Choosing first glasses for DD5

[houseworkneverends]

I've posted before about my DD5 poor reading levels. We've had her eyes tested and she's quite long sighted in one eye.

Anyway tomorrow we're off to pick her first glasses. She's quite petite and looks maybe 3.5 or 4 years old.

Any tips for what to avoid or what brands are particularly good for small children?

TIA

Have a look at Tomato glasses. My DD has worn them since she was tiny.

I let dd choose from the children's rack. For me it was important she loved them and was excited to wear them. She opted for paw patrol.

Ideally semi-transparent ones are to be avoided, constantly losing them.

I agree with @MuggleMe . DD needs to pick what she likes and will happily wear. Nothing other than that.

Oh how exciting! - my DD always loved choosing her glasses. The range now is huge and she will have fun choosing.

I totally agree, she has to love them! She needs to wear them all of the time except for bed. She has a twin sister too so we're going straight after school and have promised them pizza in a box (pizza hut 😂)

I feel a bit nervous about it for some reason, just want to make sure we make the right decision.

Well, they need to fit properly... Which can be an issue with petite faces (I know as I have to wear glasses from the teenager range!).

It's not just the width of the frames either, but the width of the nose bridge... Plastic frames are more problematic as the nose bridge obviously cannot be adjusted.

Just make sure you go somewhere with an experienced optician who will make sure they fit properly. Independents may be better (though my DD has worn glasses since she was two and we've not had any issues with Specsavers - but that may be because I also knew what I was doing and made them double-check the fit!).

Is she excited to wear glasses? I would try and big it up to be something great. Though tbh, my DD has never had any problems wearing them (though obviously started wearing from a younger age) - it took a couple of days maybe before she stopped taking them off as soon as I put them on her, but she soon realised how much better she could see with them on - hopefully the same will be true of your DD.

She's now 8 and is one of about 6 or 7 in her class who wear glasses, so not uncommon.

And actually, her younger brother is jealous that she has them and keeps asking when he can get glasses!

I found with my daughter she needs meal frames as they have the nose pads that can be adjusted, plastic frames have them moulded in. That will depend on her nose shape though.
My daughter got hers at 5 and is now 7, loves getting new frames and is really good about wearing them, just have to remind her not to touch the lenses 🙄

We just walked in and told them DD's favourite colour! Got the 2 most purple pairs we could.

She had loads of positive comments etc at school at that age. I hope it goes just as smoothly for your daughter.

Opticians will generally do repairs for free, and it's well worth going as local as you can as you might be back and forth a bit if she is accident-prone!

As an adult i've always found specsavers to be ok and they do a decent range of kids glasses. They have the frame sizes on the inside of the arms so once you find the right sort of size it's easy to find others that might suit her. The staff will usually help too. Children's glasses | Specsavers UK

My son really struggled with ear pain when he first started wearing his glasses at 7 - I bought these little rubber things from Amazon which made them more comfortable

He only needed them a week or so before he'd got used to them

He wears them all the time except swimming and bed now

She is very excited about getting glasses, so we wanted to make the going and trying some on to be a very positive experience. We did go to specsavers for her eye test but their in store range was tiny - and to be fair it's a very small store so we're just going to a much bigger boots store out of town.

I think that's the tricky bit isn't, you want her to love them but also you want them to fit perfectly too. Hopefully there is a balance out there for us.

I've heard a lot about the Tomato Glasses but no one in our area - or even nearby - stocks these. I do need a store that I can nip back into easily if I need adjustments or alterations.

The good thing about Tomato glasses is that it’s quite easy to adjust them yourself - they come with spare ear and nose bits, and a little screwdriver. There are three (IIRC) positions for the nose thingy and you can adjust the length of the arms.

I too recommend Tomato glasses. Really do try and find a local supplier. The bit that bends behind the ears is very soft rubber and once my DD goes to sleep I just pull them off her because they're so soft. They also have little holes in the ear pieces and come with a strap that clips into them to prevent the glasses from falling in the ball pit at soft play.

Specsavers have always been great with my petite DS. Get a second pair (usually half price) as they will get broken or lost. Repairs to first pair are free. Completely agree let her choose. Optician should check fit and ask the shop staff if undecided on style as they are independent and see people in glasses every day.