STOP breaking your glasses

[mommyoftwo]

About three months ago, Linnea got glasses because she is extremely farsighted. Without the glasses she will have permanent eye damage and also need surgery. I knew it would be hard because she isn't even two yet but she just won't leave them alone. She's constantly breaking them. At first we bought her main pair and a backup pair. Within a week, she broke the first pair and we used the backup pair while waiting for a replacement. We got the replacement pair and within a couple of weeks, she broke them again. So we used the backup pair while waiting for the new frames again. Finally got them in and she did it again. This time it took forever for the frames to come back in. In the meantime, she tossed her backup pair out the car window. So now she's without glasses of any kind for over a week. So now we've gone through four pairs of glasses. We finally got the frames last week and they said that the lenses are so scratched up that we need to make these her backup pair and buy another pair. We knew we needed a second pair anyway so that was no big surprise. I should add that it's almost impossible to find glasses in her size because she is so tiny. Our optomistrist was only able to find one frame. So I called around town and found another place that found a couple of other pairs to order. They came in so I went to pick out a pair and order her new glasses this morning. This is now pair number five. I should add, that we had been back for repairs twice since she got them last Thursday because she just discovered that she can snap the nose pads off. So I leave the optical place having ordered hew new glasses and having them repair the nose pads for the third time. I get across town back to where we live (about 20 minutes) and she has already snapped a nose pad off. So we go to our eye doctor (who thankfully is right down the street from us) and discover that this time she has broken the frame itself. So we finally decide that we have to find plastic frames for her to try to minimize the number of times she breaks them. We have to buy them two sizes larger than she has been wearing but it's doable. So now I've bought two brand new pairs in one day. Her frames are also being replaced yet again so we will have three pairs of glasses. It's the second time that both pairs have been out of commission so I no it's necessary. Of course, insurance won't cover any of the replacements. This is costing us a freakin' fortune. Today alone, we got pairs 6,7,&8.I would also like to know why on earth the people who design frames for babies make them out of metal and completely breakable. You can't find plastic or titanium frames until you get to the bigger kids sizes. What sense does that make? Oh, and in case you are wondering, here is a picture of her wearing her glasses. It's a good thing she's so darn cute.

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i56/jcmommyoftwo/zoo%20pics/033.jpg

[Kungjo]

She is soooooo cute. It's too bad she's breaking all her glasses, but how can you be mad at a cutie like that? Just remember that this glasses breaking phase share pass. Hugs till then....

[nov04]

oh my, you are a freakin saint!!! I thought we had a tough time, all we've had done it replace the lenses which mysteriously got scratched while she was with mil. Our opthamologist says he's had 9yo's get contacts, I'm counting the flipping days!!!!

eta: what a darling though!!!!

[mommyoftwo]

I was nine when I got contacts, so yeah, it's totally doable. Thanks for the compliment. I think it's her saving grace in all this, lol.

[Marisa6826]

We're going through something very similar here. Sophie had her glasses for less than a week when she somehow had one side going completely perpendicular to the rest of the glasses frame. They were able to fix them (thank God). However, about a week later, she broke the side arm completely in half. I've not taken them to see if they can be fixed yet, because last time I ordered glasses for Sophie, they took almost three weeks to turn them around.

I ordered a new pair from 39dollarglasses.com and they got here in about 10 days. Unfortunately, they're a little big on her, but at least they're bendable.

A LOT of the problem is that Mia likes to rip the glasses off Sophie's face and throw them across the room. *sigh*

We go back to Children's Hospital of Philly in a few weeks to determine whether Sophie will need surgery again. I've honestly not seen that much of an improvement since the glasses, so I'm not holding out much hope. :(

I feel your pain!

-m

[mommyoftwo]

Oh yeah, don't even get me started on the number of times she has bent the temple perpendicular to the frame. It's seriously more than I can count and I'm amazed that we haven't gone through more frames to be honest with you. I've found several good places online as far as prices and selection go but then they don't do replacements. I finally decided I was better off going locally because at least the first time, the replacement is free. This time, one of the frames that I picked out is identical to the frames I found online so I can buy replacement frames from them if she breaks them more often than the eye doctor will replace them.

Good luck! I hope you don't need surgery. At this rate, we will too unless I can get her to keep the dumb things on for longer than five minutes before she breaks them.

[squimp]

Oh no! My DD is also extremely far sighted and she went through several frames in the first few months. She got them when she was 3, and I think we went through 5 pairs in the first two months. We had them patched with electrical tape there for a while! So I can totally relate. But she finally entered a phase where she doesn't break them anymore (knock wood) and we've had the same pair for at least 6 months, which I think is pretty good. She really needs them, so she takes better care of them. I hope she gets easier on them soon (and I hope your shop does free replacements)!

Have you looked at Flexon frames? We don't have them but a friend's kid does and you can bend them in half and they go back into shape.

[mommyoftwo]

Yeah, I've looked for the flexon frames. Unfortunately, smallest size they make is way larger than she wears. I'm telling you, I could make a fortune designing practical frames for infants and toddlers. They just don't exist out there right now. Unfortunately, none of the places I've talked to around here offer a waranty beyond the manufacturer which replaces them one time. So far we've gotten really lucky and the optomitrist keeps sending them in and they keep replacing them but I imagine at some point they are going to catch on. So I've only had to pay for four of the eight pairs so far but it's still a lot of money.

[Melanie]

Oh she is SO cute! I don't know how you do it. Ds just got glasses this year and he has to be very careful and quick to dodge's Dd's lunge for them. I'm still surprised she hasn't broken them yet. I think I saw some that had flexible frames, have you seen those? Also, we got ours at lenscrafters and I know there were some guarantees and warranties involved. It might be worth checking out, next time, which I hope is not soon for you!

[o_mom]

Oh, how sucky! I know a little girl at our church got glasses around that age or even earlier. Her parents said that one of the things they did was teach her to give them to them when she tired of wearing them. That way she wouldn't just rip them off and toss them randomly. They decided that rather than forcing the issue right away they would take it slow and only have her wear them when she wanted. She figured out pretty quickly that they helped her see better and gradually started wearing them more.

I would shop around everywhere you can possibly find to see what they offer. I know Sears offers mega discounts when you buy 3-4 pairs at a time, so you might look into that.

Also, I know someone that raved about this site:

http://www.zennioptical.com/cart/home.php

Looks like their kids glasses start at $15.95, but I'm not sure if they are small enough.

[Marisa6826]

I was literally *one* click away from ordering two pair from Zenni. I happened to look on fatwallet to see if there were any codes. No codes, but many, many negative comments about their customer service. Especially reports of them basically abandoning any responsibility once they claim they've mailed them out. Be careful!

-m

[Gena]

DS is 3 and has been wearing glasses for the past 10 months. He is also extremely farsighted.(His frames look very similar to your DD's). We've been very lucky that he has broken his frames only a few times (always by crashing into people/things). When we bought his glasses we purchased a one year waranty that covers all replacements for 12 months. Does your eyeglass place offer that?

Have you seen http://www.solobambini.com/products.php ? They are plastic frames for infants and toddlers, are reasonably priced, and the company will replace them for free ($5.00 S/H). I haven't used them, but a know a couple people who have and are very hapy with them.

Hopefully she will grow out of this stage soon.

[mommyoftwo]

None of the eyeglass places around here offer a waranty beyond replacing the glasses one time. I really wish I had known about solobambini yesterday. I would have ordered from them instead. Well, at this rate, we'll have to get new glasses in a couple of months anyway. I'll definitely try them next time. Thanks for the info.

[ChunkyNicksChunkyMom]

Jessica, we have an optometrist shop in our Children's hospital that offers ALL the free frame replacements you can go through for one year and one lens replacement per year. Initial pricing included these replacements but was very fair. Feeling you pain on keep them on!
Susan

#1 Nick 11-18-04
#2 Kate 04-26-06

[mommyoftwo]

The closest children's hospital is 40 minutes away but it might be worth looking into if this keeps up. So far, no optical place around here offers that kind of plan. I've been looking because I know they exist. I've had a hard time even finding a place that will look for frames in her size. How is Kate doing with her glasses? How many pairs have you gone through and how do you get her to keep them on? Sometimes she does really well and sometimes she wants nothing to do with them.

[set81616]

Do you have a JCPenneys? I just saw a coupon for them and it said it had free replacement for a year. I'm not sure if it was 1 or 2 pairs. I can look for it and mail it to you if you want.
Shannon

[mommyoftwo]

The problem is that they don't carry frames that are small enough. None of the chain places do. :(

[txag97]

Just a quick thought on the availability of small frames. As an optometrist I know that there are plastic frames without nosepads that will fit Linnea's face. Often these types of frames come with comfort cable temples that bend around the ear to help them stay on. Since I usually don't see children under about age 5, I can't think of a long list of manufacturers. I know Fisher Price has some. Your best bet to get some good ideas is probably to contact a pediatric ophthalmologist that has an optical, or possibly the pediatric department of an optometry school. If you know who makes these types of frames, then your local optical will likely be able to order them as long as they have an account with the manufacturer. Sorry it's been so frustrating for you, but don't give up. I know that if my son needed glasses I would definitely get him a plastic frame.

[ChunkyNicksChunkyMom]

I think we have been through four frames and one set of lenses so far she usually is good with keep them on, nick, not so much. Good luck!!
Susan

#1 Nick 11-18-04
#2 Kate 04-26-06

[ChunkyNicksChunkyMom]

I think we have been through four frames and one set of lenses so far she usually is good with keep them on, nick, not so much. Good luck!!
Susan

#1 Nick 11-18-04
#2 Kate 04-26-06

[n2ou]

Oh, did I loooooovvvveeeee our solobambinis.

My son wore them from 16 months until about 2 years sold. Indestructable!!!


http://hurstkids.smugmug.com/gallery/2150845#111511600-L-LB

After our solobambinis, we went with some Fisher Price frames which broke within the first 4 months. Now, we are in 40mm FLEXON frames and they fit my 2.5 year old great. No complaints, so far ....

Simone.AZ

[n2ou]

Oh, did I loooooovvvveeeee our solobambinis.

My son wore them from 16 months until about 2 years sold. Indestructable!!!


http://hurstkids.smugmug.com/gallery/2150845#111511600-L-LB

After our solobambinis, we went with some Fisher Price frames which broke within the first 4 months. Now, we are in 40mm FLEXON frames and they fit my 2.5 year old great. No complaints, so far ....

Simone.AZ

[punkrockmama]

Jess, I'm sorry that you're so frustrated about this whole thing right now. I can only imagine. My kids would be breaking their glasses a couple times a day. Atleast.

On the upswing, she does look so freakin' cute in those things. :) A real doll.

[punkrockmama]

Jess, I'm sorry that you're so frustrated about this whole thing right now. I can only imagine. My kids would be breaking their glasses a couple times a day. Atleast.

On the upswing, she does look so freakin' cute in those things. :) A real doll.

[mommyoftwo]

Thanks Sheila. We got one of her new pairs on Friday and so far so good. For whatever reason, she seems to like this pair a little better and hasn't played with it as much. I must admit she does look awfully darn cute if we can just get her to keep them on.

[mommyoftwo]

Thanks Sheila. We got one of her new pairs on Friday and so far so good. For whatever reason, she seems to like this pair a little better and hasn't played with it as much. I must admit she does look awfully darn cute if we can just get her to keep them on.