Clothing

This section is dedicated to bringing you information about unique and practical special needs clothing items, regular clothing items that we have used creatively, and resources for purchasing them. What you need and will use will depend on your child’s particular needs. We aim to ensure Maya is comfortable and as independent as possible throughout the day. We want her to feel confident and proud.

Alva is a young designer and wheelchair user who has raised the funds to launch her own functional fashion clothing line for people with disabilities. You may learn about her business and stay up to date with her progress here.

Websites offering multiple special needs clothing items and accessories

Adaptations by Adrian

Adaptive Clothing Showroom

Koolway Sports-Outerwear for wheelchair users

MagnaReady-Magnetic closure dress shirt for adults

Mini Miracles

Ross Daniel Adaptive Apparel

Silvert’s Adaptive Clothing and Footwear-For Adults–a variety of adaptive clothing options

Target’s Adaptive Apparel Line for kids and adults

Tommy Hilfiger’s Runway of Dreams–adaptive line for children

Shoes for AFO users and conventional shoe accessories-

Hatchback Shoes — These are fashionable yet expensive footwear that is so much easier to put on if your child wears AFOs.

Keeping Pace—Another company offering fashionable footwear for AFO users.

Zappos-This online shoe retailer has a section labeled “orthotic friendly”. This likely will require some trial and error depending on what kind of inserts or AFOs you have, but what a great starting point!

Nike’s Flyease— Zipper and strap system for kids and adults

Billy Footwear-Kids and adults universal shoe design

More ideas. *There are a couple of brands that I have heard work well with AFOs including Stride Rite and New Balance but you will likely need to size up. Here is a quote from one mom about what she has found success with, “We have had the best success with lace-up sneakers, from cheapie one-star converse from Target to nicer ones from shoe stores, Saucony or New Balance. The latter brands offer extra-wide shoes, so if you are having trouble even after taking out soles, try them next. You may need to get longer laces than the ones that come with the shoes.”-Meadow, mom of a child with CP

*If you are having trouble or are unsure about how the shoe should fit with your child’s AFOs, check with your child’s orthotist and/or therapy professionals. 

Socks for AFO users-

Seamless DAFO and KAFO socks — We have never tried these but I came across them and thought they looked fabulous. I also was inspired by the mother that designed them.

Mom Jenn Solomon wanted me to pass along her input on some new AFO socks they have been trying with her daughter. She told me that compared with other AFO socks they have tried these are softer, lighter weight, and not so tight around her daughter’s leg.

From Jenn:
“I bought these socks for my little girl http://www.afosocks.com/ they are GREAT!!!! And they are less expensive than the other ones They even fold over the top of her afo’s $5 a pair.”

Trouble with tying shoes?

Children and adults who no longer feel comfortable wearing velcro, you may wish to look into Lock Laces. Another possibility is a product called Zubits–magnetic shoe closures.

Knee Covers-

Crawlings — Low profile knee pads that have been wonderful for preventing bruises and scrapes. They are a recent find and Maya loves them. They are vented in the back and come with a few different design options.

Baby Kneez-Knee pads for babies, toddlers, and children with special needs. For children ages 5 and up you will need to e-mail them.

Crawler Covers/leg warmers — Great for covering knees and/or keeping legs warm.

Jackets-

Wrapeaze-Easy to put on and take off jacket-wraps

Fingerless gloves-

Wristies — Keep your child’s hands warm but the fingers free to use. We also used them to cover Maya’s hands when she crawled outside.

Easier to put on belts-

Myself Belts — A wonderful product that gives your child an opportunity to use a belt with more independence.

Wearable blanket-

Halosleep Sack — This ingenious invention eliminated our frequent middle of the night visits to our daughter’s bedroom to put her blankets back on her. They have some with and without holes for the legs. They seem to run plenty long and our 2t-3t still fits Maya at 5 years of age.

Bibs and Aprons-

Bandana Bibs by Lil’Adi — Custom orders/measurements.

Wheelchair bags-

Custom made wet/dry bags, Great for wheelchairs-Love these! Wet/dry bags are handy for storing extra clothes, wipes, etc., and there is separate compartment for soiled or wet clothing. I have found many people and companies who sell them (look for cloth diaper wet/dry bags). The woman whose e-bay store is linked here makes the best quality I have found, and she custom made one for Maya’s wheelchair. She does not specifically state that she does this but I asked her to make a small adaptation to her product and it works great for us.

We use custom made cloth diapers/pull ups. If you are interested in learning about these please see the “Potty Training” section of the website.

Easy to put on shirts-

Shoulder Shirts-This Etsy shop makes shirts which are easy to put on and take off because they have velcro sleeves.

Winter Boots:

1. Koolway Sports has KoolBoots which look awesome, albeit expensive

2. Overshoes-go over existing shoes-lots of options and manufacturers here including NEOS which look like they have great traction and many options–older children and adult sizes only.

3. Keeping Pace maker of orthopedic footwear has a sport boot for kids (it may be available in adult sizes).

4. Rugged Outback–Low cost mainstream boot with front that zippers down!! This was a great suggestion offered by a mom who followers our Facebook page. This manufacturer offers a boot that has a front flap that opens so far down in the front that it makes it really easy to remove the liner and use with AFOS. A quick Google search on the name led me to Payless and the mom who shared this said she found them at Shopko. It looks like the ones that have the front flap like the one in this pic are available in boys and girls sizes only.

boot

 

G-Tube accessories:

G-Tube Guards-Designed by a mom whose child has a G-tube.

Tubie Whoobies-G-tube pads that come in fun shapes and colors/patterns and inspired by a mom whose child has a G-tube.

Pumpkin Packs-Stylish backpacks for children and adults who have feeding tubes or require intravenous therapy.

Eye Patches

Eyelids 4 Kids — Reusable cloth patches that attach to your child’s glasses

Ortopad Patches — Disposable, sticky patches available in many patterns and colors that you place on your child’s eye