Best high street shoe shops for a toddler wearing AFOs

[Givemeallthetattoos]

Hi, not really sure if I'm in the right section for this lol, my daughter is 2 and cannot yet stand alone, or walk. We are under a plethora of departments ect physio, paediatrics, orthopedics. They suspect she has diplegic cerebral palsy but they are also trying to rule out tethered cord syndrome. She has to wear AFOS at night time and shortly will be getting a frame. She is due to have surgery in a couple of months to release tight achilles tendon, then after the healing process, wear AFOS during the day too. I guess my question is what high street shoe shop has anyone else in a similar situation found best? I've heard about Billy's footwear but it's a bit hard to guess what size she would need without actually trying them on first, and also what type of shoe? Like high tops ect.

Thankyou for any input :)

My ds wears his AFOs with normal trainers.

we have used Nike fly ease with the zip before but these seem to be discontinued for adult sizes.

He wears sketchers ship ins because he also can’t reach his feet to do laces (which he also struggles to tie anyway!!

The AFO is designed to Support the foot and ankle so any shoe that fits the AFO should be ok as long it it fits and is sturdy.

I mean I wouldn’t recommend it and im
sure the consultant won’t either but my DS (now 21) has been known to wear crocs with his 🫣🤣🤷‍♀️

Oh okay thankyou! They've said size up but when I put her afos against the size up they were no where near close 😂

My ds doesn’t size up.

he only wears an AFO on 1 foot so that wouldn’t work anyway 🤣

I would look at trainers in whatever colour and pattern she likes with a Velcro strap to support her foot

I have ataxic Cerebral Palsy and wear Reebok Trainers. I don't have AFOs but do have orthotic insoles and find that they fit perfectly. They are stiff enough to be supportive, but flexible enough to take the insoles. I usually get mine from Sports Direct.

Thankyou both so much for your help! :)

We got a mixture for DS but supermarket trainers in a bigger size with the insole taken out were often fine. BGreater school shoes were good and lasted a long time. I got some Friendly Shoes for him too which are specifically for orthotics and is a UK brand. Got shorter Chelsea style wellies from Next.

Thankyou! I've just managed to bag a bargain on some Billy's shoes for £30! I have tried some supermarket ones, she was a size 5 at the time the only ones that would fit the splits and of course her feet were a size 11!🤦🏻‍♀️
I'll definitely look into the wellies! Thankyou 🥰

Oh yeah, you don't want to go up too many sizes or she won't be able to walk. DS was quite a bit older, 4/5/6 so we weren't looking for really small shoes.