A New Series!
Since this blog gets a bit of traffic (presumably) from new parents or newly diagnosed parents of Down syndrome, I wanted to start a new series on the blog about general information pertaining to our kiddos. This will also provide some "filler" information when we are waiting on pictures of the Traveling afghan or an afghan of their own!
With summer around the corner, one struggle I have with Em is SHOES. Being a flip flop addict myself, Em wants to wear them so badly, but I just don't feel safe with her wearing them. She still stumbles and trips over her feet quite a bit in them.
Having Down syndrome, it's hard to just run off to your local store and pick up any old pair of shoes. Kids with Down syndrome tend to have chubbier feet and need wider width shoes. In order to determine what size she is, I use this guide on finding your child's foot measure. They even have videos that were a huge help!
Wide width or not, I don't think one should have to sacrifice fashion for function. I typically find shoes that fit Em, but are less than adorable, or shoes that are adorable, but less than comfortable for her. I did find a site with adorable girls sandals that have a wide range of styles, colors and (most importantly) FIT!
For the most part, our kids are more typical than not. However, clothing and shoe fittings can be a bit exhausting when you're trying to balance an odd fit.
What struggles/solutions have you experience or found in regards to dressing your child?
3 comments:
Great idea CJ! So far we haven't run into any clothing or shoe issues with Joaquin (but he is only 2!!) and I've noticed he doesn't have the "typical" foot shape of a child with DS. He has long, narrow feet like his brothers :)! Looking forward to checking out some good tips!
Little J is 19 months and has shorter than typical arms. He sucks his thumbs and is always stretching his arms out so his hands stick out of his sleeves. Looking for a spring jacket was a bit challenging until I realized that sleeves with elastic wrist openings would work great. I found one at a resale shop with nicely elasticized wrist openings. It works great. His hands are always free for him to use.
Crocs and Lands End stretchy pants! Velcro sneakers,good quality,good shoestore salesperson. I like Tevas too. That's all I can think of off the top of my head but I know how challenging it can be. My daughter has a teeny butt and a little potbelly so pants staying up is tricky even at ten!
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