Shoes that open wide for my sensory kid

DS1 has sensory challenges with his feet, mainly that he doesn't like socks squishing his feet. I don't think it is a issue with seams, he just seems to like them loose and without a lot of padding. I buy him inexpensive thin socks from the dollar bin at Target or Dollar Tree. The problem comes when he puts his shoes on, he slides his foot in and the socks squeeze his feet and he takes them off over and over trying to get it to fit right. He ended up in tears this morning again about it.

I don't think wider shoes would solve the issue, but hoping there are a good pair of shoes that have a wide mouth open so he can almost place his foot in the shoe? We had a great pair of Tsukihoshi years ago (these), but he is a big kid size 6 or 7, so out of that sizing.

I was eyeing these shoes from Plae, but the reviews aren't awesome, and would really love a place we can try them on, or easy order/returns (ie Amazon).

I appreciate any help!! I realize with his foot size, we can try adult shoes too!

Would something like a Merrell slip on (jungle moc) be any good? Or a Sperry boat shoe? Those were my ds1's go to.

Geox, New Balance, and Toms all have styles with all-velcro closures in big kid sizes. After 6-7 though, it gets really hard to find that style opening. My son had a tough transition to laced shoes. We did the elastic laces that stretched for a couple of sizes. He still prefers to tie his shoes loosely and be able to step into them. (Except for athletic cleats for some reason!)

We love our Plae Ty sneakers for our almost 5-year old on the autism spectrum and with SPD. We are about to purchase our 3rd pair of Ty’s, and have handed down the well-loved but still in good shape first pair. We get them at Nordstrom and they have an excellent return policy if you want to try them with hassle free returns, and can accommodate you even if he needs a split sized pair for some reason.

I love that DS can put them on himself, no laces just tabs, and they are machine washable - he is sensory seeking so they get wet/dirty plus we still haven’t mastered potty training. We don’t insist on socks except for when it’s cold outside - if they get sweaty, we can just wash them. The colors do fade a little with washing but nothing major. I was skeptical on them myself esp given the steep price, but they kept popping into my FB feed and I decided to try a pair after the larger Stride Rite sneaker options started either getting very “stiff” or coming apart at the seams for the softer options.

The other shoes in his rotation are Keen Newport sandals and Croc Swiftwater pool sandals. All are adjustable, washable and open up fairly wide.

I feel your pain - my child is picky too. we had a funeral to attend and I bought 2 different pairs of seemingly soft loafer style shoes and he refused to wear either. We decided to just let him wear his clean Plae’s for the occasion.

Plae shoes were great when Ds2 was struggling with sensory issues. A special needs kid in his preschool class had the same exact shoes.


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Thank you everyone! That is great to know that Nordstrom has plae, I do much better with free shipping and returns when shopping! We got DS1 some seam free socks, and he seems to do a little better. He really likes his tevas when it is warm enough. But I like the idea too of just going without socks. I will update in a few weeks!

I have 2 girls that won’t wear socks and their shoes stink! I didn’t think about looking for washable sneakers. Thanks for the tips.


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May not be quite what you're looking for, but my son just got these for basketball and they unzip around the back making it a little easier to slide your foot in. I didn't even realize they did this until they arrived, LOL.

https://www.zappos.com/p/nike-kids-t...6/color/782582