Training Ties® vs. Lock Laces — Which Is Right for Your Kid?

Q: Can my child use Lock Laces and Training Ties at the same time?

Not on the same shoe. Many families use Lock Laces on everyday wear and Training Ties on learning shoes.

Q: Are Lock Laces a good long-term solution for autism?

Sometimes — if there's a physical or sensory reason tying will never be practical. But many autistic kids can learn to tie with the right scaffold. Training Ties remove the friction Lock Laces avoids.

Q: Why are Training Ties more expensive than Lock Laces?

Lock Laces are recurring per-shoe purchases. Training Ties are a one-time teaching tool that transfers across shoes and comes off once the skill is mastered.

Lock Laces and Training Ties show up together in shoe-tying searches because both solve a frustration parents know well. They solve very different problems. Here's the honest comparison.

What Lock Laces does

Lock Laces are elastic shoelaces with a spring-loaded toggle. You replace your normal laces with them once. From then on, the shoe slips on and off like a slip-on. Your child never ties.

Best for: kids who need immediate hands-free independence — gym class, field trips, kids with physical limitations that make tying genuinely impractical.

What Training Ties® does

Training Ties is a patented checkpoint scaffold that attaches to your child's real shoes and holds the laces in place at the two moments where shoe tying usually collapses. Your child learns to tie with normal laces — without the failure cycle.

Best for: kids who are developmentally ready to learn and getting stuck on the standard method (especially kids with autism, ADHD, dyspraxia, Down syndrome, or fine motor delays).

Side-by-side

	Lock Laces	Training Ties®
Teaches the skill	No (bypasses it)	Yes
Works on your child's real shoes	Replaces the laces	Adds to existing laces
Time to first independence	Instant	10–15 min typical
Long-term outcome	Skill never developed	Full mastery, scaffold comes off
Cost	~$8–10 per pair	$25 one-time, transfers across shoes
Best for	Permanent workaround	Teaching the actual skill

Pick based on the goal

If your goal is your child literally never needing to tie shoes: Lock Laces are a great permanent solution.

If your goal is your child learning to tie their own shoes (and building the fine motor, sequencing, and resilience benefits that come with it): Training Ties. Once they have the skill, the checkpoints come off and they tie like everyone else.

Many families use both — Lock Laces for the school gym shoe, Training Ties for the weekend learning sessions on their dress shoes.

Built for kids who get stuck

Most kids who "can't" tie their shoes haven't failed — the standard method failed them. We've built dedicated resources by condition:

Shop Training Ties — $25

FAQ

Can my child use Lock Laces and Training Ties at the same time?

Not on the same shoe — Lock Laces replace the standard lace mechanism, and Training Ties scaffold tying with standard laces. But many families use Lock Laces on one pair of shoes (everyday wear) and Training Ties on another (learning sessions).

Are Lock Laces a good long-term solution for autism?

They can be — if your child has a physical or sensory reason tying will never be practical for them. But many autistic kids absolutely can learn to tie with the right scaffold. The checkpoint method removes the friction Lock Laces avoids.

Why are Training Ties more expensive than Lock Laces?

Lock Laces are a recurring per-shoe purchase that replaces laces. Training Ties are a one-time teaching tool that transfers across shoes and comes off once the skill is mastered. Cost-per-outcome favors Training Ties if the goal is the skill.