Have you been looking for a pair of shoes with arch support for your toddler? Do you feel like every single shoe that you try for him or her doesn’t provide any arch support?
If your children have been experiencing foot and leg pain and your pediatrician or physical therapist has diagnosed them with flat feet, providing them with a shoe that comes with a built in arch support will significantly reduce or fully eliminate the pain that they are experiencing.
I have been fitting children’s shoes and orthotics for ten years at a premier children’s shoe store specializing in proper fit for over forty years. We specialize in children with foot and leg problems, but we provide regular shoe fitting as well. It’s important for us to carry top quality shoes that are available in different widths, since that’s the only way we can guarantee to FIT every single child.
I have also been helping parents find their kids’ shoes online for the last three years. One common request I get from parents is that they can’t seem to find toddler shoes that provide good arch support. I have experienced this at the children’s shoe store I work for, and we have to insert a pair of orthotics in the shoes for extra support.
While the orthotics that we carry do make a huge difference and allow the child to walk and run much straighter (as well as reduce the pain), some parents are not comfortable providing their toddlers with orthotics and all they want is a shoe that comes with a built in arch support.
Shoes play a key role in keeping our children’s feet healthy, and I found a particular shoe brand that not only make good quality shoes, they all come with a built in arch support that will prevent your child’s feet from collapsing and allow your child to walk much straighter.
This shoe brand that I am talking about is Wobbly Waddlers.
Their shoes feature very soft leathers and a soft sole. They provide the arch support and are made with the consideration of the biomechanics of a child that is walking and putting pressure on his or her feet. The Natura Nova line comes with the ankle support on the sides of the feet, rather than on the back.
Have you noticed that when children with flat feet stand up and put pressure on their feet the feet collapse? This makes the legs turn inwards or outwards which leads in the future to back and knee pain, or posture problems. When the legs are not well aligned the body tries to correct by putting pressure in areas where it’s not supposed to.
If you have a toddler that has been experiencing foot or leg pain and needs a good substantial shoe that provides arch support, I will describe in this post the best toddler shoes with arch support.
The Best Shoe Brand For Toddlers That Need Arch Support
The shoe brand that I found to be most effective for toddlers that need shoes with arch support is called Wobbly Waddlers. Have you ever heard of this shoe brand?
These shoes are designed with the assistance of specialist orthopedic pediatricians and doctors. Each of their shoes are made out of leather on the outside and inside of the shoe. Each shoe is individually cut, stitched and crafted by hand from start to finish by artisan shoemakers.
I was really pleased when I tried these shoes and surprised about how well made they are. But the greatest benefit is that they come with a built-in arch support and a heel counter that will support your kids’ ankles and help straighten them out.
The shoes provide great ankle support and help toddlers balance and keep them from falling when walking on uneven surfaces outside,while ensuring proper foot placement and leg alignment.
I have seen the positive impact these types of shoes have by actually trying them on children and watching them walk. You will be able to tell the difference right away since once the child walks in the shoes you will notice how his or her feet will look much straighter, helping them align their whole body.
Before I provide you with a selection of the best toddler shoes with arch support, I want you to understand which features a good shoe must provide for your child and the importance of providing your child with the correct shoe size.
Features A Good Shoe Must Provide For Your Toddler?
If your child is flat footed and has been experiencing foot and leg pain you can minimize or fully eliminate the pain by finding a shoe that provides the following features:
- A built-in arch support: It consists on a small almond-shaped pad that is placed inside the shoe, right at the level where the arch of the feet. This pad is glued and sewn to the insole of the shoe. This will cushion your kids’ feet and minimize the impact that their feet receive every time they become in contact with the ground. This will also prevent your child’s feet from collapsing and will allow your child to walk and run straighter, aligning his/her feet and legs.
- A firm heel counter: This will protect your kids’ ankles and provide lateral stability and ankle support. If you are not sure what the heel counter of the shoe is, please take a look at the picture below for clarification. I also included pictures that Wobbly Waddlers sent to me so you can see the lasts that are used to make the shoe
- A thick, durable sole: This will help reduce the impact that our kids’ feet receive every time their feet come in contact with the ground. This part of the shoe must also provide good traction to prevent your child from slipping and falling down.
Finding a shoe that provides all of these features will keep your children’s feet healthy.
You might be wondering, where can you find a shoe that provides all of these features? There is a selection made by the shoe company Wobbly Waddlers that provides all of these features and I will describe them below.
Please remember one thing: It doesn’t matter how many features a particular shoe style has to provide for your child, if it’s not fitted properly (the correct shoe length and the correct shoe width) your child won’t get any of the benefits that the shoes have to offer.
I always recommend parents to take their children to their local children’s shoe store, where a shoe fitter can properly measure their kids’ feet and find shoes accordingly. But several parents don’t have a local children’s shoe store that they trust and must purchase their kids’ shoes online. If you are one of those parents start by reading a post called:
How Can I Make Sure My Kids’ Shoes Fit – Learn The Secret Here!
That article will explain you the simplest, yet most effective method to make sure your child is wearing the correct shoe size.
How Do Wobbly Waddlers Shoes Look? – Stylish And Supportive!
Parents love how these shoes look and all of the features that they provide to their children. It’s hard to find shoes that look good and at the same are functional. I define functional shoes as footwear that serve a clear purpose such as providing arch support.
Let’s take a look at some examples of how Wobbly Waddlers shoes look like:
Do These Shoes Really Come With Arch Support? – Keep your Kids’ Feet Healthy!
How many times have you tried a particular shoe style because it was labeled as “arch support” just to realize that the sole of the shoe was actually flat? If you have been looking for a pair of shoes with arch support for your toddler look no further. Take a look at the pictures below so you can see the arch support for yourself!
Notice how the shoe comes with a built in arch. Another great feature of that particular shoe style is how it comes with double velcro straps (this will provide more support and more stability to your child’s feet), and also will allow you to open the shoe nice and wide, so your child’s feet can easily fit inside the shoe.
The Best Toddler Shoes With Arch Support – The Secret Revealed!
Now that you know what features a good shoe style must provide for your children and how to make sure that they are wearing the correct shoe size, below you can find a selection of the best toddler shoes with arch support.
Keep in mind that these shoes styles will fit a child with a medium, to a wide foot, but they don’t fit a child with an extra wide foot. You should also note that these shoes fit short, which means that you need to go a whole size longer of the size that your child measures at the shoe measuring scale in order to allow for growing room.
Fitting a shoe online can be tricky, the best way to do it is by measuring both feet of the baby on length and width (remember to refer to my article above that will shoe you how to make sure you get your child’s correct shoe size). Also, the shoe brand has created a easy-to-fit sizing chart that has a reference on the size of clothes that your kid is wearing. Wobbly Waddlers recommends to match the shoe size with the growth percentile of your kid. Being that every kid is different, is important to consider how tall or big your child is. For example, an 18 months old baby could be wearing a 2T size clothes or all the way around if the child is on the petite side, an 18 months old baby can wear a 12 months size clothes. So, compare very well your measures with their sizing chart.
Another great feature about Wobbly Waddlers Shoes is that they offer free shipping and free returns or exchanges, in case the shoe, after all your measurements, still didn’t fit right. Other brands discount the cost of the shipping and a handling fee, they completely refund your money, so there is nothing to lose on your side.
If you have been looking for an all leather shoe that provides good arch and ankle support for your toddler, these shoes will keep your kids’ feet and legs healthy.
Have you tried this shoe brand before? Is there a particular shoe style that you would recommend? Please share your thoughts and comments below so we can all benefit from your experience!
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