Will someone please tell me what to do..

[ANiceLuxury]

Ds who is 22 months has only been walking a month.

Hes been very late with all gross motor skills but hes finally walking.

When he was 15 month we got referred to a paed as he wasnt cruising etc.

When ds was 20 months we got referred to physio as he wasnt walking still.

Physio said he was over pronouncing inwards on his feet abit more than normal and said she would refer him to orthotics.

Then he walks. We go to our orthotic appointment and they said he is borderline needing orthotics but they decide to give him piedro boots as they said he was too flexible in the feet and due to the over pronouncing.

I dont like piedros. They are very heavy and restricting and he stamps in them.

We go back to physio and she says that within the last month of him walking he has improved dramatically. She doesnt feel this is due to the piedros as we are still building up on them and he has had them less than a week. She also tells me that if this was her first appointment with him then she would not of referred him to orthotics. She said she would of monitored his feet over the next few months.

Orthotics are saying yes he does definitely need them and want me to continue with them.

I dont know who to believe. I dont want him in a hard shoes that he cant move his feet in if its not necessary.

Wwyd?

I ve decided to take ds for a 2nd opinion. Im taking him to someone who specialises in orthotics and deals with lots of children.

I do know hes not a fan of piedros though.

Thats should says hes a podiatrist that specialises in orthotics but privately

The area I work in has stopped prescribing piedros and instead advises parents to get kicker or timberland type shoes, so more of a boot to support the ankle. Would that be useful in the meantime?

Do you know why they have stopped prescribing them?

Im worried that ds feet wont develop properly if they are in a restricted hard shoe.

Because they are very expensive and often by the time children have been fiited for a pair, they are not in them very long at all before they need a new size. This is in addition to the fact, as you point out with your own child, they are not attractive, can be very clumpy and some children walk strangely while wearing them. (I suspect the money argument was the greater part of the decision to stop using them).

There are very long waits for fitting and ordering which means your child is generally in an alternative shoe anyway whilst you wait for a bigger pair.

If this was your child would you put him in the piedros or a normal shoe?

The orthotic woman said he is to be in them any time he is active or on his feet. Well that would mean all day as ds is not interested in sitting watching tele etc

As he has only been walking a month, I would put him in regular shoes with as supportive an ankle às possible well fitted by a trained fitter. I would prob go to a place that isn't Clarks.

Im not a fan of clarks myself.

Im hoping the podiatrist that we are seeing on tues will suggest an arch insole in a normal shoe.

I asked the orthotics lady and she said no way to an insole as he isnt ready for that.

She mentioned he walks wide but im sure all babies walk wide when first walking. Plus i think he still walks wide with the piedros

Does anyone else have any advice?

.

There is not much information on piedros however the information i can find is that some are pro piedros and some are against them.

Its difficult to know what to do for the best. The thing i keep thinking of is, is that the physio wouldnt of referred him if she had seen him a month later for the first time.

So i took ds for a 2nd opinion. I took him to a podiatrist who specialised in orthotics in children, and he was horrified that ds was in piedros.

He watched him walk bare foot, with piedros and with a normal shoe and said he couldnt see anything wrong!

He also said he would even put an insole in, but leave him be!

He said the piedros were forcing his feet to be a certain way and that the feet have signals in them to the brain to allow the foot to stabalise itself and that the boot would be stopping his feet from trying to support itself.

I decided not to continue with the and will see how he goes.