Glasses for a toddler

[gabity]

Any tips for getting them on and keeping them on? Can't even get them near DD :(

we used an elastic sportband to keep them on ds (some opticians sell them, also ski/outdoor shops)
other than that it's probably star charts and bribery?
Good luck

She gets hysterical as soon as they go near her, but she's happy to put them on her dolls or us. She is so laid back normally, even as a baby she didn't scream, I was in bits at how upset she was when the doctors were trying to test her eyes, think it's the first time I have heard her really really upset.

Sports band is a good idea once (if) we ever get to the stage of her wearing them!

Do any of you wear glasses? If not could you pop the lenses out of old sunglasses and wear them when she wears hers? Can you get some teddy sunglasses from the Bear Factory so she can wear hers and put the toy ones on her bears? Can you look for role models in favourtite books, dvds, tv programmes who wear glasses? Little things like this may help.

Keep it positive and don't make too big a deal out of it if she doesn't but praise hugely if she does.

Give it time, just keep trying. Some toddlers really hate change. But if she realises she can see better with them she will come around, so even a few seconds on her face is a success to start with.

Yes we did the sports band round the head initially.

My DD was very long-sighted so we found that allowing her quite a bit of TV when glasses first went on was helpful. I think she was intrigued with the clearer picture and then very keen to see it that way once she got used to it. She was only 13 months though, how old is your DD?

Ditto books.

She is 18 months. Got a few books and she is interested in the glasses, just not putting them on! They are pretty strong so when she does get them on hopefully she will see a big difference.

Thanks for all the advice

No experience with anyone so small, but I wore mine no trouble after realising the cafe by the opticians had a big kettle pouring out a little kettle. I'd never seen the little kettle. I was 10.
DD who is about the same age is much better with her new glasses than her old ones because they are a better prescription.
So I guess books, tv, simple computer game something that makes more sense if you can see it clearly would help.

Dh just came through after putting DD to bed with a load of photos and video on his phone of DD drinking her milk....with her glasses on! He said he just popped them on and she was fine?!?

Just me then?

just capricious toddlers, more like!

My DD had glasses at 3, so a bit older but was still quite hard at first.
I sometimes wear glasses anyway (should wear them more...!) so I wore mine all the time; got husband a pair of those cheapies from Primark - bought about 10 pairs and all her teddies and dollies wore them.
Maybe start doing activities when shes wearing them - get some playdough out and when shes into it, stick her glasses on and change the subject.
Your immediate reaction, when she puts the glasses on, is to praise her lots and say how lovely she looks etc - but instead try to put them on and then ignore them. Every time she goes to take them off, just brush her hands away and engage her in another activity.
HTH

Here's some things that have helped us:
-pointing out (discretely and politely) other children who have cool glasses like DS (also in books, magazines, on television)
-drawing pictures of our family, paying particular attention to drawing DS with his glasses on
-letting DS clean his glasses (he loves to do this)
-the sport band helped tremendously at the beginning.

-quietly slipping them on when he's watching a video, now he seeks them out on his own as he knows they help so much.

Had a much better day today. She has prob had them on for about 4 hours in total, which I am simply amazed at! Once she has them on she seems to keep them on no problems, until they slip down her nose and she remembers they are there! The problem is getting them on in the first place.

Should we persevere with the 5 secs of screaming to get them on (and then they stay on for ages) or wait until she happily puts them on/lets us put them on?

Thanks all for the tips, will be doing everything!!

Also (since you are all so helpful ) any tips for our next hospital appointment? We are back in 6 weeks to repeat all the tests as she was so distraught for the last lot the doc wasn't convinced she got the prescritpion correct. Can't think she is going to be any different this time?!

Also, her glasses have the "curly tips", can we still use a sports band with these? How do they attach? Thanks

Both my DDs were wearing glasses before they were 2 years old. DD1 put hers on the day she got them and has hardly taken them off since. DD2 took much longer to get used to hers (not such a strong prescription at +4) and even now we still have to remind her to put them on each day (she is 2.10 years now).

Some things that have worked with her:

• pretending WE can see her better when she has them on;
• DD1 and I have a 'girlie glasses gang' (as we both wear glasses and DP doesn't) and DD2 can join in our activities if she has her glasses on;
• getting the 'bendy' frames that are difficult to twist out of shape so that she can put on her glasses by herself - we were at the opticians 3 times in the first month having the first 'non-bendy' frames refitted;
• getting a headhugger from Framehuggers - expensive but made to measure and does up with velcro so no pulling over her head (and tangling with her curls);

DD1 also wears a patch so we had a patchpal for her who also wore a patch - this was a useful toy for DD2 without the patch.

As for more success at the next set of tests at the hospital, we find that the time of day for the appointment can make a huge difference - particularly if the appointment coincides with nap time or lunch time. If is does, I would suggest changing it if possible.
Also, try to get there early - our hospital does block bookings so if we get there on time we are likely to be the last appointment for that time slot -usually three kids get the same slot (but the clinic does claim to have a 50% Does Not Attend rate!)
Which tests are having to be repeated - the eye test or the vision test? Do you have to put in the refraction eye drops in? If so, bribery has always been our only successful method, usually involving chocolate, and often used for putting in the drops and for rewarding a successful series of tests!
And over the years (DD1 is now 5.1yo and has had her glasses for over 3.5 years) I have found it useful to 'be silly' during the tests with the optician - pulling funny faces etc to keep attention in the same place so optician can look into eyes.
Oh, and DD1 comes with me to my eye tests now, as will DD2 when I go for my next one next month, and this has been very useful in letting her see that I have similar tests done too (DP comes in too when they are still little and my optician - who I have been with for 20+ years - has always been fine with this.)

Sorry for the essay but it does get easier...
Good luck

Dd1 was 2 when she got glasses. We couldn't even get her to try them on in the shop. In the end we used bribery.
In the shop 1 choc button for each pair of glasses she tried on. Then she had a choc button when we put them on in the morning, and then if she kept them on.
It sounds terrible but after 3/4 days she was quite happy putting them on and the choc buttons stopped.

I took chocolate drops to hospital appointment but she got herself in such a state that the Doc was scared she would choke so she didn't get them! (with upset her even more, piercing screams punctuated with YUM YUM!)

I think everything needs repeated, by the time we left I was in such a state I wasn't taking much in! Her prescription was +3.0 and +6.5 if that means anything to anyone!

I am pleased at the progress today so fingers crossed for tomorrow.

Hi Gabity,

Sounds like you are doing an amazing job so far to get them on for up to 4 hours!!!

From what you say about your LO's prescription she has a quite a big difference between the two eyes. The problem with that can be she might not notice a massive difference to her vision when she puts them on as only one of her eyes will be particularly blurry. Its important to do as you are and get the glasses on as much as you can so that the eye with the stronger prescription can "catch up".

And dont worry too much about how exact the prescription is as long as its in the ball park they can fine tune it as she gets older and more co-operative.

Great job so far though

DD let me pop the glasses on first thing this morning with no fuss or screaming! That was at 7am and she has only had them off once since then! Progress!

Thanks all for your support so far!

P.s Pic on profile of DD looking quite pleased with herself in her glasses over breakfast this morning - maybe she can see her rice crispies better!

I don't know if this helps, but with dd2 who has worn glasses since she was a baby and has to have the drops in for her eye tests at the hospital.
I have always put the drops in at home she can forgive me more easily than the nameless nurses at the hospital.
Then she is much calmer when we arrive. It does get easier we had terrible angst when she was 2 but now at 4 she's brill she sits still and is great.
You will get there.

Thanks you, its good to hear it gets easier (and good to hear other people suffer in the same way if you know what I mean?!).

DD had sufficiently calmed down and returned to her usual self by the time we left the room getting the drops in, the nurse waved to her and she blew kisses to the nurse and then gave her a hug?!

Aww, she's so cute. Reminds me of my DD about 4 years ago. Well done, sounds like you've virtually cracked it.