Shoes for kids?

[la79al]

Looking for shoe recommendations for kids for the parks. I think the 9 year old will do fine with a pair of good flip flops ( she is hard on flip flops) but the 4 year old is a little tricky. She would prefer flip flops but she doesnt do the best with those. Crocs were my go to with the other 2 at that age but she stops every 5 feet to pull the back straps up. Suggestions? They need to be able to get wet and keep going.

 

[Bjkandma]

Flip flops are not good shoes in the parks. You will be walking up to 10 miles per day. We always wear sneakers and socks (taking flip flops for when it rains or water rides in a backpack).

 

[Disney Frenhines]

Well fitting comfortable trainers (sneakers) It dismay me to see young kids walking around the parks in flip flops or any backless shoe. It can cause claw toes with even the smallest effort in keeping these kinds of shoes on their feet.

 

[unrequited23]

Maybe compromise with a pair of waterproof sport sandals with an ankle strap. Something similar to Teva or Keen.

 

[BabiesDaddy]

We wear sneakers, but I've seen a little of everything at the parks. You will walk miles & miles. We always pack two pairs of sneakers, in case one pair gets wet.

 

[NYCgrrl]

We wear sneakers at the parks and yes I agree two pairs are better than one. Should your room have a terrace put one pair there to air out overnight. Flip flops/crocs are fine for the pools; I tend towards flip flops just because they take up less space in the suitcase and I don't care if one breaks or gets lost. We've been to Disney every season but fall and never gotten so wet on the water rides at WDW that foot gear didn't dry in 15 to 20 minutes. Still if you are really worried about this I've seen people encase their feet in plastic bags/ponchos during the rides. The newer aged mesh sneakers still provide needed foot structure with less concerns about stubbed toes and water saturation. With well fitted foot wear you should have no need for moleskin, callus pads and much of the products Dr. Scholl's sells. Don't forget to wear socks with encased feet. Absorbs foot moisture and pads the foot.

HTH.

 

[Blissful123]

Big fan of keens here.

 

[Tink9721]

I would never wear anything but sneakers in the parks. I usually pack a pair of flip flops just for walking around the resort, but I would never wear them in the parks. Too many things that can go wrong with flip flops. I trip wearing flip flops just walking around at home; it would be a mess with the amount of walking I do in Disney, plus all of the climbing in and out of ride vehicles, a ton of stairs everywhere, etc. They also fall off too easily. If you're walking in the big mass of people leaving the park at the end of the night and your flip flop falls off, it's not going to be very easy to just stop in the middle of the crowd and put it back on without getting trampled. Also, there are a lot of other feet and wheels that can step on/roll over your feet in the parks. I wouldn't go with any open toed shoes. Sneakers will at least provide a little bit of protection.

 

[Macprincess]

I live in Florida and when my children were younger we did the parks in Lands Ends water sandals. They are supportive like a sneaker but breathable so they don't end up so smelly when they get wet.

 

[saraheliz]

My girls have always brought two good pairs of walkings shoes: a solid, newish but broken in pair of sneakers, and a pair of good athletic sandals (Keens or similar style). They rotate so that they don't get blisters from their shoes wearing on the same spot and have a backup in case one pair gets rained on etc. They also bring a pair of crocs or flip flops for just walking to the pool!

 

[MrsDuck]

I wouldn't do flip flops for anyone. Keens that can get wet would be great although sneakers would be my personal preference.

 

[stephk1981]

Probably not great, but we wear reef flip flops in the parks if we aren't going for long ( as in just a couple of hours.) If not tennis shoes.

 

[2019TripIdeas]

We've done Natives ( basically crocs but a little more stylish looking) for our kids when we do long days out. They dry quick and don't require socks and are very breathable. They were great for our trips to Disneyland.

On our last trip I brought my 5 year old a pair of Target brand imitation birkenstocks (basically- they had the multi layer footbed) and they held up SO well and gave her zero issues (she walked 10+ miles a day in them). She has also done 10+ miles in saltwater sandals which are stylish, more classic looking and also dry really quick.

 

[mkla2015]

I wouldn't recommend flip flops in the parks- your kids will be walking a ton AND you don't want anything that could easily fall off of their feet when getting on or exiting a ride. We always pack 2 pairs of sneakers per person (in case one pair gets wet) and we pack flip flops for resort/pool time.

 

[AliceNDinah]

Another vote for Keens here - we had really good luck with them on our trip. They are so strong and sturdy too, they last forever.

 

[Tessaf]

My kids use keens and teva’s. They are comfortable sandals that my kids can wear all day without their feet hurting. If they get wet, they dry out fast. I love the fact that they can’t fall off their feet getting on and off rides. We also bring a pair of tennis shoes, but during the day, their feet get to hot.

 

[Sara_H]

When my kids were younger they wore Keens (Newport H2 I think is what they were called). They worked great! Their feet didn't hurt, they dried fast if they got wet. I'd highly recommend those.

 

[ElenaRN]

Another vote for Keens here! Our DDs switch between them and regular sneakers.

 

[Sjm9911]

Anything but flil flops!

 

[la79al]

OP here. Okay, I am looking at Keens for the 9 and 4 year olds but now you have me really nervous for dd11 and I! I was going to get us each some new Teva flip flops because that's what we pretty much live in (up until about 6 inches of snow)! Except for when she is forced to wear other shoes for school, this child has lived in flip flops or crocs since birth and she gave the crocs up a few years ago. She doesnt know about the trip so I'm going to have to try to figure out how to take her 'hypothetical' window shopping.