One of the commonest problem areas that parents often contact us about is trying to find a good pair of wide fitting girls shoes. Parents can often feel frustrated that, in a market that's dominated by little petite fitting shoes, they are struggling to find a nice looking pair of shoes that are wide enough for their daughters.

Firstly all mums and dads need to know that they are not alone in looking for wider fitting girls shoes. Girls feet come in all shapes and sizes and there are plenty of little girls who need a G fitting width shoe or wider. This is particularly common amongst the smaller sizes, before the foot has grown longer and thinned out, as can often happen, although by no means is it exclusive to the smaller sizes. Teenage girls do still have wider feet and it is our industry's duty to try and provide good quality fitting footwear for all.

For customers whose children have wider fitting feet or high insteps, we often find that a T-Bar provides the best fit. The shape of the shoe naturally lends itself to fitting a wider girls foot and the vertical strap up the middle of the shoe (forming the "T" appearance) relieves the pressure that would otherwise be caused on the bottom of the instep by the cut of a mary jane style shoe. The design of the T-Bar shoe is so favourable to a girl with a wider fit, that often even though a child is initially measured as a "G" fitting, we often find that an "F" fitting is actually the better fit. It should always be remembered that measurements taken on the foot gauge are only an indication of the size required and, when trying the shoes on, a trained fitter will adapt either the size or the width to get the best fit possible.

We try and stock several brands with T-Bars and Hush Puppies, Froddo and Ricosta girls shoes usually produce styles in this design.

If your daughter does need wide fitting shoes then a T-Bar style is probably going to be the first option to look at. These are very popular for younger girls but some older daughters can be less keen. If so then another option is a lace up shoe. Laces allow the wearer the benefit of being able to loosen and tighten their shoes, to get the best fit possible for how they wish to wear them. Again, like the T-Bar, this flexibility in fastening can also help relieve pressure on the instep.

The other important thing to look for when after wide fitting girls shoes is to ensure that they are exactly that - wide fitting. All shoes brands are not manufactured the same way so look out for brands that either accommodate a wide foot or are produced in G fittings of wider.

Hush Puppies shoes are all available in G fittings (if ordered online please put G fittings required as we only list as F fitting) and we stock Froddo shoes because we know that they usually fit a wider foot.

If you are looking for wide fitting girls shoes then ideally we would suggest that you come and visit us in store, as you can't beat having shoes professionally fitted. But if this is not a practical option for you, for geographical or other reasons, and you are thinking of buying online then please remember that we are shoe fitting specialists so if you require any help, advice or further information before making your purchase then please either give us a call or send us an email. We'll be only too happy to help.