Choosing Glasses for Kids: Share your tips for helping children adjust to glasses - £200 voucher to be won

[BellaMumsnet]

We all know that getting the right pair of glasses for our little ones can be a big step. Whether it's their first pair or just a style upgrade, helping kids feel comfortable and confident wearing their glasses can be a journey.

How did you help your child settle into wearing glasses? Whether it's picking the right style, easing into wearing them full time, or even keeping them safe and clean - we’d love for you to share your advice.

• Share your tips and tricks on the thread below to be entered into a prize draw
• One lucky MNer will win a £200 voucher

Here’s what Specsavers has to say:

“We know that wearing glasses is about so much more than just being able to see properly and understand that being told you need them can be an emotional experience for children (as well as parents)! Some kids are excited about wearing glasses and others are a bit nervous. Our experts in store can offer you lots of tips and advice on helping your children adjust to wearing them to make sure they have clear, comfortable vision.”

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!
MNHQ

Insight Terms and Conditions apply

My DD (9) wasn't too keen on the idea of wearing glasses, but when I took her into the opticians, she was excited to see the huge range of glasses she could pick from. I think a lot of kids imagine it's one size fits all, so once she saw the range of colours and styles available, it became a fun shopping trip instead of a chore.

I meant to say - would definitely recommend taking the chance to look at all of the glasses available with your kids when you go in for the initial test.

I let my daughter pick out all the glasses she wanted to try on, then really made a fuss over how pretty they were and let her choose which ones she liked best (were not what I would have choosen) as figured if she loves them, she is more likely to wear them. Anytime we are walking past specsavers we call in to see the new glasses and window shop for what ones she might opt to get next which builds up some excitement for them.

I bought a designer pair (only £20 more than the own brand range) and they were more happy to wear them, I also picked a colour which I know they would want to wear, so far so good.

curl sides or straps to help keep the glasses on. Sometimes these are useful to keep the glasses secure, particularly in young children. A thin frame, and let them pick the frames,

We found looking on-line at the Disney Marvel range made the whole process so much easier, Marvel Black Panther glasses were perfect -stylish, with a case that kept the glasses safe whilst playing sport.

Try different shops, dont settle for less than they hope for.

As a primary teacher I must say that younger children are usually very excited to get glasses. The choice of designs available is great. I wish they did Disney Princess and Harry Potter glasses for adults!

My eldest is short sighted and needs glasses for school, we did the virtual try on, and looked at the glasses on-line before we went for the eye test, so they knew their options, there is such a good range of branded glasses, there was were 3 they wanted - we finally opted for some marvel ones. There has been a couple of occasions when the arms bent due to not using the case - but heating in warm water will help bend them back into shape. I recommend getting a repair kit with spare screws and a tiny screwdriver for home repairs.

Both my sons ( 10 years and 8 years old ) wear glasses. The kids range at Specsavers is great enough to excite them for every eye appointment. Marvel, Avengers, Star Wars, Harry Potter ...they are spoiled for choice. We always add the extras like Anti glare, extra thin lenses etc for a better and more comfortable experience for the kids.

Worth looking at independent opticians too, was surprised how broad the kids range was at one we recently visited.

My tips would be to plant the 'idea' of Marvel, Disney Princess or Star Wars glasses, before the visit to the optician, the frames are a LONG way from the glasses I had at school (the NHS clear frames 🙄) There are so many great styles and colours to suit any child, you just need to make them sound exciting and trendy.

We both wear glasses, and when my DS was 12 and complained he could not see the classroom boards, we spoke about having glasses to help. He is adamant he won't, but when we looked at the range, we picked from the entry range, and said that IF he wears and takes care of them, we would get a pair from the Hugo Boss range. It's been a struggle with not wanting to wear them. The opticians advised that sight can take time to adjust after the first pair, so we are going back every 6 months for a check - and to have the arms straightened due to being put in the school bag without the case - My advise it don't be persuaded to buy the designer ones until they can look after the own brand ones - they look fine - just don't have the label.

My DD wore them from 5 and I think that helped. She was able to pick princess ones. My DS was there while she was picking hers out and was very taken with some Spider-Man ones - he proper howled when the optician said he didn't need glasses when it came to his test.
DD has always picked out her glasses herself, and sometimes we can be there for an hour while she tries on loads. I take photos of her on my phone with them on so she can see because she is very short sighted so looking in the mirror just wearing frames doesn't help her.
She wears contact lenses these days, but still has glasses for late night at home. She still takes a lot of time choosing even though only we see them.

My advice is don't spend too long choosing. They will inevitably sit on them or loose them somewhere anyway 🤷

Don't be fobbed off with a soft case - insist on a hard case - new glasses, or a repair can be expensive. Invest in a repair kit for the loose arms to tighten up.
Squashed and scratched glasses are no use to anyone.

Let them choose their own frames, even if you don't like their choice!

My tip is to have plenty of spares!!! The amount of times ds has lost his and it time to go to school…!!!

The characters on frames really help to engage children. A bigger range if these would help.
The size of the frames - most children's frames are too big for 3, 4 or 5 year olds.
Deals on several pairs and a pair of sunglasses as they always go missing.
Matching parent / child frames could be fun.

Thank you!

DS was 2 when he first had to wear glasses and also an eye patch for a lot of the time at first. We found a fabric patch that could be attached to his glasses rather than the sticky ones given to us by the eye hospital really helped. For the glasses themselves, we have always let him choose even when his choice (bright red when he was 4!) wouldn't have been what we would have chosen, and found this really helped get him to wear them

I tried to make it fun..showed her books with characters with glasses, Truffles the cat who wears glasses and of course always get spares 😆

Harry Potter helped! A beautiful little mat for her to put her glasses on on her bedside table too

DS often struggles to find glasses he likes so we're no longer faithful to a particular optician. Before any eye test we'll now visit a few and decide who has the best selection before making an appointment. I'd also suggest making appointments well in advance as if you want one out of school hours then you can ofter have quite a wait.

Try to make choosing glasses fun. Often there is pressure to hurry up and choose. Ask the opticians for the quietest time of day and both spend some time trying glasses on and having fun. The last thing the child needs is to be rushed.

My tips would be to show then famous people with their glasses on - Johnny Depp, Sara Michelle Gellar, Romeo Beckham, and show the range of glasses at Specsavers, the marvel Disney ranges are super designs, opt for a hard and not soft case even if it costs more - it's a good investment.