Our 2.5 year old received his AFO yesterday, and this morning provided a struggle with dressing him. The doctor said that it can be worn under or over pants, which led me to believe that maybe the shoes can be detached from the twister cables. Nope. They are very much attached, and the shoes are too wide to fit in the pant legs.
We don’t know how long he will need these, but in the meantime, I’m considering different ways in which I can use my sewing machine to make his clothes work for him. The AFO being visible doesn’t bother me, but I don’t want people to look at him any differently. The look on my husband’s face when I showed him the device, and our daughters’ response to him wearing it makes me question how others might respond. I don’t want people feeling sorry for him. He is a smart, active, strong, and capable little guy, and I don’t want him to ever think anything less than that because of how people respond to his “helping shoes”.
Therefore, I’m considering cutting the inner seams of his jeans and sewing Velcro on the inside so the pant legs can go over the cables. I’ve never done clothing alterations aside from hemming, so this may be more challenging than it seems.
If anyone has had any experience with this, or if there are any other options out there, I’m open to ideas and suggestions.
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