Getting a 2 year old to wear her glasses

[Amanda1]

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Hi there Amanda1. My son needed to wear glasses from 18 months and also a patch on one eye for four hours a day. To start with, we used bribery - one Smartie when the patch and glasses went on, and one Smartie when they came off. This worked really well. When he no longer needed patches, he realised that he saw so much better with glasses than without them that he always kept them on. Lots of people had suggested that we should build it up gradually, just an hour at a time to start with, and so on, but in my view this confused things, and he was much happier once he realised that this was a new thing, and here to stay.

By the way, always ask the hospital for two prescrptions so you can get a new pair made up quickly if they get broken (which happened to us all the time). You can get glasses with very flexible sides so even if the child pulls them off by pulling the arms out to the sides they bend but don't break.

Another tip - Specsavers don't charge a penny for children's glasses, where mnost places charge you for the frames.

Hope this helps - good luck

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Amanda1, chat to her keyworker about it again. They should be doing more than just saying that other children will try and take off her glasses. We have a little guy at our son's nursery with a bad squint who has had to wear glasses from two to try and correct it. They made spectacles one of the themes in the toddler room for his first term, made up a song about people who wear glasses etc (his keyworker has them and so does the nursery supervisor) and it all went pretty smoothly. His parents were really touched. He had a little neoprene band round the back of his for playtime, by the way.
I hope they are more positive and supportive than that initial response suggested.

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Amanda1 - my daughter has had to wear glasses from age 3. I was anticipating a big problem but, after a little initial resistance, it has been no problem at all. I think once they realise how much better they can see with them they(certianly in my daughter's case, anyway) become quite dependent on them.

Now, the patching is a bit more of a problem........

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Amanda, sorry this is after your queries, but my kids went to nursery with a little girl who wore glasses, and they had no problems there. They did, however, do some 'prepping' of the kids, talking abouts specs and making cardboard ones etc. so all the kids thought it was a really good thing to do. I should make a point about this when you speak to the head honcho - hope it goes well.

Just a thought, Amanda1: they wouldn't have quite the same attitude if your daughter was going to have a hearing aid or ankle splints fitted, I am sure. So why be off-hand about glasses? Berries message corroborates my experience that nurseries can be really supportive and imaginative in this area of care, so I hope that when you spoke to the manager today she/he gave you a more helpful reply.

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Amanda, the nursery's attitude is appalling. Lots of things are difficult for tinies to understand, like not sticking their fingers into sockets or running in front cars but that doesn't mean we just let them do it. Perhaps the nursery needs to have that pointed out to them in no uncertain terms! FWIW, a little Downs boy in my DD's nursery had glasses, kept on with a band round his head, and it never seemed to be a problem to him or the other children. Maybe some roleplay with sunglasses would help? Good luck anyway.

amanda1 my son has had to wear glasses since he was two and a half so it was very hard at the start the biggest problem we had was he would take them off throw them over his shoulder and they would be on the floor and i would stand on them i have had to have a very very understanding optician oh i have never had to pay for any lenses or frames are you getting the nhs ones you might have to pay for nicer frames i have finaly gone for these flexable ones called flexoton they are wounderful but you have to buy them i was getting so fed up of going into the option we were on our third pair in four months they recommomded the flexoton and it now eight months and still perfect well the only tip i can say is dont fight it if she want to take them off let her for a half hour and then put them back on to say read a story so you a doing nice things with her glasses if you can get her to wear them half the time it's some thing at the begining hope it helps

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My eldest started wearing glasses from about 2 1/2. We had big problems getting her to keep them on at first. The only book we found that sort of dealt with it was called 'Baby Duck and the New Eye Glasses' (I think) - a bit American, but covered some of the problems well. She was going to playgroup at the time and had no problems with the staff or other children. A few months later she started having to wear a patch for a few hours a day, and at playgroup they asked for one of her patches, and a doll started wearing this patch "to make her eye better".

Amands1 - my dd was prescribed glasses in June - at the age of 19mths. It took about a week before they actually arrived, and in the mean time I bought her some really groovy sunglasses (pink and sparkly I seem to remember). We did lots of looking in the mirror with them on, and the progression to the real ones just happened. She has no problems now, and actually asks for them. I am sure that I am lucky, but thought it might help. You know how they love to dress up.

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