tips for how toget my (just) 4 yr.old to wear her glasses

Mimisinger

Wed, Aug 10 2011, 7:50 pm

*****Tip #1 - Get an adjustable strap. We went through several pairs of those glasses with the behind the ears cable. Ds Hated the cable and it hurt his ears. So, he always took them off, or they conveniently broke. We got a regular pair and got an adjustable strap from the glasses place - it's not a children's strap, just a regular one, and he has kept it on since. He was a little over 4 when he got them.

Tip #2 - Don't go for "cute" glasses until they're older, they tend not to fit as well as the regular wire frames.

Tip #3 - Honestly, she probably can't see so well and like my son, once they're comfortable and stay on, she'll want to wear them.

Good luck. But follow tip #1, you won't have to spend $$$$$$$$$ on broken glasses like I did. Ugh, I think it was 4 -6 pairs in like 4 months.

Btw, also, visit the glasses place often to get them readjusted because kids wear them hard and they get bent easily and then don't correct their vision properly. Btw, once I got the strap, they stayed on, barely got bent, so we were visiting her much less often.

Any other ques, just ask!

Marion

Thu, Aug 11 2011, 1:07 am

Don't ask. We spent almost $1000 on DS#1's glasses in the first year (we went through 6 pairs, I think)...they kept getting lost (he couldn't/wouldn't wear them with the strap) or broken. It wasn't even always his fault.

His prescription changed in May and we bought him 2 new pairs...one was lost in the first couple of days and the 2nd is scratched but he'll have to wait until September to replace the lenses...

The opthamologist told us to get him used to it a little bit at a time; first at home then in gan. I did it opposite, figuring he needed to be able to see in gan; I didn't care if he could see at home! He wears them consistently in gan, and we're makpid to make him wear them if he's watching a DVD, but a year later we're still working on getting him to wear them full time. The new ones we bought fit better and are more comfortable for him than the previous batch, and that makes a huge difference.

Kugglegirl

Thu, Aug 11 2011, 1:34 am

1) Put them on & then engage the kiddo in an activity where she is using vision for the activity.

2) a 4 yo can respond to a motivation chart-- stickers, check marks, stars. If they are not keeping them on at all, start w. every 5 min giving a star, (do this for 1 hour, 2-3 x a day-- a lot of work---) in 3 days, go to every 10 minutes. Stretch the time. every 15 minutes. Every 1/2 hour for 3 hours in a row. (for a 4 yo. probably a prize at the end of each hour & then each 3 hour session, eventually, a prize at bedtime)

3) Make a special place where glasses always go when they are taken off at home-- a bowl on a specific shelf, a spot in a specific drawer. Practice putting them there at bed time, (& at the times that they are "allowed" to take them off) Practice taking them out in the morning & putting them on right after getting dressed. Make going out the door to school a time when the kid can themselves a star (on a chart by the door) if she is wearing them when they leave the house.

That said, I had a kid who started wearing glasses & eye patching at 3. Wearing the glasses was not a problem until tweenagenees began. Patching was the struggle for us & we did motivation & incentives (aka bribes) to make the patching happen.

You are doing your child a big favor by making sure they have glasses & are wearing them. It helps the eye develop vision properly, helps w. learning social cues (by being able to see facial expressions), helps w. pre-academics & fine & gross motor skill acquisition, as well as giving depth perception.

ShmeinaK

Tue, Feb 14 2012, 8:10 am

Hi,
I don't know if you still have a problem with this.
I am in a group with many mothers who have children with the same condition as mine. My son started wearing glasses at 5 months old (before he was even able to see at all), many of the other parents have had their children start wearing glasses at other ages.
What we all find is that if the glasses help they want to wear them.
Example: My son got a new prescription and he refused to put the glasses on (same frames etc just changed the lenses) AT ALL. I had told the ophthalmologist that I thought the prescription was wrong but he didn't agree with me. I went to another ophthalmologist who gave me a totally different prescription. The morning after I changed the lenses my-then-two and a half year old ASKED for his glasses.
If your son is refusing to wear them chances are very good that either the prescription is wrong, or that they don't fit comfortably.