The Best Shoes for Toddler Girls – Supportive, Lightweight, Flexible, and Affordable!

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

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.

My Experience Fitting Children’s Shoes

I have been working at a specialized children’s shoe store for over 10 years now, where I handle approximately one hundred shoe fittings and try-ons per week. I have fitted hundreds of toddler 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 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 shoes don’t automatically translate into better shoes for your toddler and they won’t guarantee keeping 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 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 Toddler’s Shoe Size Online

If after looking at that resource you still can’t seem to find a shoe store in your area, then proceed to take 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

In that article 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.

Now that you know your toddler’s exact foot size, I will provide you with a selection of the best shoes for toddler girls.

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. Disclosure: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases.

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).

What Shoe Size Should You Order?

In each of the descriptions of the shoes I indicate whether you need to order a half a size or a whole size bigger than your child’s foot size to provide the correct amount of growing room.

*A half a size bigger 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.

*A whole size bigger 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.

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 to prevent your toddler’s feet and legs to not become tired easily.

✅ Good Traction: This feature helps prevent toddlers from slipping and falling, especially when they are walking around slippery surfaces.

✅ Breathable: This feature prevents the build of bacteria and prevents 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).

What Shoe Size Should You Order?

In each of the descriptions of the shoes I indicate whether you need to order a half a size or a whole size bigger than your child’s foot size to provide the correct amount of growing room.

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!

Are Any Other Shoe Choices Available?

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.