Which shoes are best for kids?

[FirstTimeWithMickey]

I have tried to locate a thread on this...just wondering...we are going to be in FL in July. Which shoes are best for the parks? We have a 10 year old and 7 year old and my son is already wearing mens size shoes but it's impossible to find decent sandals for his 7 1/2 foot. I wondered if gym shoes are best...are there many water rides? We will be going to AK, Epcot, MK and HS.

 

[Brenda Kim]

Easy answer is whichever shoes they are comfortable in now. Don't break in new shoes, it will be a nightmare. My nieces wore tennis shoes with socks they are 5 and 7. The 5 year tried sandals one day but the kept coming off (mysteriously).

Water rides where you will get your feet wet are:
MK Splash Mountain (but not always and not much) There is a splash zone in Fantasy land, a great place for the kids to take off their shoes and just splash around in for a while.
AK Kali River Rapids (we wrapped our rain ponchos around are feet to keep them dry) you will get WET on this ride
Epcot NONE
HS NONE

Go with the tennis shoes, but if you try the sandals remember to put sun screen on your feet, because sun burnt feet are no good vacation fun. Also break the sandals in well before the trip.

I have never found tennis shoes and socks to be too hot in the Florida summer.

 

[Ava]

My DD5 alternated between sneakers and Crocs last year and that worked well. The Crocs are also light enough that we carried them into the parks as a back up on the sneaker days in case her feet got unexpectedly wet, i.e. if it rained. I also like to have two different pairs of shoes to alternate - it helps my feet feel less tired if I can put on a different shoe.

 

[DisneyCAL]

We plan on packing the cheap flip flops in our back pack to change into for SM and KRR and then switching back to sneakers, although we have 4 year olds so their shoes are smaller for packing easily.

 

[jen7233]

My kids used to wear Crocs fine as toddlers/early preschool and were our best sandal, but now they don't like them. They started getting hotspots from the Crocs where the strap begins and meets the main part of the sandal, that little circular part. We end up with band aids and socks, so what's the point of that! This year I bought some knockoff Keen sandals for them, but I'm probably having them mostly in running shoes. That's what they love to wear. I'm fine with flip flops, and I see so many little girls in them. My boys won't wear them though unless they are at the pool, just their preference.

 

[JenB1104]

I got DD teva sandals and Skechers tennis shoes.

 

[Lilliputian]

I agree that it depends on what is comfortable for the child, but they need to start getting broken in now. My kids like sandals over tennis shoes, but either is fine. You can get a good selection of shoes in any size if you order online. It is hard to find much selection in 7.5 in the stores. A site like Zappos or Shoe Buy will let you just show the kind of shoes you want in the size you need. For sandals, you may have to go up to an 8 because many don't come in half sizes, but they will fit.

 

[Bluegrrl]

I really like Striderite shoes, that's what my man has been wearing since he was born. They also measure your feet when you are there, so you get the best fit.

 

[tink9702]

My kids are younger, but we alternated Crocs & Sneakers. I'd recommend either having an extra pair of shoes/flip flops or wearing crocs for Kali River Rapids. That one gets you soaked!!!

 

[TOBS2010]

At that age my parents always put my brother and I in socks and tennis shoes during the day. Then at night--unless we were doing some major walking in the parks, we would change into sandals and flip flops. This summer when we take our little over 2.5 year old, we will probably do the same thing. Except since his shoes are still small and in case of rain/any accidents (despite being potty trained) I will have an extra pair of shoes in our back pack for him. Till this day, I think tennis shoes are the way to go---just keep in mind that if they get soaked it might take a day or so to dry them out and to have an extra comfy pair of shoes on hand for them.

 

[FirstTimeWithMickey]

Thank you everyone. Yes, my kids get hotspots with Crocs, too. Their current shoes need replaced so we hoped to have them broken in over the course of the next couple months. Just wasn't sure if they would get too hot in gym shoes. Thanks for the zappos suggestion, going to check that out. You all are very helpful, thank you.

 

[DisneyRegulars]

I would like to highly highly recommend Zappos. My son had a pair of Keens that fell apart after six months of light wear. Keens have a twelve month warranty. I contacted Zappos and they gave me a full refund, no questions asked. They are truly a wonderful company and have excellent customer service.

As for shoes, I've heard great things about Keen sandals, so the whole family is trying them out this year.

 

[SparklyGiraffe]

We have keens for all the kids (4 of them) for our trip.

 

[Tod&CopperFan]

I had mine alternate Keens and tennis shoes. I would say 6yo DS wore his Keens 80% of the time though. Never had any complaints of hot/sore feet, which I had worried about prior to the trip, so I thought it was a success!

 

[Superchikk]

We went in August and I wore Croc flip flops the entire time - there's NO way I would've survived in tennis shoes and socks. My son wore them because that's what he chose. He has some shoes similar to Keens this summer, and if we were going over the summer, he would probably wear those. He loves them.

 

[kuhltiffany]

My 9 and 10 year old live in their Keens all summer!

 

[gabriellewatson]

I'm buying these this summer for the kids to start breaking in. I think these will not only be comfortable, but allow their feet to breath. We also plan to bring their running shoes just in case they want to change shoes.
Nike Kids Sunray Adjust - Sandals
Nike Kids Sunray Adjust - Sandals (toddler)

 

[austinsmommie]

Both my kids love Keen Sandals.

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

We have a Sketchers outlet nearby and they have had buy one get one half off each trip. My dd and I get the extra light, with memory foam sneaker, along with a water shoe of some kind. There is nothing more uncomfortable and damper on a day then having wet shoes. Even with the Crocs, I slip in a sockett from the Payless type stores for trying on shoes. For the sneakers I get the lightest wicking type sock for keeping my feet cooler. But, get them early enough to break in. Oh, my younger son at 13 had a pair of mens sandals that were cool for him to walk in and he broke them in early.

 

[HCinKC]

I would give the same advice for adults and children...wear whatever shoes are broken in and comfortable. DH and ODS wore sneakers every day. ODS also had some Columbia sandals that he likes (with socks lol), but he never wanted to wear them to the parks. He also likes his Crocs, but I didn't want to deal with them slipping off. I alternated between sneakers, flip flops, and boaters.