skip to Main Content

Super Stylish Shoe Guide for Kids Who Wear Orthotics

Parents with children who wear special orthotics can relate to the dreaded task of putting on their child’s shoes. From placing orthotics properly on your child’s foot, to making sure their foot is far enough in the shoe for appropriate fit, the typical task of putting on shoes becomes a work out!

Due to the structure and limited flexibility of certain orthotics, many parents have difficulty finding shoes that are not only are easy to get on, but also fit their child properly. Imagine back-to-school shopping: You take your child to pick out new shoes, they find a pair they love, try them on, but due to the orthotic, you cannot get your child’s foot into the shoe quite right. Rather than upsetting them, you buy the shoe 2 to 3 sizes larger than their original size resulting in increased room at the toe.
Now picture this scenario: you go to the orthotist and they offer a brand provided by their company– typically a bulky looking sneaker. These shoes are great and much easier than the typical sneaker when coupling with orthotics, but due to their rigid fit and increased stability, they can be challenging for children to walk, run and play in.
So, where can you turn?

Over the years I have been introduced to several shoe brands that work with orthotics. Here are some of my favorite shoes that not only accommodate orthotics, but are also stylish and easy to put on.

Billy Footwear

Shop Billy Footwear
These affordable, shoes zip around the entire top of the shoe allowing easy foot placement without having to worry about getting the AFOs over the heel of the shoe. They come in various styles that allow your child to find a shoe that matches their personality. Billy Footwear shoes are great for all ages, especially teens and pre-teens, who like to keep up with latest style trends. You can find these online and use their sizing chart to help determine the best size for your child

Nike Flyease

Shop Nike Flyease
These athletic shoes come in various styles from a basic tennis shoe to basketball footwear. The zipper along the heel allows the foot to easily slide into the shoe. The shoes range in sizes from infant to adult and vary in pricing.

Ikiki Shoes

Shop Ikiki Shoes
These adorable shoes are great for infants and toddlers just learning to walk. They offer a on/off squeaker that helps to promote proper stepping pattern. Ikiki shoes come in various character styles and are comparable in price to everyday footwear. They can be customized in sizing for those that need two different sized shoes due to orthotics only on one foot.

Plae Shoes​

Shop Plae Shoes
The Plae shoes over sizing from toddler to adults in basic shoe to boot and sandal styles. They have a customizable option to create a shoe that is individualized to your child’s style. Another advantage of this shoe is many styles are waterproof so you do not have to worry about wet toes. The velcro tabs and flexibility of the shoes make putting them on over orthotics a little easier. Check out the adult pairs for yourself and you can match your child!

Hatchback Footwear

Shop Hatchback Shoes
Hatchbacks offer velcroed heel that allow the foot to easily slip into the shoe. These shoes offer more stability than other shoes for those that are more unsteady on their feet. They offer limited styles in sizes for toddler to young adult/youth. A sizing chart is available to allow proper measurement of AFOs to find the right fit for your child.

Butler Footwear

Shop Butler Footwear
For those who have to battle the rainy and snowy weather, Butler brand offers a waterproof footwear for toddlers through youth sizes. Originally designed as an overshoe, this brand works great as a standard shoe for children who wear orthotics. These shoes use fan technology in the front of the shoe to allow easy slide in of the foot making them orthotic friendly. The shoes come in standard and orthotic sizes in fun and bright colors.

Converse Chuck Taylor Easy Slip Shoes

Shop Converse Easy Slip
These shoes offer velcro and zippers on the side to allow a larger foot opening to slide your foot in easily while wearing orthotics. They come in a high top style to allow more stability at the ankle.

Back To Top

Patient Reviews

LLA Therapy

Patient Reviews

Crystal Scheibe

Facebook
Great place, glad we found them. Been going to Medina over 2 months now and he loves Lauryn and Kyler. Wish they had more ABA therapy places available... live in Wooster and long drive everyday.

Karrie Swan LaRock

Facebook
My 11 year old son has dyslexia and has made noticeable gains in working At LLA THERAPY. Katie is strong in her approach toward him and also keeps him comfortable enough to perform well. We will continue visiting both the Fairlawn and Hudson offices and recommend them highly.

Ron Monroe

Facebook
My 9 year old just completed about 9 months of weekly speech sessions (due to his stuttering) with Matt Hagge at LLA and we are thrilled with the experience and results. What I thought might be a negative (what kid really wants to go to speech class?) was made very positive by Matt, and my son never hesitated or complained when we talked about class. He really enjoyed it and really took what Matt taught him to heart. His speech has been greatly improved and we definitely recommend LLA. Thank you so much!

Heather Dougherty-Pantoja

Facebook
My son’s Occupational Therapist, Jess, is an amazing OT! She gives practical tips on working with my son at home and school!

Terri Apgar

Facebook
I cannot say enough good things about LLA Therapy. My daughter was a client of Teal Simmons’ for approximately 2 years and was just released from speech therapy! She was diagnosed with Apraxia in 2015 and worked with Teal twice a week. Through Teal’s application of PROMPT therapy, my daughter had age-appropriate speech after one year. All of the staff we interacted with at LLA were absolutely wonderful. They really care about what they do and making sure your child achieves their goals.

Kelli Geisler Davisson

Facebook
LLA Therapy has been an excellent experience for my son as well as my family! My son always asks, "When can I go see Ms. Jeannine again, is it Monday??" He has also made huge gains in only 5 months! I would highly recommend LLA and have already shared my experience with friends looking for services!

Victoria Hansford-Price

Facebook
We are so grateful for our Speech Therapist Ms.Teal. We have seen a great improvement with our sons confidence and communication abilities since we have started "Prompt" therapy. What we love the most about LLA and Ms. Teal is that Kohl feels comfortable and relaxed which has played a critical role in his progress. Thank you Ms. Teal for all you have done.

Laura Lee Hogsett

Facebook
They have helped in numerous ways. Speech, OT and behavioral. I've had numerous compliments on my son's progress thanks in very large part to LLA. I would recommend LLA before I recommend our local children's hospitals, though they are good, they don't have the staff that LLA does.

Amy Furukawa

Facebook
We had a great experience with Matt Hagge at LLA! Our Middle School age son was becoming very conscious of his voice, which is nasal due to a cleft palate. Matt helped him to better form his sounds and project his voice in a way that makes the unavoidable nasality less noticeable.Our son is more confident and outgoing & even took on a speaking role in the church play. Matt has the perfect personality to relate with our son, and we would recommend him to anyone needing speech therapy services!

Jessica Havalotti

Facebook
LLA Therapy has been an excellent experience for our daughter. I would highly recommend LLA. Miss Grace was so amazing and I can't believe how quickly our daughter showed improvement. Thank you!
Read More