How to Get Your Child to Wear Glasses

When your child's eye doctor prescribes glasses, it can mean a shift in your family's lifestyle. After all, wearing glasses can seem foreign to a child, resulting in a daily battle on making sure that your child's specs are where they belong -- on his face. While it may take some adjustment, the right attention can help your child understand that wearing glasses is for his benefit and a positive experience.

Instructions

    • 1

      Ask your optometrist to ensure that the glasses fit properly, and always have child frames measured and fit by an eye care professional. According to the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, your child's eye should be in the middle of the lens and the glasses should fit your child properly now -- he shouldn't have to "grow into them." If your child's glasses slide on his face or pinch the sides of his head, he'll be less likely to wear them.

    • 2

      Allow your child to have a say in which frames you purchase. Glasses come in a variety of colors, shapes and brands, and even sometimes have favorite characters on the arms. Letting your child pick out the glasses means he'll choose a pair that he likes and that he may be more likely to wear.

      Have your child try on a variety of glasses before you select frames. Some kids may prefer light wire frames with nose pads, while others may prefer thicker plastic frames without the pads.

    • 3

      Insist your child wear his glasses during short periods of time at first, suggests the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. Making the adjustment to wearing glasses full time can be difficult for a young child, so using them for shorter periods of time when doing something positive -- like playing video games or watching a cartoon -- can help ease your child into wearing glasses all the time.

    • 4

      Add glasses to part of your child's daily routine. When he's more accustomed to wearing glasses regularly, you can use them as part of his morning schedule -- wake up, brush his teeth and wash his face and then put on his glasses, for instance. Making glasses part of a daily routine normalizes their use and helps your child to remember his specs all by himself.

    • 5

      Talk to your child about famous heroes, sports stars and even fictional characters that wear glasses. Your child may be more excited about sporting specs when he remembers that Clark Kent -- Superman -- also wears glasses.

    • 6

      Give plenty of praise when your child wears his glasses. Let him know that you think he's handsome and looks smart, and give kudos when he's responsible and wears his glasses without nagging. Wearing glasses can be a huge step for a child -- particularly when it comes to responsibility for their care -- so praise your child when he wears and cares for his glasses. This helps create a positive association between your child and his glasses, so he's more likely to wear them on a regular basis.

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