Toddler Walking Shoes with Ankle Support – Align, Support, and Strengthen your Toddler’s Ankles
Has your pediatrician, physical, or occupational therapist diagnosed your toddler with rolled ankles? Are you looking for a pair of shoes that provides good ankle support? It has been proven that the correct type of shoes can help strengthen and align your toddler’s ankles. I am going to show you which are the best toddler walking shoes with ankle support based on my many years of shoe fitting experience.
Throughout the years I have fitted toddlers with different types of foot issues such as flat feet, overpronation, low muscle, and rolled ankles, just to name a few.
Have You Noticed Something Different with Your Toddler’s Feet or Walking Gait?
Parents are pretty good at noticing when there is something wrong with their toddler’s feet or when their toddlers start walking or running differently. If your toddler’s ankles are rolling inwards or outwards, you need to treat this condition immediately because it can lead to serious issues in the future such as foot, leg, or back pain.
The good news is that, unlike flat feet, rolled ankles is a condition that can be treated and is fully correctable. If you provide your toddler with the correct pair of shoes, you will strengthen and straighten the ankles. To accomplish this you need to provide your toddler with shoes that provide a firm heel counter.
The Importance of Finding Shoes with Firm Heel Counters
Do you know what the heel counter of the shoe is? The heel counter is the back part of the shoe that provides ankle support. Take a look at the picture below to see where the heel counter is located:
To check whether the shoes provide a firm heel counter or not, you must press firmly around this area of the shoe and check whether it feels firm or soft. Let’s take a look at the difference between a shoe with a soft heel counter versus a shoe with a firm heel counter:
The issue is that shoes don’t come labeled with a “firm heel counter”. The good news is that I know exactly which toddler shoes provide that important feature and I will show them to you shortly.
Something so simple such as providing your toddler with a shoe with a firm heel counter can make a tremendous difference in the way your toddler walks and runs, as well as in improving your toddler’s overall posture.
Before I provide you with a selection of the best toddler shoes with ankle support, I want to show you what other features the shoes I describe below provide that will help keep your toddler’s feet healthy.
Toddler Walking Shoes with Ankle Support – 4 Important Features!
In addition to providing a firm heel counter — this is the most important feature that the shoes must provide if your toddler is experiencing ankle pain — the shoes must provide the following 4 features:
1️⃣ Supportive Outsoles: Toddlers are always on the move and supportive shoes help minimize the impact that your toddler’s feet take every time they become in contact with the ground.
2️⃣ 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.
3️⃣ Breathable: This feature helps prevent the formation and buildup of bacteria inside the shoes, which will also reduce the likelihood of your toddler developing stinky feet.
4️⃣ Traction: Shoes with good traction help prevent toddlers from slipping and falling.
There are certain toddler shoes that I have fitted before that provide all of these features and I will show them to you shortly. However, if you don’t provide your toddler with the correct shoe size, your toddler won’t get any of the benefits that the shoes have to offer.
This brings me to ask you this question: Are you 100% sure of your toddler’s foot size?
Are you 100% Sure of Your Toddler’s Foot Size? – Let’s Find Out!
I always recommend parents take their toddlers to be properly fitted for shoes at their local children’s shoe store that they trust. The issue is that most of these stores have been closing down, and parents need to buy their children’s shoes online.
There is a different resource I created where I describe the simplest, yet most effective way to figure out your child’s exact foot size from home.
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.
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.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at a selection of the best toddler walking shoes with ankle support. 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 Toddler Walking Shoes with Ankle Support
These shoes are capable of fitting toddlers with medium (M), wide (W), and extra wide (XW) feet.
Lace-Up Closure
- New Balance shoe style 990v6
- Fits toddlers with medium, wide, or extra wide feet
- Strong rubber outsole and cushioned midsoles
- Suede/mesh upper provides durability and breathability
- Order this shoe half a size larger than your toddler’s current foot size
- New Balance shoe style 990v6
- Fits toddlers with medium, wide, or extra wide feet
- Strong rubber outsole and cushioned midsoles
- Suede/mesh upper provides durability and breathability
- Order this shoe half a size larger than your toddler’s current foot size
- Stride Rite shoe style Emilia
- Fits toddlers with medium, wide, or extra wide feet
- Strong rubber outsole and a cushioned midsole
- 100% leather made
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your toddler’s current foot size
- Stride RIte shoe style Elliot
- Fits toddlers with medium, wide, or extra wide feet
- 100% leather made
- Seamless construction that cradles the foot’s natural shape
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your toddler’s current foot size
- Stride RIte shoe style Elliot
- Fits toddlers with medium, wide, or extra wide feet
- 100% leather made
- Seamless construction that cradles the foot’s natural shape
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your toddler’s current foot size
- New Balance shoe style 2022
- Fits toddlers with medium or wide feet
- Suede/mesh upper provides durability and breathability
- Order this shoe half a size larger than your toddler’s current foot size
- New Balance shoe style 2022
- Fits toddlers with medium or wide feet
- Suede/mesh upper provides durability and breathability
- Order this shoe half a size larger than your toddler’s current foot size
- New Balance shoe style 990v6
- Fits toddlers with medium, wide, or extra wide feet
- Strong rubber outsole and cushioned midsoles
- Suede/mesh upper provides durability and breathability
- Order this shoe half a size larger than your toddler’s current foot size
Velcro Closure
- Timberland Tracks H&L Boot
- Fits toddlers with medium or wide feet
- Breathable textile lining
- Stable base of support with firm heel counters
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your toddler’s current foot size
- Saucony Cohesion
- Fits toddlers with medium or wide feet
- Heel grid system for stable cushioning
- Compression molded EVA footbed for comfort
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your toddler’s current foot size
- New Balance style 990v6
- Fits toddlers with medium, wide, or extra wide feet
- ABZORB midsole absorbs impact through a combination of cushioning and compression resistance
- Removable insoles
- Extra deep
- Order this shoe a half size larger than your child’s current foot size
- New Balance style 574
- Fits toddlers with medium, wide, or extra wide feet
- Generous toe box and instep to accommodate and support your toddler walker’s needs
- Rubber outsole pods designed to stand up to daily wear and tear
- Extra deep
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your toddler’s current foot size
- Memo style Gabi
- Fits toddlers with medium or wide feet
- Thermoplastic asymmetric stiff heel counter for proper feet protection and stabilization
- Stiff and high ankle support for toe walkers
- Order this shoe half a size larger than your toddler’s current foot size
- Memo style Gabi
- Fits toddlers with medium or wide feet
- Thermoplastic asymmetric stiff heel counter for proper feet protection and stabilization
- Stiff and high ankle support for toe walkers
- Order this shoe half a size larger than your toddler’s current foot size
- New Balance style 990v4
- Fits toddlers with medium or wide feet
- Generous toe box and instep to accommodate and support your toddler walker’s needs
- Extra deep
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your toddler’s current foot size
Keep in mind that if your toddler is experiencing ankle pain, I always recommend a pair of shoes with shoelaces instead of velcro closure as shoelaces will hug your toddler’s ankles better, securing them against the back of the shoes and providing them with better support.
Looking for Other Shoe Recommendations? – Get a Personalized Suggestion
If none of these shoes are available in your child’s shoe size or if you need the shoes to be made of a specific color don’t hesitate to email me at:
Orthotics for Toddlers that Need Extra Ankle Support
Sometimes a pair of good supportive shoes won’t be enough to help strengthen and align your toddler’s ankles. If that is the case with your toddler, then the next step is to try a pair of orthotics inside the shoes.
There is a particular orthotic that provides maximum shock-absorbing protection to the ankles. The reason why I recommend this specific orthotic is that it provides excellent support but it’s not as invasive, meanings that it allows the foot muscles to develop on their own.
I have seen how this orthotic has significantly reduced or fully eliminated the foot pain that toddlers were experiencing. Below you can find the best orthotic for toddlers with ankle pain:
- Fits a toddler shoe size 5 up to a big kid shoe size 3
- Medically approved insoles with targeted cushion and support
- Deep heel cup with strong arch support
- Made from lightweight yet supportive cushioning material with shock-absorbing heel padding
- Forefoot padding to increase comfort
- They can be trimmed to size with scissors if needed
- Fits a toddler shoe size 5 up to a big kid shoe size 3
- 3/4 length makes it ideal to fit in most shoes
- Medically approved insoles with targeted cushion and support
- Deep heel cup with strong arch support
- Made from lightweight yet supportive cushioning material with shock-absorbing heel
Keep in mind that orthotics won’t fit in any pair of shoes. The shoes must be supportive and deep. The good news is that the shoes I recommended above are all capable to accommodate an orthotic inside of them.
Before you leave, 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 toddler’s feet perfectly, and I will help you find it.
Have you found a particular shoe style for your toddler that has helped reduce his/her ankle pain? Please share your findings in the comments section below so other parents can benefit from your experiences.
