NARROW FEET VS WIDE FEET? HOW TO GET THE BEST SHOE FIT FOR YOUR CHILD

Have you noticed your child’s feet are just that bit wider than usual? It can make shoe shopping a huge pain in the neck – and usually ends with you trying to jam narrow shoes onto your child’s pudgy feet.

NARROW FEET IN TODDLERS

Narrow feet in toddlers appear slim and petite compared to the average foot width for their age. They often have a slender appearance, with toes closer together and a narrower arch. Properly fitted shoes for narrow feet should avoid excessive roominess and provide a secure, snug fit to support healthy development

WIDE FEET IN TODDLERS

Wide feet in toddlers appear broader and thicker compared to the average foot width for their age. They may have a visibly wider arch and more substantial toe spacing. It's crucial to choose footwear with sufficient width and avoid tight, constricting shoes to ensure comfort and proper foot development in toddlers with wide feet.

NARROW & WIDE FEET TODDLERS: THINGS TO CONSIDER

If your child has wide feet, it’s more important than ever to make sure you’re fitting them in the right shoes. Putting them in ill-fitting shoes could lead to all manner of foot problems as well as impede natural, healthy foot development. The same goes for kids shoes for narrow feet. 

PARENT ADVICE ON NARROW & WIDE FEET TODDLERS

We’ve heard plenty of questions around narrow feet vs wide feet. So we’ve tried to answer some of your biggest concerns here. Read on to find out the best solutions to cladding your baby’s feet!

WIDE FEET: IT’S NATURAL – TO A DEGREE

We’ll start by saying babies’ feet do tend to be thick, tapering in at the heel. Newborns have a protective padding that makes the foot appear wider than an adult’s. It’s that very fleshiness – the square toes and rounded heel – that makes us go gaga over baby feet. The best baby shoe brands will factor that natural width into their designs. 

It’s only as your child begins to toddle that the foot generally slims out, becoming leaner, with a more defined arch and Achilles. Don't stress if your infant's feel look overly chubby or round, they tend to even our with age. Keeping that in mind, always consult your medical professional if you see any abnormalities. 

ALL FEET ARE MADE DIFFERENTLY

You’ll notice in the sentence above, I said generally. That’s because all feet are, at the end of the day, individual. The length, width and growth of young feet will be different for every child.

Some children will have narrow feet – perhaps with a high arch – while others could sport wide, chubby feet. So children’s feet usually become narrower with age. But that’s not a given. Some children could carry that quirk into adulthood.

Our Driftwood sandals are the perfect style for narrow to wide feet, with it's fully adjustable straps across the foot and ankle. When looking for kids sandals for different foot widths and sizes, ensure that they have flexible soles and are constructed from quality materials such as premium leather. Shop the range of girls sandals and boys sandals by Bobux which are podiatrist approved and specially designed for growing feet. 

How to Measure Your Child’s Feet

A lot of parenting is about bluffing your way through; thankfully, with the resources out there these days, that’s not entirely necessary. So we can tell you right now, bluffing when it comes to fitting your child’s shoes is not the way to go.

Instead, you can use our Expert Fitting Tool to properly measure your child’s feet yourself. Get the fit right from the beginning, and you could be saving your child a lot of discomforts and even potential injury from the outset.

FITTING SHOES FOR WIDE FEET

The length and width of shoes are usually proportional, so every time you go up a full size, you’re adding, on average, a quarter of an inch to the width.

Kid shoes should have a little bit of wiggle room in them. So a good gauge to see if the shoe is the correct size is to squeeze a pinkie between your child’s shoe and their foot at the instep. If it’s impossible to do, you’re probably strangling the poor kid’s foot!

Most toddlers will outgrow the width of their shoe before they outgrow the length, so don’t forget to check the width fit regularly. This is pretty easy to do; just squeeze and pull the material above the ball of the foot. If the material lifts a little (but not too much!) it’s still a good fit.

FITTING SHOES FOR NARROW FEET

You don’t want your child to be slipping and sliding around in their shoes either. They’re clumsy at the best of times, so it’s just cruel to give them the extra challenge of hobbling around in oversized kicks.

What you’re wanting to check for here is the slipperiness of shoes. Just plop your child in a chair and grab hold of their shoe-clad foot. Keep a firm hold on their ankle and tug at the heel of the shoe. If it slides off without any resistance, the shoes are likely too large.

A small gap between the foot and the shoe is totally fine, as long as the heel doesn’t slip when they walk.

The Best Shoe Feature for Narrow and Wide Feet

Essentially, the more flexible and malleable the shoe, the better it will be for a tough-to-fit foot. So with that in mind…

Hook and loop. 

Nothing beats hook and loop fastening to cater to narrow feet vs wide feet. Shoes with hook and loop take into account length, width and thickness to help you tighten or loosen your child’s shoes as needed for the perfect fit. Bobux's range of kids sneakers and trainers are designed for comfort and durability. Constructed from premium leathers and textiles, our sneakers mould to the natural foot shape and have flexible soles for easy movement. Shop the full range of girls sneakers and trainers and boys sneakers and trainers online. 

SHOP HOOK AND LOOP SHOES AT BOBUX

Bobux's range of kids' sneakers and trainers are designed for comfort and durability. Constructed from premium leathers and textiles, our sneakers mould to the natural foot shape and have flexible soles for easy movement. Shop the full range of girls' sneakers and trainers and boys' sneakers and trainers online. 

Many of the shoes in our range are designed with wide opening hook and loop fastening, which gives the shoes much greater adjustability. Shop our kids shoes for wide feet and shoes for toddlers with wide feet today! Read more helpful blog articles about kids foot health on the Bobux blog:

The Best Shoes For Kinder and Preschool

Guide To Kids’ Foot Width & Choosing The Right Shoe Width

School Shoes Review - Bobux Scout & Piper (One Year On)

What’s That Smell? Why Your Kid’s Feet Stink

The Best Kids’ Shoes In Every Style

How Much Growing Room to Leave in Kids Shoes