Training Ties® vs. No-Tie Laces — Which Is Right for Your Kid?
Training Ties® vs. No-Tie Laces — Which Is Right for Your Kid?
Best answer
No-tie laces (elastic, lock, toggle, or silicone laces) turn a shoe into a slip-on so a child never has to tie. Training Ties is a checkpoint tool that helps a child actually learn to tie real laces. No-tie laces are a workaround; Training Ties is a teaching tool. Choose based on whether the goal is convenience or the skill itself.
I am Bobby Morong, a special education teacher and the inventor of Training Ties. No-tie laces have a real place — I am not here to talk you out of them. But parents deserve a clear-eyed comparison, so here it is.
What no-tie laces do
"No-tie laces" is a whole category: elastic laces, spring-loaded toggles, silicone bands, and stretch laces. They all do the same core thing — you install them once, and from then on the shoe slips on and off without tying. They are fast, they remove daily frustration, and for some kids they are exactly the right call.
Best for: immediate hands-free independence, children with physical or sensory reasons that make tying impractical long-term, busy mornings, and sports shoes.
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 still does the real tying — the tool just stops the collapse-and-restart cycle that makes kids give up.
Best for: children 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 comparison
| No-tie laces | Training Ties® | |
|---|---|---|
| Teaches the real shoe-tying skill | No — bypasses it | Yes — that is its purpose |
| Works on the child's real laces | Replaces them | Adds to existing laces |
| Time to first independence | Instant | 10–15 minutes typical |
| Builds fine motor & bilateral coordination | Minimal | Yes |
| Long-term outcome | Skill never developed | Full mastery, scaffold comes off |
| Cost | ~$8–20 per pair, recurring | $25 one-time, transfers across shoes |
| Best for | Permanent convenience workaround | Teaching the actual skill |
Pick based on the goal
If your goal is for your child to never need to tie shoes — because of a physical limitation, a sensory barrier, or simply a family decision — no-tie laces are a clean, legitimate solution.
If your goal is for your child to actually learn to tie their own shoes, and to build the fine motor control, sequencing, and resilience that come with mastering a hard skill — Training Ties. Once the skill is solid, the checkpoints come off and your child ties like anyone else.
Many families use both
This is not an either-or for most people. A common setup: no-tie laces on the everyday school sneaker for fuss-free mornings, and Training Ties on a second pair for calm weekend learning sessions. The child gets daily convenience and a real path to the skill.
Built for kids who get stuck
Most kids who "can't" tie their shoes have not failed — the standard method failed them. We have dedicated resources by situation:
- Autism, ADHD & fine motor support
- Fine motor delay
- Training Ties vs. Velcro shoes
- Training Ties vs. Lock Laces
- Training Ties vs. Hickies
- Best shoe-tying tools for kids
FAQ
Are no-tie laces bad for kids?
No. No-tie laces are genuinely useful for convenience and for children who have a physical or sensory reason that makes tying impractical. They simply do not teach the shoe-tying skill, so if independence with real laces is the goal, they will not get a child there on their own.
What is the difference between no-tie laces and Training Ties?
No-tie laces replace the lace system so the child never ties. Training Ties keeps the standard laces and scaffolds the hard steps so the child learns to tie. One is a workaround; the other is a teaching tool.
Can my child use no-tie laces and Training Ties together?
Not on the same shoe, because no-tie laces replace the lace system Training Ties relies on. But many families use no-tie laces on an everyday pair and Training Ties on a separate learning pair.
Do no-tie laces help kids with autism or fine motor delays?
They can reduce daily frustration, which has real value. But many of these kids absolutely can learn to tie with the right scaffold. A checkpoint tool removes the friction that no-tie laces avoid, so the child can build the skill instead of bypassing it.