Wide Dress Shoes for Kids – Finding the Best Selection

Are you having trouble finding a particular dress shoe for your child with wide feet or extra wide feet? Do you feel like you try several different styles but always end up empty-handed? Finding a pair of dress shoes for your child with wide feet can be a frustrating and time-consuming experience if you don’t know what styles to look for. I have put together a list of the best wide dress shoes for kids based on my many years of shoe fitting experience.

I have been contacted by several families who are having a hard time finding a pair of dress shoes to accommodate the shape of their child’s wide or extra wide feet. Some children in addition to having wide feet have to deal with a high instep.

If you provide your child with dress shoes that are too narrow you will end up creating several issues with your child’s feet such as blisters, calluses, and corns.

The most common mistake that I see parents make is to provide their children with dress shoes that are too long to compensate for the width.

What Makes the Dress Shoes I Recommend Effective for Wide Feet?

In addition to being available in wide widths (W), the kids’ dress shoes that I recommend provide extra depth and rounder toe-boxes:

1️⃣ Extra Depth: This feature allows the child’s feet to fit deeply inside the shoes and prevent the top part of the foot from rubbing against the top part of the shoes. Let’s take a look at the difference between a dress shoe that provides extra depth versus one that doesn’t. Do you notice how the shoe on the right is a lot deeper than the shoe on the left?

2️⃣ Rounder Toe-Boxes: This feature is going to prevent the child’s toes from rubbing against one another or the side of the shoes. Do you notice how the dress shoe on the right has a rounder toe-box compared to the dress shoe on the left?

While dress shoes for kids are the type of shoes that are worn for a very short period of time and every once in a while, they still need to be comfortable. It only takes a couple of wears in the wrong shoe size for your child to develop a foot issue.

Have you noticed that if your feet hurt you tend to shift your body weight differently and walk in a different way to counteract the pain? This is exactly what your children will do, which will lead them to put pressure on parts of their bodies where they are not supposed to. This will lead to other joints and muscles like the knees, hips, back, shoulders and neck to suffer in the long run.

In addition to fitting the shape of your child’s wide feet, the dress shoes must provide good support and they need to be lightweight and flexible at the same time.

I will provide you with a selection of the best wide dress shoes for kids shortly, but first I want to show you what features these dress shoes provide and how to figure out your child’s exact foot size from home.

The Best Dress Shoe Brands for Kids with Wide Feet – 4 Top Brands

There are certain children’s shoe brands that are consistent in making dress shoes for children with wide feet:

➡️ Hush Puppies

➡️ Stride Rite

➡️ Sperry

➡️ FootMates

The two most popular ones are Hush Puppies and Stride Rite, since I have fitted several shoe styles from them before and I know they will fit the shape of a child with a wide or an extra wide foot, as well as a high instep.

Wide Dress Shoes for Kids – The 3 Most Important Features!

These are the 3 most important features that the dress shoes I recommend provide, in addition to extra depth and rounder toe-boxes:

1️⃣ Support: This feature allows your child to walk around comfortably.

2️⃣ Lightweight/Flexible: The dress shoes must be supportive, but they need to be lightweight and flexible at the same time to prevent your kids’ feet and legs from easily getting tired.

3️⃣ Durable: The dress shoes need to be durable so children can outgrow them before they wear them out.

I only write reviews of shoe styles that I have fitted before, otherwise, I wouldn’t know how well-made they are, the amount of support that they provide, and how they fit. 

Without further ado, let’s take a look at the best wide dress shoes for kids. 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 Wide Dress Shoes for Kids

Most of these dress shoes are made out of 100% leather, which has several benefits compared to other types of material since it will mold to your child’s unique foot shape and it’s also the type of material that tends to hold up the best. This helps guarantee that your children outgrow the shoes before they wear them out.

Are You 100% Sure of Your Child’s Foot Size? – Get it Right!

You won’t be able to order the correct dress shoe size online if you don’t know your child’s exact foot size to begin with.

I always recommend parents take their children 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 child’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.

How to Retrieve Your Child’s Exact Foot Length and Shape

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 an article I created that describes the simplest, yet most effective way to figure out your child’s foot size from home.

how-to-figure-out-your-child's-shoe-size

Socks play a key role in keeping your kids’ feet healthy since they act as a barrier between your kids’ feet and the shoes. Dress socks are important because dress shoes tend to be stiffer and less padded than sneakers, and children might have a hard time adjusting to them. In addition, a good pair of dress socks will cushion and protect your kids’ feet.

Dress Socks for Children – Seamless and Breathable!

One common mistake that I see parents make is buying their kids’ socks based on their age, and not their foot size. This usually leads to children wearing socks that are too short or too long for their feet.

Let me show you the most effective way to make sure that you provide your toddler with the correct sock size.

Most socks come in a package with labels that read “fits sock size”, ”fits ages from”, ”fits shoe size”. When trying to find the correct sock size for your child, please ignore the label that reads “sock size” or “age guidelines”.

To find your children’s correct sock size, you must always look under the label “shoe size” in the sock’s tags. This is the most effective way to find out your children’s correct sock size. Take a look at the image below for clarification:

Seamless socks are the kind that I recommend for wide feet. They allow the toes to move freely and they help prevent the. toes from overlapping onto each other. Below you can find a selection of the best dress socks for children with wide feet:

Do you happen to need a pair of wide dress shoes for yourself? I suggest that you visit a different website that describes the best women’s wide width dress shoes.

Are Any Other Shoe Choices Available?

Do not hesitate to contact me directly at my e-mail if you have any further questions or if you need a different pair of shoes for your child. My e-mail address is:

fittingchildrensshoes@gmail.com

Have you found a particular dress shoe that has worked well for your child’s wide feet? Please share your findings below so other parents can benefit from your experiences.