Toddler with Low Muscle Tone – The Best Shoe Styles to Improve the Way Your Child Walks
Has your physical or occupational therapist diagnosed your toddler with low muscle tone? Low muscle tone is used to describe muscles that are floppy. Toddlers with low muscle tone may need to put in more effort to get their muscles moving properly when they are performing a particular activity.
Your toddler might have been diagnosed with low muscle tone for any of the following reasons:
- Your toddler muscles might appear to be less firm than usual.
- Your toddler appears to be floppy and to have loose joints.
One thing that physical and occupational therapists recommend for a toddler with low muscle tone is wearing supportive shoes with substantial outsoles and firm heel counters, and in certain cases, orthotics as well. I work for a specialized children’s shoe store, and that’s where I became familiar with the best shoes for toddlers with low muscle tone. I have noticed throughout the years how many children with low muscle tone have flat feet, and children with flat feet have poor balance and coordination.
Pro Tip: If you’re pressed for time here is a list of the best shoes for toddlers with low muscle tone.
Do These Images Look Familiar?
One of the first things I want you to pay attention to is your toddler’s posture in weight-bearing. Do you notice your toddler’s feet collapsing when standing? This might be a sign that your toddler is flat-footed.
Do you also notice poor alignment and your toddler’s heels rolling outwards?
These are both signs that your toddler might have low muscle tone.
As toddlers begin to stand and walk, they start strengthening their muscles as they are using them in gait. However, toddlers with low muscle tone and pronation often develop a poor gait pattern as instead of a heel-toe pattern of walking, they use a toe-heel pattern.
Can Supportive Shoes Help Children with Low Muscle Tone?
Providing your toddlers with a pair of supportive shoes can help provide the extra support that joints need for good posture and movement.
When I help parents with toddlers with low muscle tone, I always recommend trying a good supportive shoe before trying an orthotic. I always watch the toddler walk and run to check whether there is an improvement in the walking gait. If after trying a pair of supportive shoes the toddler’s walking gait and posture don’t improve, that’s when it’s time to try a pair of orthotics.
If you have a toddler with low muscle tone, I will show you which shoes help improve a toddler’s walking gait and posture and prevent foot and knee pain in the future.
What Makes the Shoes I Recommend Effective for Low Muscle Tone?
The shoes I recommend provide 3 key features to help your toddler balance and improve your toddler’s walking gait and overall posture:
1️⃣ Firm Heel Counters: This key feature helps straighten and strengthen your toddler’s ankles. The heel counter is the back part of the shoe that provides ankle support. Always press on the heel counter and make sure that it feels firm and not too soft or flimsy.
2️⃣ Substantial Outsoles: This feature helps align your toddler’s feet properly, providing a stable base for your toddler’s feet. Please don’t assume that supportive shoes hinder foot development.
3️⃣ Flexibility: While the shoes need to be supportive, they need to be lightweight and flexible at the same time. This feature helps prevent your toddler’s feet and legs from easily getting tired. Your toddler’s shoes should always bend at the ball of the foot but no further.
4️⃣ Straight Last: Shoes with straight lasts will help keep your child’s feet in the correct position. Always try to avoid shoes with excessively curved lasts:
Another great feature of the shoes that I recommend is that they come in different widths such as medium (M), wide (W), and extra wide (XW). This means that the shoes will fit any type of foot shape, no matter how narrow or wide they are.
Before and After Images of a Toddler with Low Muscle Tone
Let’s first take a look at an image of a toddler with low muscle tone standing barefoot. Do you notice how the feet are collapsing and turning inwards?
Let’s now take a look at an image of the same toddler wearing a pair of supportive shoes that I recommend. Do you notice how the feet are a lot straighter?
Wow! What a difference the correct types of shoes can make!
The Best Shoes for Toddlers with Low Muscle Tone
While some parents don’t like the idea of providing their toddlers with shoes that come with shoelaces, parents need to understand that shoelaces make a huge difference as they provide better support and stability. 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.
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 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
Velcro Closure
- 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
- 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
Get in Touch With Us for a Personalized Suggestion
Without a doubt, children’s shoe needs can vary depending on their age, activity level, and any specific foot conditions they may have. If you have any questions or need any further assistance, you can also contact us via email and we will get back to you as soon as possible. We are happy to help you find a different pair of shoes for your toddler so don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
How to Retrieve Your Toddler’s Exact Foot Length and Shape
If you want to be 100% sure about what shoe size to order online, I suggest that you follow the instructions in this article.
In certain cases, providing your toddlers with a pair of good, supportive shoes is not going to be enough to improve their posture and help them walk and run straighter. If this is the case with your toddler, then an orthotic might be required for extra support and to help align your toddler’s feet and legs to walk straighter.
The orthotics I recommend for toddlers with low muscle tone are the least restrictive ones as they allow for the normal movement of the foot. One of the main reasons why the orthotic works so efficiently for toddlers with low muscle tone is that it provides a deep heel cup (30mm to be more precise) that provides stability and improves the child’s walking gait.
Testimonials from Families
Shoes for Toddlers with Low Muscle Tone – Watch Video!
I created a video to help you better visualize what features your toddler’s shoes should provide to support your toddler’s joints and promote good posture and movement.
“Low Muscle Tone And Your Child – What You Need To Know.” Surestep, 1 Dec. 2016, surestep.net/blog/low-muscle-tone-hypotonia-an-overview-for-parents/.
“Muscle Weakness (Hypotonia): Boston Children’s Hospital.” Boston Children’s Hospital,www.childrenshospital.org/conditions-and-treatments/conditions/m/muscle-weakness-hypotonia.
Hello
Stumbled upon this useful website of yours. I have a 4 year old boy, with hypotonia with back ankle bones collapsing inwards like the pictures on your website. what supportive shoes can we get for him? Iis it too late to fix this problem? We do prefer a velcro shoe so he can wear them himself in nursery.
I’m currently living in UK. Thank you
Hello Serene,
To recommend specific shoes for your son I first will need to know his foot shape (narrow, medium, wide, extra wide), and the exact shoe size that he wears.
What is the model name/number of the last sneaker shown in blue on the velcro side? When I click on the link it just takes me to the New balance home page.
Hello Laura,
That specific color is sold out, but here is a link to the same model in a different color: 574 New Balance Shoe
There are only a few shoe sizes available so let me know if you are having a hard time finding your child’s shoe size and I can help you look for the same shoe on a different website.
Hello there, my daughter is 2.5 years old is not walking due to low muscles tone, I am looking for the shoes which can help and support her for learning to walk, could you please guide me which one is good for her?
Hello Sheetal,
To recommend specific shoes for your daughter I first need to know her foot shape (narrow, medium, wide, extra wide), and the country you are contacting me to check what shoes you will be able to order.
What is a good shoe to get if toddler wears orthotics? Size 2 extra wide new balance with removable soles is what we have now. He has wide feet so need something wide. Also small feet. He is learning to walk. But without orthotics walks on his ankles. The ones we have are Velcro.
Hello,
The New Balance that you have are probably a good choice. I do suggest getting shoelaces instead of velcro closure as shoelaces provide better support and stability compared to velcro. Another alternative to New Balance is this shoe: Stride Rite Bootie
Make sure to order the extra wide (X-Wide), remove the original insoles, and apply this shoe lacing technique: How to Tie Shoes with Orthotics – Stop Heel Slippage
My son has flat feet so I need a good pair of shoes for him , He is 6 years old
Hello Gurleen,
Do you know if his feet are medium, wide, or extra wide? Would you like a pair of velcro shoes or shoes with shoelaces? Once you get back at me with that information I can show you a selection of shoes for boys with flat feet.