What to Expect the Toddler Years (166 page)

Helping your toddler adjust.
Many toddlers are reluctant to accept the new and different (especially as a permanent fixture in their lives). But a thoughtful introduction can help a toddler make friends with his or her new spectacles:

Display a positive attitude about the glasses, right from the start. Whisper to others, “The poor kid needs glasses,” and your toddler will suspect that wearing them is somehow unfortunate. Instead, try, “Doesn’t Jenny look great in those glasses?”

Point out to your toddler others who wear glasses—siblings, playmates, parents, grandparents, favorite characters on television or in books. Explain that all of these people need glasses to see better. Knowing they are not alone in needing glasses helps toddlers feel better about wearing them.

Brief your toddler (briefly) on the expected benefits of glasses. Explain that he or she will be able to see things better and have more fun playing (or won’t have headaches or other eye problems anymore). But don’t overdo the enthusiasm, or your toddler may become suspicious (nothing could be that terrific) or disappointed (when wearing the glasses doesn’t turn out to be that wonderful after all).

Brief older siblings and playmates, too. Let them know about the glasses before your toddler gets them so they’ll be more supportive and less likely to make hurtful comments.

Read books to your toddler about children who wear glasses. Check out the library for picture books on the subject; also look for Dr. Seuss’s
The Eye Book
.

Invite your toddler’s participation in choosing glasses. If you can, make a first trip to the eye-glass store alone to check out the styles, lenses, and prices, and to ask all the questions you may have. Once you’re more knowledgeable and
aware of what’s available, return with your toddler to select from a few pre-screened choices.

When the glasses are ready, have your toddler come along to pick them up so the fit can be checked and the optician or optometrist can give instructions on their use. Once the glasses are on your toddler, talk them up a little, comment on how nice they look, and then turn the focus of conversation away from the glasses and move on immediately to a preplanned activity (a visit to a children’s museum, a zoo, the playground) that will distract and entertain your toddler for a few hours. Be patient but persistent while your toddler becomes acclimated to the glasses. If the glasses are whipped right off, try again a little later. But don’t allow too much leeway; your toddler needs to understand that wearing the glasses, as needed, is as non-negotiable as sitting in a car seat. If you continue to meet with resistance, ask your child’s doctor for some back-up; the voice of a respected nonparental authority may well be more persuasive than yours.

Teaching your toddler to care for the glasses.
While it’s likely to be several years before you’ll be able to count on your child to care responsibly for his or her glasses, it’s never too early to begin the training process. Teach your toddler how to take off the glasses with two hands, without touching the lenses, and to keep the glasses in their case when they’re not in use. An older toddler can learn how to use water and a soft, lint-free cloth to clean them.

Most children are supplied at birth with two standard-issue ears which, like their eyes, must last a lifetime. Though other factors can also play well those ears will function depends to a great extent on the care they get in the early years of life.