What is the Difference Between Medium and Wide Shoes? – Finding the Perfect Shoes for Your Child!

Are you unsure whether your child should wear medium or wide shoes? If your child has wide feet and you buy a pair of medium width shoes, you are probably squeezing your child’s toes which can lead to foot issues such as blisters, calluses, and corns. Providing children with the correct shoe width is as important as getting the proper shoe length. If parents don’t know the difference between medium and wide widths shoes, then how can they possibly be providing their children with the correct shoe size?

What Is the Difference Between Medium and Wide Shoes?

The difference between a medium width shoe and a wide width shoe is 1/8 of an inch. This can make all the difference in preventing your kids’ toes from overlapping one another or rubbing against the side of the shoes. Take a look at the picture below where I show two insoles of the same shoe length. The left insole comes from a medium width shoe (M) and the right one comes from a wide width shoe (W).

The difference seems quite clear, and that extra room in the width will make such a big difference in preventing your child’s toes from rubbing or overlapping against one another or the side of the shoes.

What Shoe Companies Manufacture Kids’ Shoes in Wide Widths?

New Balance, Saucony, and Stride Rite are the best shoe brands for children with wide feet as they offer the best selection when it comes to wide widths shoes.

Which is the Best Place to Get Your Kids’ Shoes? – Try Them On!

Start by taking a look at a resource I created where I describe the best children’s shoe stores by state. If after looking at that resource you still can’t seem to find a good fitting kids’ shoe store in your area, then you can take a look at a different resource that I created where I help families retrieve their child’s exact foot length and shape from home.

While there are several wide widths shoes available for kids, some of them provide better support and structure than others, and will also be more durable and last longer. 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.

Best Wide Widths Shoes for Kids to Keep Your Child’s Feet Healthy

Take a look at the description below each shoe to find out the features the shoe provides and the size you should order to allow for the correct amount of growing room.

Are You Having Trouble Finding a Specific Pair of Shoes for Your Child?

You can contact me directly at my e-mail if you have any questions or can’t seem to find a specific pair of shoes for your child:

fittingchildrensshoes@gmail.com

Find Out If Your Child’s Current Shoes FIT

Is your child complaining that the shoes feel too tight? Maybe your child doesn’t complain but you have noticed red marks or indentations on the top part of your child’s feet. My advice to you is to take your kids’ complaints seriously and start by checking the widest part of the shoe. Let’s take a look at the picture below which shows a shoe that is too narrow for a child’s foot. Do you notice how there is a small bump in the widest part of the foot?

That means that your kids’ toes are being cramped inside the shoe, and the small toe is being pressed against the side of the shoe. The small toe will rub against the shoe, which can lead to the formation of blisters, calluses, or corns.

Let me know in the comments section below if you have any questions.