7 year old needs specs! Advice?

[AreYouAGod]

My 7 yo DS found out today he needs specs. I’m extremely short sighted, as are my whole family, so I was prepared for this. And I prepared my children too. So, thankfully, my DS is delighted. 😀

They are for long sightedness and he needs them for ‘concentration’.

Any advice from parents who have been through this on how to make sure he:

• doesn’t lose them
• doesn’t break them
• wears them when he is supposed to
• adjust quickly as he returns to school
• finds the process is as fun as possible

TIA

I also suggest you go for myopia control glasses. Boots started offering them recently. However I stopped trusting Boots with my family eye care some time ago. I have been using a specialist optician for that. The glasses are in the regions of £300 (plus the cost of frame if you want an upgrade from NHS frame). However, for both my children, their myopica stopped progressing when they started wearing glasses. I am -6, my husband is -9. We caught our children's myopia early so they are both between -1 and -2 after 3 years.

Just give them to him and tell school, it doesn’t need special effort to be ‘fun’, he just wears glasses now! Mine have both worn them for a few years one, never lost or broken any, one just wears them when she needs them (tv, in class) and other lives wears them all the time. It’s just normal and soon becomes habit. Myopia glasses are great too if your son is eligible for them.

@Kosenrufugirl OPs child is long sighted, not short sighted so won't need myopia control

Do you know what his prescription is @AreYouAGod ? Has he to wear them all the time or just when doing close work?

P.s. my dd has worn glasses for long sight since she was 1½years old and is now 21 and still needs them all the time

Just give them to him and ask him not to lose them and try not to break them (but don’t worry if he does) and to wear them all the time (or whatever he is supposed to do). Presume they are nhs so replaceable for free?
Really don’t need to over think it.

Get two pairs. my 8 year old has had glasses since toddler age. He’s active, but actually not very rough playing. we’ve had 2 pairs completely broken since february, and have been several times back to get them bent back into shape also since february . a second pair is a must have

Make sure he knows to put them in and off with two hands (most kids repairs are snapped off sides form them being ripped off their faces!), not put them down into a hard surface, but if they have to, NOT lens down (scratches, right in the line of vision!)

Kids are kids, if he has a pair free with his NHS voucher, then replacements should be free, too.

Don’t feel bad if he breaks them a lot- I have a kid that I see sometimes twice in one week (although his mum thinks I made it too fun for him, so we’re trying to be less fun about it atm!).

Positive reinforcement- e.g. if he has to wear them for screen time and he’s not, no screen time (I suspect that won’t be a problem though, if he’s looking forward to them!).

As PP says, a second pair is a good idea (if possible). Sometimes they can’t be repaired immediately, and the kid goes without for a while.

Buy two pairs so you have a spare pair if he loses them/ leaves them at school etc. Don’t be too hard on him if anything happens to them - he’s only 7.

Is he likely to forget? There was a six year old in the school I used to work at who could never remember his glasses. They were always in his bag/tray/the playground - total chaos. His mum got so fed up that she bought him a little cord to wear them around his neck all day (and he still needed reminding to put them on!).