Encouraging Your Child to Wear Glasses

These days, up to one in four children are in need of glasses. However, many children who need glasses don’t wear them because it is not known that there is a problem. This is why it’s a good idea to have routine eye checks done at your child’s annual pediatrician visits. If your pediatrician suspects a problem, he or she will likely refer you to an optometrist, which is a fancy word for an eye doctor. If you find out that your child does indeed need eyeglasses, don’t fret, there are several things you can do to help encourage your child to wear glasses.

Let Your Child Pick Them Out

One of the biggest things you can do to make wearing glasses fun is to let your child pick out their own frames. Not only is it fun for children to make decisions that involve them, it is also great to let them give their input so that they will be able to wear glasses that they love. There are many different styles of glasses for kids, which means that there is something for everyone. In addition to the many different styles, there are a wide range of different colors, so your child can pick out a pair of frames in his or her favorite color. Letting your child pick out their own glasses can help make the adjustment a great deal easier.

Show Famous People Wearing Glasses

Showing your child some photos of his or her favorite singers or celebrities wearing glasses can help make glasses seem cool, which can help make your child less resistant to wearing them. Show them all the different styles of glasses and explain to them that their glasses can help them express their personality. If your child has any relatives or friends that they look up to that wear glasses, remind them of that as well. Make wearing glasses sound like a cool thing, not like something that they have to do because of their vision problems.

Let Them Adjust

Before it is time to pick up your child’s new glasses, consider buying a pair of sunglasses or dress up glasses to help your child adjust to the feeling of wearing glasses. Once the new glasses are here, give your child a few days to adjust. Don’t expect them to wear their glasses full time from the beginning, start out with the times when they need the glasses most, such as when they are at school. As time goes on, encourage your child to wear them for longer periods of time. Also, remember that it may not be required for your child to wear their glasses all the time. If their vision impairment is only slight, then it may not be necessary for them to wear them at home or while they are playing outside, but instead only while they are at school. Of course, it is a good idea to stress the importance of not losing their glasses, so explain to them that they are expensive and so they must take good care of them. This can be a great way to help teach your children responsibility.

Stay Positive

Something you should avoid at all costs is making wearing glasses seem like a negative thing. You don’t want to constantly nag them for forgetting to put on their glasses. In addition, it is important that you do not discipline or punish a child for forgetting to wear their glasses. Instead, kindly reminding them when they forget and offering them praise and rewards when they remember is a much better solution. This will help them to think of wearing glasses as a positive thing. Follow these tips and before you know it, your child should be fully adjusted to wearing their glasses.

Article from of Zenni Optical. Get more glasses fashion tips and technology updates on the Zenni Blog or follow Follow Zenni on Twitter @zennioptical.

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