washable
- I suggest that you get this sandal half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the sandal style Hurricane by Teva on Zappos
- Fits medium and wide feet
- 3 points of adjustability so children can make the sandals as tight or loose as they want
- Eva foam footbed cushions and softly supports for all day comfort
- Rigid at the toe box
- I suggest that you get this sandal a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the sandal style Hurricane by Teva on Zappos
- Fits medium and wide feet
- 3 points of adjustability so children can make the sandals as tight or loose as they want
- Eva foam footbed cushions and softly supports for all day comfort
- Rigid at the toe box
- I suggest that you get this sandal a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the sandal style Rio by Birkenstock on Zappos
- Fits medium and wide feet
- Suede-lined cork footbed offers excellent arch support, a deep heel cup, roomy toe box, and molds to the shape of each individual’s foot
- Flexible and lightweight EVA outsole is durable and shock-resisting
- I suggest that you get this sandal a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the sandal style Milano by Birkenstock on Zappos
- Fits medium and wide feet
- Suede-lined cork footbed offers excellent arch support, a deep heel cup, roomy toe box, and molds to the shape of each individual’s foot
- Flexible and lightweight EVA outsole is durable and shock-resisting
- I suggest that you get this sandal a whole size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the sandal style Newport H2 by Keen on Amazon
- Fits medium and wide feet
- EVA insole with arch support for all-day comfort
- Machine washable
- I suggest that you get this sandal half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
- Order the sandal style Newport H2 by Keen on Amazon
- Fits medium and wide feet
- This internal support mechanism is anatomically engineered to provide excellent arch support
- Machine washable
- I suggest that you get this sandal half a size larger than your child’s current foot size
Several parents have told me how these sandals have significantly reduced or fully eliminated their child’s foot pain. One of the reasons parents love these sandals so much is because their kids can wear them pretty much everywhere which involves them being active. They can wear them to go to the beach, swimming pool, camping, hiking, etc.
How to Figure Out What Sandal Size to Order? – Let’s Find out!
Most sandals are not available in half sizes, they are available in whole sizes only — most seasonal footwear is. It’s important to provide your child with a certain amount of growing room, but getting sandals that are too long might compromise your child’s stability and make your child more prone to developing foot issues such as blisters, calluses, and corns.
Let’s take a look at the following scenario to figure out what sandal size you need to provide your child with:
- If your child measures a foot size 10, in most sneakers your child will wear a shoe size 10.5. However, in a pair of sandals, your child will wear size 11 since they are not available in half sizes.
- If your child measures a foot size 10 1/2, you still will provide your child with a sandal size 11.
How to Retrieve Your Child’s Exact Foot Length and Shape Online
I created a virtual shoe fitting service that will help you retrieve your child’s shoe size from home.
Get in Touch for a Personalized Suggestion
If none of these sandals are available in your child’s shoe size or if you are unsure about which sandals might work best based on your child’s foot shape or foot condition you can reach out to me directly:
fittingchildrensshoes@gmail.com
What Are the Best Supportive Sneakers for Kids with Foot Pain?
Are you unsure whether your child is wearing supportive sneakers? I created a different resource that has a list of supportive sneakers for kids with foot pain.
Can You Fit Orthotics Inside Your Kids’ Sandals?
One common question parents have is whether their children can wear an orthotic inside the sandals for extra support. I want to clarify that under no circumstances an orthotic should be fitted inside a pair of sandals.
Have you found a specific pair of sandals that have worked well in reducing or fully eliminating your child’s foot pain? Please share your findings below so other parents can benefit from your experiences.
