Getting the appointment was only the first hurdle. Ensuring your child remembers to wear their glasses — and not lose them — is the biggest battle for many parents. Corrective lenses cost a pretty penny, and you want to protect your kid’s vision. Learn how to introduce glasses to a toddler and help them learn to love their new specs.
What Causes Visual Differences in Children?
Visual differences in children result from a combination of genetic and lifestyle factors. While predisposition plays a considerable role, practicing healthy habits also matters.
For example, many children first develop nearsightedness as they hit puberty, thanks to hormonal fluctuations. While you can’t stop their hormones from changing, eating a healthy diet and getting adequate outdoor exercise and sleep during this period may ease the transition.
Thyroid hormones also affect eye health in people of any age, including toddlers. Doctors often detect congenital thyroid deficiencies during newborn screening but watch for signs like weight gain, fatigue and dry skin, as they may indicate a developing imbalance.
Is There Any Way to Prevent Childhood Myopia?
While there’s no way to prevent nearsightedness, adequate outdoor time seems to help. A new report from the National Academy of Sciences calls for Medicaid and Medicare to classify myopia as a disease. It recommends between one to two hours of outdoor time for toddlers daily to prevent it. They point to multiple studies that show being in nature slows eye growth in children and reduces the risk of nearsightedness.
The bottom line: Take your baby outside. A walk in the fresh air benefits your health, too, so prioritize going to the park or running errands while pushing a carriage as often as possible.
How to Introduce Glasses to a Toddler
Learning how to introduce glasses to a toddler requires putting yourself in their place. Think back to the last time you had to do something new. How did the folks who support you show encouragement? They probably:
- Expressed a lot of enthusiasm, such as how nice it will be to read signs for mommy/daddy when driving without squinting.
- Pointed to other people who had gone through a similar experience, especially someone you admire — “see how Miss Kathy at the library always wears her glasses to read books at storytime.”
- Praised your courage for taking that first step.
Do the same when you introduce glasses to your toddler. It’s especially helpful if you wear yours when going for the appointment — even if you usually wear contacts.
Setting the Stage for Their Appointment
Before you go, inform your toddler what to expect at their appointment. Tell them about the tests the doctor will perform, such as measuring the distance between their pupils or PD. Explain how the ophthalmologist will use a funny pair of goggles with different lenses to test how well they can see.
Getting Them Excited About Their New Specs
Another crucial tip for how to introduce glasses to your toddler is to stick with the positives. Emphasize all the benefits, including fewer headaches and less need to squint. If your child is athletic, gush over how being able to see the ball clearly will help them excel in tennis or baseball. If they adore music, explain how clear vision lets them read sheet music without missing a beat.
8 Tips for Helping Toddlers With Glasses
The following eight tips can help ease the transition for toddlers with glasses as they get used to their new specs.
1. Ensure the Perfect Fit
A pair of glasses that constantly slides down your nose is enough to drive grown adults to toss them across the room. Imagine how frustrating it is for a child with lower impulse control. The right fit is crucial to helping your toddler with glasses feel comfortable wearing them. If they don’t fit snugly, you’ll struggle with compliance.
For that reason, avoid using mail-order services for your child unless they’re absolutely all you can afford. While some websites can save you a bundle, you’re only throwing money away if your kid won’t wear their corrective lenses because of a poor fit. Visit a professional ophthalmologist.
2. Use Positive Reinforcement
If you sometimes ignore minor bad behavior in hopes of extinguishing it, you know that a lack of reinforcement works. The problem is ignoring desired behaviors can similarly make your child stop doing them. Therefore, celebrate every little win you notice, from the first time they emerge from their bedroom with their specs to carefully placing them in their carrying case at night.
3. Create a Routine
How often do you think about what you need to do in the morning? Certain habits, such as making coffee, require zero thought because you’ve incorporated them into your routine. Creating similar routines around your child’s specs helps toddlers with glasses remember to wear them.
For best results, use habit-stacking, which consists of linking the act of putting on glasses with another practice your child already does regularly. For example, if your kid typically brushes their teeth after breakfast, keep their glasses case near their toothbrush — after they rinse their pearlies, they don their specs. At night, the process reverses — they put their glasses in the case and brush before bed.
4. Strap It Up
It’s easy for toddlers with glasses to lose them by accident during play. An easy solution is to invest in a strap. Doing so might make some reluctant little ones more excited about their specs, especially if you tell them they now look like a superhero.
5. Take It Slow
Expecting instant perfection is rarely wise with a toddler, especially in the initial days. Be patient in helping your little ones adapt to their glasses. Make it a game — how many times do they need a reminder to wear their glasses before they remember them without one? Plan fabulous prizes for when they get down to two, one or zero nudges per day.
6. Keep Them Distracted
Your child will fidget with their glasses when they loom large in their attention. Instead, get their minds on something else. Convert your backyard into cropland and play farmer, getting everything ready for winter as you put down mulch. Create a scavenger hunt or take a spontaneous camping trip. You can even have your child use their powerful new “eyes” to search for Sasquatch.
7. Set an Example
Myopia tends to run in families, and if your child needs glasses, there’s a good chance you also wear corrective lenses. Even if you typically opt for contacts, wear your specs to support your toddler with glasses. Most tots instinctively want to be like their parental figures — remember, imitation is flattery. Let your little one practice being just like you.
8. Read Books and Watch Movies With Characters Who Wear Glasses
Read books and watch movies that feature main characters who wear glasses. For example, Mirabel from “Encanto,” Mei Lei and Priya from “Turning Red,” and Johnny Bravo all wear specs. Encyclopedia Brown has long been a beloved children’s literature character, and of course, that wonderful wizard, Harry Potter is known for his round spectacles.
Help Your Toddler With Glasses
Learning how to introduce glasses to a toddler may sound intimidating. However, the right tricks get your little one in the habit and make them feel good about their new specs. Encourage your child by setting a good example and sharing books and movies with bespectacled characters. Find a pair of glasses your little one loves so they can enjoy the benefits of clearer vision.
