Last updated: August 2026 | By Juan Valenzuela, Certified Children’s Shoe Fitter Struggling to find shoes that work with your child’s AFOs? Many families face the challenge of finding footwear that’s wide, deep, and supportive enough to comfortably fit ankle-foot orthoses. With over 10 years of experience fitting shoes and orthotics at a specialty children’s […]
Last updated: August 2026 | By Juan Valenzuela, Certified Children’s Shoe Fitter Has your son graduated from kids’ shoe sizes into adult sizes, and you’re not sure what to buy for his AFOs? Or maybe he was recently diagnosed and you have no idea where to start. There are a couple of real challenges here […]
Last updated: August 2026 | By Juan Valenzuela, Certified Children’s Shoe Fitter Are you having a hard time finding a pair of Mary Jane shoes for your daughter’s AFOs? Maybe you’ve already found a pair of sneakers, but she needs something dressier or simply wants a shoe that isn’t a sneaker. Finding a pair of […]
Last updated: August 2026 | By Juan Valenzuela, Certified Children’s Shoe Fitter As a dedicated and experienced shoe fitter, I know that the right footwear is essential for your child’s comfort, mobility, and foot health. Whether your child should wear sandals with AFOs depends on the severity of their condition, so it’s always best to […]
Last updated: August 2026 | By Juan Valenzuela, Certified Children’s Shoe Fitter Does your child wear AFOs and won’t stop asking for a pair of light-up shoes? Have you already tried options from Skechers, Stride Rite, or Geox, only to find none of them are wide or deep enough to fit over the brace? You’re […]
Last updated: August 2026 | By Juan Valenzuela, Certified Children’s Shoe Fitter Does your child wear ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) with wedges, and you can’t seem to find a single pair of shoes that actually fits? AFOs with wedges play a critical role in helping children with lower limb conditions achieve better stability, improved gait, and […]
Last updated: August 2026 | By Juan Valenzuela, Certified Children’s Shoe Fitter AFOs play an essential role in providing support, stability, and improved mobility for a range of conditions affecting your child’s feet and legs. With so many shoe brands and styles out there, choosing the right pair matters — the wrong shoe can undermine […]
Last updated: August 2026 | By Juan Valenzuela, Certified Children’s Shoe Fitter As a shoe fitting expert with over 10 years of experience, I’ve seen the disappointment on kids’ faces more times than I can count when they realize the cute, stylish shoes they love won’t fit over their ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs). Most off-the-shelf Mary […]
If you’ve read any of my other articles about children’s shoes and AFOs, you already know how critical a properly fitting shoe is to how well an Ankle Foot Orthosis actually works. I’ve noticed that most parents buy shoes that are way too large to accommodate the AFO, which compromises your child’s stability and makes […]
Last Updated: August 2026 | Juan Valenzuela, Certified Children’s Shoe Fitter Stride Rite has introduced a line of shoes specifically designed to accommodate orthotics, including AFOs and SMOs. After testing these myself, I can confidently say they offer excellent adaptability — extra-long Velcro straps, sturdy outsoles, and firm heel counters, available in both wide (W) […]