The Best Soccer Shoes for Toddlers – Is Your Toddler Ready for Soccer Cleats?

Is your toddler ready to start playing soccer? Are you wondering if your toddler needs an actual pair of soccer cleats? This is a question that your child’s soccer coach might be able to answer, but I strongly believe that any toddler below the age of 5 should wear regular sneakers instead of soccer cleats. Let’s take a look at a list of the best soccer shoes for toddlers based on my many years of shoe fitting experience.

Choosing the correct type of shoes for your child to play soccer is essential to the success of your child’s game. If your toddler is not ready to wear soccer cleats, I recommend that you provide your toddler with a pair of everyday sneakers that your toddler can wear around the field when playing soccer.

Should Your Toddler Wear Sneakers or Soccer Cleats?

The main advantage of providing your toddler with a pair of soccer cleats is that it will help your toddler learn proper form, as if you pay close attention, you will notice how most sneakers have a wedge, while most soccer cleats are flat.

Soccer cleats also have a unique shape that corresponds with the shape of a foot and produces a better feeling every time your toddler kicks the ball. However, my recommendation is that for toddlers to be able to start wearing cleats, they must be fully stable when walking or running.

I want you to remember one thing: It doesn’t matter how narrow or wide your toddler’s feet are, there is always at least one particular shoe style out there that will fit the shape of your child’s feet perfectly, and I will help you find it. The reason I mention this is because most toddlers tend to have wide or extra wide feet, and parents sometimes get frustrated as they can’t seem to find shoes that are wide enough for their toddler’s feet.

You must provide your toddler with the correct type of soccer shoes  — whether they are an actual pair of cleats or everyday sneakers —as when children are playing soccer (or any particular sport), they are stressing their feet and legs at a whole different level.

Making sure that the shoes and cleats fit properly ensures first touches, dribbling, shooting, and simply running are as comfortable and natural as these basic skills should be.

I want to clarify that I believe that toddlers should not wear a pair of soccer cleats until they are walking and running with confidence. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the best soccer shoes for toddlers.  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 Soccer Shoes for Toddlers

Would You Rather Provide Your Toddler with a Pair of Sneakers for Soccer?

If instead of soccer cleats you want to provide your toddler with a pair of everyday sneakers to play soccer, then the shoes must provide the following features:

1️⃣ Reinforced Toe Cap: This feature provides extra durability and helps prevent the shoes from falling apart.

2️⃣ Good Traction: This feature reduces the likelihood of your toddler slipping and falling.

3️⃣ Firm Heel Counter: This feature provides ankle support and prevents foot injuries.

4️⃣ Lightweight and Flexible: This feature prevents your toddler’s feet from easily getting tired.

The Best Alternatives to Soccer Shoes

The everyday sneakers below are durable and provide great traction, which is going to prevent your toddler from slipping and falling on the field. These shoes can fit toddlers with medium (M), or wide (W) feet, and some models are machine washable.

I want to clarify one thing, it doesn’t matter how many features a particular shoe provides, if the shoes are not fitted properly, your toddler won’t get any of the benefits that the shoes have to offer.

Are You 100% Sure of Your Toddler’s Foot Size? – Let’s Find Out!

I always recommend parents take their toddlers to their local fitting children’s shoe store that they trust. The issue is that most fitting stores have been closing down and parents need to end up buying their kids’ shoes online. There is nothing wrong with this, but you must know your toddler’s exact foot size to know what size to order.

I created a resource that showcases the best fitting children’s shoe stores by state.

If after looking at that resource you still can’t seem to identify a shoe store in your area, then proceed to take a look at a different resource I created that describes the simplest, yet most effective way to figure out your child’s foot size from home.

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.

Before you leave, I want to provide you with a selection of the best soccer socks for toddlers, as they play a key role in keeping their feet healthy.

The Best Soccer Socks for Toddlers – Support and Protect Their Feet!

Providing your toddler with the correct type of soccer socks when playing soccer is also really important if you want to keep your toddler’s feet healthy. The right type of socks provides extra cushioning and padding in targeted areas of the foot.

Soccer socks help prevent your toddler’s feet from getting blisters and calluses. Below you can find a selection of the best soccer socks for toddlers:

Are Any Other Shoe Choices Available?

Do not hesitate to contact me if you are having trouble finding a different pair of shoes for your toddler:

[email protected] 

Soccer Shoes for Toddlers – Watch Video!

Here is a video that covers everything that we went through in the article and it will also help you visualize whether your toddler should wear cleats or sneakers.

Do you have a toddler who plays soccer? Does your toddler wear soccer cleats or regular sneakers? Please share your feedback below so other parents can benefit from your experiences.