The Best Shoes for Kids with Pronation – Keep Your Kids Feet and Legs Healthy!

Has your child been complaining about foot and leg pain? Have you noticed your child walking and running differently? Foot or leg pain is never normal, and there are certain steps that you can take to significantly reduce or eliminate the pain. I have put together a selection of the best shoes for kids with pronation, and I will show you these shoes shortly.

The Importance of Being Proactive and Not Taking the “Wait and See Approach”

I always recommend parents to be proactive and don’t take the “wait and see approach” when it comes to treating their kids’ foot conditions, as waiting for the condition to resolve on its own can only lead to the condition getting worse.

Pro Tip: If you’re pressed for time here is a list of the most supportive shoes for kids with pronation.

Children with flat feet or rolled ankles, tend to pronate. We all have a certain degree of pronation, but the problem comes when it’s excessive. Too much pronation will affect your child’s normal gait cycle.

The main cause of pronation is believed to be hereditary. Pronation is a congenital defect that causes the muscles and ligaments of your child’s feet to become more loosely held in place, causing their feet to turn inwards when they walk and run.

Once the feet are pronated, the knees and hips also become misaligned. This means the muscles that move those joints no longer work efficiently, and it will take more energy for your child to do the same work as other children who don’t have this condition.

I have found certain shoes that will help improve your child’s walking gait and overall posture, by helping your child walk and run straighter. Let me prove it to you!

What a Difference These Shoes Can Make!

Let’s take a look at a picture of a child with flat feet with pronation wearing two different pairs of shoes.

Before Image: Child Standing Barefoot

The first picture shows a child with pronation standing barefoot. Do you notice how the child’s feet are collapsing and turning inwards?

child-with-flat-feet

After Image: Unsupportive Shoes

The image below shows the same child wearing a pair of unsupportive shoes made by the shoe company Nike. Do you notice how the feet are still pronating and turning inwards? The shoes are not supportive enough to prevent the child’s feet from collapsing.

child-with-flat-feet-wearing-unsupportive-shoes

After Image: Supportive Shoes

Now let’s take a look at a picture of the same child wearing a pair of supportive shoes made by the shoe company New Balance. Do you notice how the child’s feet look a lot straighter? The substantial outsole and heel counter of the shoes are preventing the child’s feet from collapsing.

supportive-shoes-with-straight-lasts-for-children-with-flat-feet

Before Image: Child Standing Barefoot

child-with-flat-feet-and-a-moderate-degree-of-pronation

After Image: Unsupportive Shoes

After Image: Supportive Shoes

supportive-shoes-for-kids-with-flat-feet

One of the greatest benefits of providing your children with a pair of supportive shoes is to improve the way they walk and their overall posture. During the period of time children grow, their posture is set for the rest of their lives, and it all begins with the foundation for their entire body, their feet!

I know which shoes are more effective than others as I have been working for a specialized children’s shoe store for over 10 years now. Our store specializes in fitting shoes for children with foot and leg problems, but we provide regular shoe fittings as well. Due to my experience fitting thousands of kids, I became familiar with the best shoe brands for children with pronation and the best styles among those brands.

What Makes the Shoes I Recommend Effective for Pronation?

The shoes that I recommend provide 3 key features that are going to prevent your child’s feet from collapsing and turning inwards.

1️⃣ Substantial Outsoles: This feature is going to prevent your child’s feet from collapsing and turning inwards. Let me show you the difference between a shoe that provides a substantial outsole and one that doesn’t:

supportive-shoes-for-children-with-flat-feet

2️⃣ Straight Lasts: This feature helps prevent the forefoot from pushing out.

children's-shoes-with-straight-lasts

3️⃣ Firm Heel Counters: Pronation can occur from the ankles. To straighten your kids’ ankles, you must provide your child with a pair of shoes with a firm heel counter. Do you know what the heel counter of the shoe is? It’s the back part of the shoe that provides ankle support.

Let’s take a look at the difference between a shoe with a soft heel counter (left image) versus a shoe with a firm heel counter (right image):

children's-shoes-with-heel-support

The shoes I will describe below are not orthopedic, they are regular everyday running shoes that simply provide more support and structure.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at a selection of the best shoes for kids with pronation. 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 Shoes for Kids with Pronation

These shoes can fit children with medium (M), wide (W), or extra wide (XW) feet. Keep in mind that shoes with shoelaces provide better support and stability than shoes with velcro closure.

I have fitted all of these shoe styles before and they have proven to significantly improve the way children walk and run. All of these shoe styles come with a firm heel counter, good arch support, and excellent structure to provide your children with good shock absorption.

Once I fit a child in a pair of supportive shoes I watch them walk and run. I always ask the parents to come with me so they can see the difference for themselves, and 75% of the time we can see an improvement right away, but in certain cases, it might take up to two weeks before seeing an improvement.

How to Order the Correct Shoe Size Online? – Let’s Find Out!

You won’t be able to order the correct shoe size online if you don’t know your child’s foot size to begin with. Take a look at an article I created where I describe the simplest, yet most effective way to figure out your child’s exact foot size from home.

How Can You Tell if Your Child is Pronating? – Learn the Symptoms!

Figuring out if your child is pronating is easier than you think. The first way to check is to look for unusual walking or running. If you notice your children walking or running differently, with their feet or legs turning inwards, that’s the first sign that your child is pronating.

The other way (and the easiest one) is to take a look at the shoes that your child is wearing from behind, and you will be able to notice if the shoes are caving in or not —for this method to work your child should have worn the shoes for a period of 2 to 3 months.

Take a look at the picture below for clarification. Do you notice how the shoe on the left is turning inwards while the shoe on the right is a lot straighter? The shoe on the left has been worn by a child with pronation, and the shoe on the right is how the shoe used to look when it was new.

supportive-shoe-for-child-with-overpronation

You are probably wondering what signs you should be looking for to find out if there are any issues with your kids’ feet. I break them down below:

  •  Your child complains of tired legs
  • Your child asks to be carried or pushed in the stroller
  • Your child is reluctant to walk
  • Your child appears clumsy or uncoordinated
  • Your child is unwilling to participate in sports
  • You notice an unusual wear pattern on your kids’ shoes

If your child is complaining of pain in any of the areas below, it might be a sign that your child is pronating.

  • Ankle pain
  • Arch Pain
  • Heel Pain
  • Knee Pain
  • Shin Splints

Even though some people believe that kids can “grow out” of flat feet, this is actually false. If we don’t take corrective action at an earlier stage, the issue will lead to painful flat feet as adults. This is why it’s so important to take proper action and treat your kids’ feet earlier rather than later.

Early intervention will restore balance to your kids’ muscles and joints, which will help your child walk and run without pain or discomfort.

If you try a pair of the shoes I recommend for 3 to 4 months and your child’s walking gait doesn’t improve, your child might be a candidate for orthotics.

Orthotics for Kids with Pronation – Let’s Help Them Walk Straighter!

Sometimes a pair of supportive shoes might not be enough to improve and correct your children’s walking gait. If you have tried a pair of supportive shoes and your children are still pronating, you might need to try a pair of orthotics for extra support.

Orthotics help redistribute your kids’ body weight, correct the abnormal placement of the foot, and make their gait balanced and efficient.

Orthotics can help improve your kids’ posture and reduce or completely eliminate the excess stress on their knees and hip joints.

Orthotics for Children with Mild Pronation

The main reason why I recommend this 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.

Keep in mind that the orthotic below will work for mild cases of pronation. If your child has moderate to strong pronation then you will need a more substantial/supportive orthotic.

Please don’t ignore your kids’ foot and leg pain! Remember that pain in your kids’ feet and legs is never normal, and the earlier you take action the better. You will end up preventing future problems such as back, leg, or knee pain.

Also, if your children are involved in sports. which stresses their feet and legs at a whole new level, you can reduce the impact on their feet, legs, and knees by providing them with the correct pair of sport shoes and orthotics.

Are Any Other Shoe Choices Available?

Do not hesitate to contact me directly if you have any questions:

fittingchildrensshoes@gmail.com 

Have you found a particular shoe style that has improved the way your child walks and runs? Please share your findings below so other parents can benefit from your experiences.