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6 Kid-Approved Walking Shoes, According to Parents
Our kids can walk in these sneakers all day, whether at school, the playground, or Disney World.
Reviewed by Lexie SachsExecutive Director, Strategy & Operations
Kids have different sneaker needs than adults. When we look for walking shoes for women, we have to consider adult problems like flat feet, bunions, and work that has us on our feet all day. But kids are different. They don't need fancy arch support (flat feet are normal for kids up to age 6) and children rarely stand for hours; they're good at sitting wherever and whenever they need to rest. Good walking shoes for your child just need to be comfortable, easy to put on, and stylish enough that they want to wear them.
At the Good Housekeeping Institute, we have many pros who are parents, plus we enlist consumer tester families who test for us. We polled dozens of parents about the walking shoes their children have used to determine this list of our favorite recommendations, including our top pick, the Nike Cosmic Runner for its all-around good looks, comfort, and quality.
Our top picks:
- Best overall: Nike Cosmic Runner
- Best value: Dream Pairs EZ-Ons Quicksteps School Sneakers
- Best light-up: Sketchers Sola Glow 2.0
- Best for big kids: Hoka Clifton 10
Pros
- Comfortable and durable
- Huge range of sizes and colors for boys and girls
- Half sizes available in youth versions
- Parents praise the fit and ease of getting these on
Cons
- Some kids may prefer the lightweight Star Runner
WHY WE LIKE IT: Nike is a consistently reliable brand for comfort and durability. The Cosmic Runner sneaker has a mesh upper with reinforcement around the toes, sides, and heels. It comes in a huge range of colors and sizes, including half sizes in youth versions.
WHAT TO KNOW: When we gave this one of our recent Parenting Awards, we noted that tester kids of all ages liked the shoe, and parents gave them perfect scores for fit and ease of getting them on. The Toddler and Little Kid sizes slip on and have a hook-and-loop fastener, while the Big Kid sizes lace up. One parent said, "The sneakers are really nice-looking—not clunky, and they go with all his outfits.”
Nike makes other great walking shoes for kids as well. Executive Director, Strategy & Operations Lexie Sachs, who walks her daughters around Disney World at least once a year, says her eldest preferred the similarly priced, more lightweight Star Runner when she wore Little Kid sizes, but now that she's 11 and in Big Kid sizes, she has adopted the Cosmic Runner.
| Size range | 2C to 7Y, Baby to Big Kid |
Pros
- Less than $30
- Lightweight and flexible
- Vibrant colors
Cons
- Whole sizes only
WHY WE LIKE IT: If you're looking to spend less than $30 on your kids' sneakers, this brand, which is popular on Amazon, has consistently low prices.
WHAT TO KNOW: Our Textiles Lab experts have recommended this brand for adult shoes, too. The sneakers are made of lightweight and flexible materials and come in vibrant colors. There are also some with bling, such as sparkles.
Dream Pairs slide on and have an easy fastener. The sizes are more limited than our best overall choice, and there are no half sizes available, but online reviewers noted that the whole sizes have an accurate fit.
| Size range | 10T to 6Y, Little Kid to Big Kid |
Pros
- Fun, light-up soles
- Slip-on style
- Comfortable and supportive
Cons
- Big kids may outgrow the desire for light-up shoes
WHY WE LIKE IT: Kids who love light-up walking shoes will love the soles of these Sketchers that light up with each step. There's also a button that can turn the feature on and off. They're a slip-on style with a hook-and-loop fastener.
WHAT TO KNOW: These are the go-to for Sachs's youngest daughter, age 8. "She likes the more stylish sneakers, and these are still comfortable and supportive," Sachs says. "She is on her second pair."
I've also seen little dinosaur fans wearing the Skech-o-Saurus Lights 2.0, which light up and make it look like they've got dinosaurs on their feet. Big kids might outgrow light-up shoes, but they're fun for the littles!
| Size range | 5T to 4Y, Toddler to Little Kid |
Pros
- Lighter model than adult HOKAs
- Eight colors including the popular all black
- Thicker outsoles for durability with kids
Cons
- Sized for older kids
WHY WE LIKE IT: Our Textiles Lab has extensively tested HOKA shoes for runners and adults who work out. They've come to trust HOKAs for children, too because they're built to be "a lighter shoe, better suited to kids," says Emma Seymour, Textiles, Paper & Apparel Lab Associate Director.
WHAT TO KNOW: The newest, Clifton 10, comes in eight colors including the popular all black. The brand says they are built with thicker outsoles than the adults versions for extra durability. The bottoms are extra grippy. HOKA markets these for kids who run in addition to selling them as walking shoes.
HOKAs are lace-up, so your kid will need to learn to tie the shoes, or have them tied for them. Though there is an option with a hook-and-loop closure. They're sized for bigger kids who don't grow as rapidly as little ones.
| Size range | 3.5Y to 7Y, Big Kid |
Pros
- Dressier look than an athletic sneaker
- Cheetah print inside helps a child tell the left from the right
- Comes in 11 colors
Cons
- Sizes stop before elementary-school age
WHY WE LIKE IT: These are expert-approved for toddlers and preschoolers who are recently walking.
WHAT TO KNOW: Sachs used these when her kids were younger. "I loved how they looked more elevated than an athletic sneaker, but they were great for a young walker," she says. Ten Little has earned the APMA Seal of Approval from the American Podiatric Medical Association.
A cheetah print inside each shoe helps your child discern the left shoe (back half of the animal) from the right shoe (the cheetah head). The Everyday Original is made with a faux leather upper, cotton lining, and rubber soles. It comes in 11 colors including two shades of pink, black, and white. This brand received one of our previous Parenting Awards for their First Walkers, which are for toddlers wearing sizes 3 to 6.
| Size range | 4T to 2Y, Toddler to Little Kid |
Pros
- Durable suede
- Unisex styles make hand-me-downs easier
- Comes in half sizes
Cons
- Lace-ups require tying
WHY WE LIKE IT: One family told us they can hand Adidas suede sneakers down from their oldest to youngest—they're that durable. The mostly unisex style makes hand-me-downs even easier.
WHAT TO KNOW: Parents who are Adidas loyalists told us they rely on the brand for their kids' everyday sneakers—one mom even shared a screenshot of her nine Amazon orders for the same Adidas shoe over the course of six years. "My son is hard on sneakers, but these work," she says.
These come in half sizes for a more precise fit. The shoe is lace-up, so requires that your child learns how to tie the laces, or you'll need to do it for them. It's sized for little to big kids. If you're looking for a unisex walking shoe for a baby or toddler, check out the Baby Lightorama Runner.
| Size range | 10.5Y to 7Y, Little to Big Kid |
How we test the best kids' walking shoes
Our recommendations combine Good Housekeeping Institute Textiles Lab evaluations, long-term parent feedback and hands-on editor experience. For some brands, we also considered results from our testing of comparable adult models. In the Lab, experts evaluate the shoe's construction, rate its cushioning, and judge the longevity of the materials. They look at data from Lab tests of the adult-size sneakers for many of these brands as well.
For real-world experience, we used survey results from annual Parenting Award testing and crowdsourced from a large group of Hearst parents. We focused on trusted brands that have been used by our testers for more than two—and as many as eight—years.
What to consider when shopping for the best kids' walking shoes
When looking for good walking shoes for your kid, you should consider:
✔️ Age and size: You can buy shirts and coats that your kid can grow into, but you want to buy shoes that fit your child right now. Look for styles marked for babies or toddlers if your child is age 3 or younger, for instance. They will take into account how wide their little feet are.
✔️ Laces or loops: Big kids will be ready to tie their tennis shoes. But for little kids, there are hook-and-loop closures that make it easier to secure shoes closed. We also like slip-ons that use bungee-style laces for easy on and off.
✔️ Comfort: Walking shoes need to have cushioning and durable soles. Unfortunately, you won't know exactly how comfortable a pair of shoes feels to your child until they're wearing them for a bit. The parents we polled said that once they found a brand their child liked, they tended to stay loyal.
✔️ Flexibility: In your grandma's time, people thought that babies, toddlers, and kids needed "supportive" shoes, which meant stiff, unyielding styles. Now podiatrists say it's best if you can twist your child's walking shoes like you're wringing out a towel. Wearing flexible sneakers will help your child's muscles develop properly.
How often do kids need new walking shoes?
Kids' feet grow so fast that it's rare for them to spend an entire year in one shoe size. The National Center for Biotechnology Information says that a toddler’s feet grow an average of a half size every 3 months, and kids age 3 and up typically gain one size every year. This means that kids may need to go up a half size every six months.
You can measure your child's foot size at home. Nordstrom's step-by-step instructions for measuring your child's foot in inches or centimeters has an accompanying shoe size chart that can help you find the right size.
Why trust Good Housekeeping?
Lab pros have been testing products in the Good Housekeeping Institute for more than a hundred years. The Textiles Lab regularly tests walking and running shoes for all ages. Additionally, the Institute uses a wide range of at-home consumer testers who can give feedback on kids' products.
This list was written by Contributing Writer Jessica Hartshorn, a mom of two and former senior editor at Parents magazine.
Lexie Sachs (she/her) is the executive director of strategy and operations at the Good Housekeeping Institute and a lead reviewer of products in the bedding, travel, lifestyle, home furnishings and apparel spaces. She has over 15 years of experience in the consumer products industry and a degree in fiber science from Cornell University. Lexie serves as an expert source both within Good Housekeeping and other media outlets, regularly appearing on national broadcast TV segments. Prior to joining GH in 2013, Lexie worked in merchandising and product development in the fashion and home industries.
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