So, Amy tried a new product today!
Thus far, we have been very loyal to the SmartKnit brand. We buy them from Cascade DAFO and they are currently selling at $11/pair. So, I was highly motivated to love these socks. At a $25 savings, I was excited to try them. They seem to be only available on Amazon, and Prime to boot! Woohoo!
As Amy is 4.5 years old, I bought the size 4. From the picture, two things gave me pause. First, there is a heel. Second, no mention of moisture wicking is listed in the description. However, Amazon has amazing customer service, so I was confident that it wasn’t much of a risk to try them… and we really DO need new socks! (Badly)
So, here are my thoughts:
Thickness
They feel very thin, but the weather is thinking about turning warm (at least in the afternoons) so that’s not too much of a downside. Under a warm pant, I don’t think they would be bad. Maybe they would be really good for summer when it’s unearthly hot?
So, I’m going to say this is neither a pro nor a con. Just a difference from SmartKnit.
Tightness
Overall, the sock felt really nice on her leg. One of the comments on Amazon said it was hard to get the heel in place, but I didn’t have that problem. It (mostly) fit really nicely as a second skin.
Except for the toe. Amy has the stature and leg length of a typical preschooler, with one exception. Her special foot is much smaller. That being said, with her heel in the correct position, the toe was pretty big!
But on the other hand, the foot really did fit nicely. So even if the toes were a bit baggy, I didn’t see that translating to wrinkles under her foot. So, overall good fit, but I sure wish that heel wasn’t there. A tube sock would completely eliminate the baggy toes.
Length/Stretch
Okay, this is the most important bit. Amy wears a PTB clamshell AFO, so it’s a smidge taller than your typical AFO. So how about a comparison? The pink sock is a (very) well loved SmartKnit sock. Please excuse its sad shape, like I said, we need new socks, lol. The SmartKnit seems to be longer, but that COULD be due to its well-loved state. It could also be due to the fact that the SmartKnit is a straight tube, while the AFO Baby has a heel, but I see a difference, for sure.
When I stretched them? BIG difference!
I was super disappointed to see that while the sock stuck out of the brace, it was too short to fold over the top.
For comparison, here is the SmartKnit sock.
Anyway, the description of the AFO Baby sock says that it’s specially made to “stay up”. So, I thought perhaps it wasn’t made to fold over- though that seems a little odd to me. Regardless of whether it stays up or not, I would feel better if it was longer. So the length gets a thumbs down from me. ??
Anyway, it’s 7am. Amy is all braced, and ready to road test this baby. 🙂
Comfort
Okay, so Amy spent the day playing with her friends at school, on her feet. She played with her brother all day, has had dinner, and now it’s 8pm and time for her bath. I haven’t looked at her brace or her sock all day, but she has not complained about anything. So that’s a big thumbs up!
Staying Up
Well, it slipped. Not a whole lot, but noticeably.
Taking the front piece off, you can see how it slumped down inside, and made a decent wrinkle. That is pretty disappointing.
With wrinkles, you get the beginnings of sore spots. Frankly, it bothers me that the cuff left such marks. I think it really is too tight. Also, her leg muscle is pretty atrophied, so it is a lot skinnier than most, about 1/3 thinner than her other leg, so this might be a problem for children with more “normal” sized legs.
Wetness
Another very important thing with these socks is moisture wicking. When I took her sock off, the whole thing was slightly damp. However her leg and foot were dry, but stinky. (But her foot is always stinky. ?) I do have to wonder how it would do in the summer, versus a fairly temperate day like today…
Shrinkage
Last thing. These socks are 100% cotton. So what happens when I wash it? Good thing I had a load of whites to do today!
Result:
Well, that’s telling. I was able to stretch it back out again, and that may have just solved my too-big-in-the-toes issue, but overall, I’m disappointed. If you’re going to be be too short to fold over the top, you HAVE to stay up – I don’t want my baby to get sores. I’ll be returning these to Amazon.
We’ll be sticking with SmartKnit, due to length, better fit (lack of a heel) and superior moisture wicking. I’m bummed about shelling out the extra $5 per pair, but it is what it is. I am so bummed now! Guess I’ll go order more SmartKnit socks, and start my return process to Amazon.
