Wide fitting shoes for dd (Size 5)

[SirVixofVixHall]

I've posted on this before, but nothing mentioned worked for her, so I'm posting again in hope of some new suggestion.
DD is 11, she is an adult size 5 H, probably creeping up to a five and a half. Since size 4 it has been incredibly difficult to find shoes to fit her. I have no local shoes shop other than a small Clarks and they have nothing that works. We tried the nearest city (Cardiff), but other than a bigger Clarks there didn't seem to be anything. She is too young for adult styles, but childrens styles seem to stop at around a size 3. She is very skinny but has really wide feet (H fitting) with a high instep, and has been referred to a podiatrist as I'm concerned that she may be developing bunions (which I am really worried about, esp as I have always been very careful to get her suitable shoes). This means she really can't have a shoe with a more pointed or almond shaped toe, as so many of the shoes in the teen ranges have. She has a pair of shoes for school, the Startrite "Samba" www.startriteshoes.com/samba-black-leather-girls-riptape-school-shoes they fit her well, but they are the only style they do that does, and she really doesn't want to wear them out of school. So I need to find shoes that are suitable for her age, but are wide enough and natural-foot shaped. Not trainers. Smaller daughter is a size 1, but I will have the same problem with her in a few years.
In my old post someone suggested DMs, but they have the wrong shaped toe and are too rigid for her. I have the same feet and DMs don't work on me either, they aren't wide enough. Ditto Kickers (too shallow). I am really stuck! I've spent hour upon hour browsing online, but to no avail . At the moment she is borrowing my brogues, but they are not ideal for her.

[ChocChocPorridge]

I don't know, but I'm going to keep an eye on this thread as I have very short, wide feet, with very short toes, so I couldn't cram them in narrower shoes even if I wanted to.

I live in Uggs, Crocs, and flipflops these days, plus one pair of trainers (also hard to find wide enough) from decathlon, and one pair of smart shoes from M&S which are a touch tight but the best I could find.

[divafever99]

I can sympathise, I have very small wide feet too. Had similar difficulties when I was a child, I vividly remember the sales assistant in clarks telling my my mum when I was around 8 that my feet were too wide for girls shoes and I would have to wear boys! I cried! I now live in Clarks ballet pump style flats as they do them in a wider fit. I know you have said she has been to Clarks but there are lots of styles online you can get delivered to store or your home. They don't often stock wide fit in store. In the past I have also had wide fit shoes from new look which may be more suitable for her age, and this year I got some wide fit sandals from Primark. Good luck.

[KittiesInsane]

I have similar shaped feet. Oddly, I find size-5 Converse fit me just fine, if she wants something casual, whereas I usually end up buying a size larger in other styles for the width.

DD, poor soul, has ended up with Hotter shoes for school. Total style death, but certainly wide enough.

[SirVixofVixHall]

I've looked at all the Clarks styles online, but the girls shoes (other than the odd school shoe, non of which fitted her anyway) stop at a smaller size, and the womens shoes are the wrong shape. Even the bloke in the Clarks shop agreed that the womens' styles don't work for her. They also look too adult and therefore weird. I live in Blundstone boots! (Fab for wide feet) but they cost £120, so I am loath to buy them for dd when she will be a different size in five minutes time. She also does need actual shoes, as she tends to wear dresses rather than trousers. She wore wonderful Angulus shoes from toddler age, but they don't do the wider natural last in her size. DD2 is mainly in Startrite, but already the styles in her size are diminishing and she's only just turned 9, and is the smallest child in her class.

[officerhinrika]

There's a branch of Shoon in Cardiff that stock Think shoes. These might be a better shape but are expensive for a child with growing feet. Some plain ballets come in wider fits from Hotter or Waldlaufer. Lands End do wide fitting American sizes ( often on sale) - good for outdoor shoes. If you have a outlet village near you there might be some Ecco styles that would work.
Even with boys it's really hard to find wide shoes for children - mine only ever had one pair of school shoes in the shop that suited too!

[Balletgirlmum]

Dd has a similar fit & instep except at age 14 she is a size 2.5

For years & years start rite samba were the only shoe dd couod wear. She tried dms but they are not wide enough & many are not deep enough.

She now wears start rite angry Angel brogues which used to only come in a medium fit but now comes in wide fit.

Out of school she finds Vans are Ok (but not converse)

[pippinandtog]

I think Evans's sell wide-fitting shoes.

[SirVixofVixHall]

Lands end wide is like a european average. Americans have the narrowest feet in the world, how strange is that? So not anywhere near wide enough. Ballet shoe styles don't offer enough support, when your feet are wide and deep it is hard to keep ballet shoes on (I've tried and failed) and also they can make wide feet look like flippers...The Angry Angel brogues aren't wide enough and are too almond at the toe. Converse no good. Haven't tried vans but she needs proper shoes, rather than daps.
Evans only do womens shoes.
Have no heard of Think shoes, will check that out, we are in Cardiff every couple of months so could go into shoon. A friend suggested Funky Monkey Feet in Cardiff, I haven't been in there yet though, so I don't know what they have. I really miss the Red Shoes in Crouch End. That was a wonderful shoe shop with fantastically careful fitters. Sadly it is no more. Last year she had some soft suede shoes, and sandals, from Camper that were actually ok, but their styles are generally too narrow. Saltwater sandals fit her, for a Simple Summer sandal- it is shoes that are the big fat problem.

[ThenBellaDidSomethingVeryKind]

Birkenstock? They do shoes too, and are v accommodating of wide feet

www.birkenstock.co.uk/KIDS/SHOES/

[CMOTDibbler]

Ricosta Katie?

[Haggisfish]

Evans and new look and primark all do wide fitting shoes.

[CMOTDibbler]

Sorry, just noticed it wasn't school shoes she wanted

[AuditAngel]

Have you tried the natural shoe store? They stock the boots you wear and also Birkenstock amongst others.

DS has a similar problem and often has to size up, he hovers between a G and H fitting, with a high instep.

[SirVixofVixHall]

I have had a look at the Natural Shoe Store. All really expensive, which I will pay if I have to but she is growing really fast so it is a bit horrifying! Also Birkenstock shoes look madly clumpy and strange on her (Hobbity) as she is otherwise really thin and tiny framed. They also have a very rigid side to the footbed, so if they don't quite fit (they don't fit me very well at all) then they aren't great for growing feet. At her age I was a size 3 and happily wearing Clarks lace-ups for school and brightly coloured T bars the rest of the time. Why is it harder now to find anything?

[SirVixofVixHall]

ThenBella- those Birkenstocks look great, they don't seem to have the pre-formed footbed, and they are a good shape, but they only go up to a 34. WHY WHY ?? AAarggggh. I might buy some for dd2 though. She is a 33, so next size up would be the last in those Birkenstocks and she's only just 9 and tiny. It is mad.

[Pinkkahori]

For casual have you tried Superga runners? I have wide size 5 feet and find them a lot more comfortable than Converse.
How about New Look? They do a big range of wide fitting shoes. Not great quality but an option.

[BeenThereTooSEL]

Evans go up to an adult EEE width and start in a size 4. A child's H is the equivalent of an adult EE. M&S also go up to an EE

[May09Bump]

Geox worked for my DS

[Darklane]

Have you tried this website?
www.widerfitshoes.co.uk/pp+ladies+ladies

[Fairylea]

Dd and I both have very wide feet - eee fitting.

Try Evans, Yours, Shoe Tailor, Simply B and also Next extra wide. Pavers shoes also stock wide styles.

[StickTheDMWhereTheSunDontShine]

If DM's have the wrong shaped toe, I'm guessing she has the properly wide rather than fat feet, so needs a roomy toe box with a slim heel.

Vivobarefoot are well worth a look - lots of laceup styles without beig overtly middle aged.

If you do look back at Clarks, Funny Dream might be worth considering. Even the "D" fitting is very wide on my EEE feet (but unfortunately too high at the back of the heel to not cripple me. Kickers do the od wide style, but they seem to have pared back to more school suitable shoes in recent years.

I get what you say about not trainers, but I do live in trainers, these days. Mostly Nike dart 10 or 11 - narrow ankle and wide toe box. I have some nice white Dart 11 that I wear whenever it's actually dry (though I scuffed one tripping over fresh ari, today :()

[StickTheDMWhereTheSunDontShine]

May - Geox are great for G fitting boys (like one of mine) The women's shoes are, however, painfully narrow (and horrendously European in style)

Rieker are better for width, but I still find many of them a little old for me as an extremely unfashionable middle aged woman.

[StickTheDMWhereTheSunDontShine]

Birks are crap for feet that go straight across at the toes.

[Pinkkahori]

I was going to mention Funny Dreams too stick as I've had them in the past and found them very comfortable but wasn't sure if they were a little sensible looking.

Op's dd sounds so similar to me. I have truly wide feet ever since childhood and it is in the toe box where I really need extra room .