Have you been looking for a pair of shoes to keep your toddlers’ feet healthy at an affordable price? It’s important to provide your toddler with good shoes from an early stage to allow for healthy foot development and prevent future foot issues.
The type of shoes that you need to provide for your toddler depends on your toddler’s current walking stage.
- If your toddler is still learning how to walk you need a pair of lightweight and flexible shoes and the support that the shoes provide is not a matter of concern.
- If your toddler is already walking then you need a pair of more substantial and supportive shoes to minimize the impact that your toddler’s feet take every time they come in contact with the ground. The shoes need to be lightweight and flexible at the same time.
I am going to show you the most popular shoe brands for toddlers and which styles among those brands are better than others.
I have been working at a specialized children’s shoe store for over 10 years now, where I handle approximately two hundred shoe fittings and try-ons per week. I have fitted hundreds of toddler’s shoes, and I am familiar with which shoe brands and which shoe styles are better than others.
For the last 5 years, I have been helping parents find the perfect pair of shoes for their children online.
Toddlers should go barefoot as often as possible in order to promote good balance, posture and coordination. However, shoes play a key role in keeping their feet and legs healthy when you start taking them to play outside.
Are More Expensive Shoes Better for Your Toddler’s Feet? – Let’s Find Out!
More expensive shoe don’t automatically translate into better shoes for your toddler and they won’t guarantee to keep your toddler’s feet healthy.
Toddlers outgrow their shoes at a very fast rate, between 3 to 4 months — as long as they are fitted with the correct amount of growing room —
The shoes that I describe below are all made from high quality materials, but they are also affordable.
Keep in mind that most toddlers have wide or extra wide feet, so it’s important that you find shoes that provide rounder toe-boxes and extra depth.
I know which toddler shoes are better than others, but if you don’t provide your toddler girl with the correct shoe size, you will defeat all the benefits that the shoes have to offer. Which brings me to this next question: Are you 100% sure of your toddler’s foot size?
Shoes that are too long, too short, too narrow, or too wide might lead to your toddler developing several foot issues such as ingrown toenails, bunions, calluses, and corns, just to name a few.
I created a map where I describe the best fitting children’s shoe stores by state. I recommend that you start by taking a look at that map:
The Best Kids’ Shoe Stores In The United States – Where To Go For Proper Fittings
If after looking at that map you still can’t seem to find a shoe store in your area, then proceed to taking a look at an article I wrote 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
Now that you know your toddler’s exact foot size, I will provide you with a selection of the best shoes for toddler girls.
Keep in mind that I only review shoes that I have fitted before, as that is the only way for me to tell how well-made the shoes are, the amount of support that they provide, and how they fit.
Best Shoes for Toddler Girls Who are Learning How to Walk ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Most toddlers start to walk anywhere between 8 to 18 months of age. The first pair of shoes that you provide for your toddler plays a critical role in keeping your toddler’s feet and legs healthy. The shoes below are available in medium (M), wide (W), and extra wide (XW).
In order to allow for growing room, I highly recommend that parents order these shoes a half a size larger than the size their children’s feet measure. This translates to 0.3 inches or 0.7 centimeters of space between your child’s longest toe and the end of the shoes.
These are the 5 most important features that these shoes are going to provide for your toddler girl:
✅ Sensory Pods: This feature allows toddlers to feel the ground underneath them and helps them with balance.
✅ Semi-Firm Heel Counter: This feature helps support and protect your toddler’s ankles. This is especially important for toddlers as most of the time they are performing lateral movements.
✅ Lightweight/Flexible Outsole: The shoes must be lightweight and flexible in order to prevent your toddler’s feet and legs to not become tired easily.
✅ Good Traction: This feature helps prevent toddlers from slipping and falling, specially when they are walking around slippery surfaces.
✅ Breathable: This feature prevent the build of bacteria and prevent foot odors.
Don’t stress out if it takes longer for your toddler to adjust to how her new shoes feel. Toddlers who are learning how to walk use their toes to grasp to the floor and feel more confident every time they take a step. When you fit toddlers for their first pair of shoes, they lose that sense they had to the ground, but they do receive important sensory information from the soles of their shoes.
The most popular shoes for toddler girls who are learning how to walk are Mary Janes. A great advantage of this type of shoe is that it can be worn as an everyday shoe as well as a dressier pair.
Best Shoes for Toddler Girls who are Already Walking ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
As soon as your toddler starts feeling more stable and walking with confidence, you need to provide her with a pair of more substantial, and supportive shoes. This will help minimize the impact that their feet and legs take every time they come in contact with the ground.
The shoes below are available in medium (M), wide (W), and extra wide (XW).
Additional Colors Available
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In order to allow for growing room, I highly recommend that parents order these shoes a half a size larger than the size their children’s feet measure. This translates to 0.3 inches or 0.7 centimeters of space between your child’s longest toe and the end of the shoes.
These are the 4 most important features that these shoes are going to provide for your toddler girl:
✅ Supportive Outsole: Toddlers are always on the move and this feature helps minimize the impact that your toddler’s feet take every time they come in contact with the ground.
✅ Lightweight and Flexible: The shoes must be supportive but lightweight and flexible at the same time, so your toddler’s feet and legs don’t get tired easily.
✅ Breathable: This feature helps prevent the formation and buildup of bacteria inside the shoes, which helps reduce the likelihood of your toddler developing stinky feet.
✅ Traction: Shoes with good traction help prevent your toddler from slipping and falling.
Now that you know which are the best shoes for toddler girls, you can keep their feet and legs healthy!
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you are having trouble finding a specific shoe style for your toddler girl: fittingchildrensshoes@gmail.com
Is there a particular shoe that has worked well for your toddler girl? Kindly let us know in the comments section below so other parents can benefit from your findings.
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