Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Choosy Says ABC, 123, Protect Your Eyes from Harmful UV! 5 Tips for Keeping Eyes Safe and Encouraging Your Child to Wear Sunglasses

By: Christine Cox, The Choosy Mommy

As I look around the playground, 9 out of 10 moms are wearing sunglasses, protecting their own eyes from harmful UV rays. However, I start to question why my children are the only ones who are wearing their sunglasses while running around playing with the other kids. Protecting a child’s eyes should be just as important as putting on sunscreen before heading outside, eating wholesome meals and brushing your teeth twice a day. But why do parents avoid looking at the big picture of eye health? Just like learning the ABCs and 123s, Choosy says to protect your eyes from harmful UVs!


Whether you have a newborn baby or are 100 years old, protecting your eyesight should never get old. Finding the perfect pair of sunglasses should be just as important for children as it is for adults. Why? Because according to skincancer.org, children under age 10 are at a higher risk for skin and eye damage from UV rays. The skin on their eyelids and around their eyes is more delicate and vulnerable than adult skin. UV ray damage builds over time, so the sooner you start protecting your children's eyes from the sun, the lower their risk will be of ever developing future eye problems.


how do you find the best sunglasses for your little ones? Here are 5 helpful tips to keep eyes safe and to encourage your child to wear sunglasses:
  1. Make sure you purchase sunglasses that are durable and protect against UV rays instead of just pretend plastic sunglasses. Look for sunglasses that are shatterproof and block 100% of the UV rays.
  2. Let children choose their own pair. Choosy picked a purple pair and wears them constantly! There are sunglasses with super heroes, princesses, animals, prints and of course, come in multiple shapes, sizes and colors. 
  3. The bigger, the better. Big sunglasses are stylish now for moms, and they are for children too. The more sunglass lens and frame there is, the more the skin is protected around the eyes. But make sure the sunglasses are comfortable and stay on your child’s face. There are super comfortable straps available to put on sunglasses to keep them from falling off little faces.
  4. Wearing sunglasses is a learned “habit”. My 1 year old will put on and take off his sunglasses repeatedly, but I always make sure I offer them, tell him how cool he looks in them, and never force him to wear them. I did the same with my 3 year old and now she wears her sunglasses whenever we are outside without me even prompting her. Her “sunnies” are stylish, comfortable and fun to her, but to me they are protecting her sight for years to come. 
  5. Sunglasses aren’t just for the summer time. Remember to protect you and your children’s eyes in the winter too as the reflections beating off of the snow can be even more harmful to eyes than when the sun reflects off of water. My 3 year old likes to wear big snow goggles in the winter time as they help keep her face 100% covered in the cold.
Do you wear sunglasses? If you have a child/children, do they? What are your tips on getting children to wear sunglasses?

About the Author: Christine Cox is the blog master for Choosy Kids. She has always had a passion for writing and is honored to contribute her work to this blog. Most of her writing inspiration comes from her daughter, Capri, who is fun-loving and full of energy, and son Cam, who is learning new things everyday. Click here to learn more about Christine.

20 comments :

  1. I love large sunglasses! And polarized is a definite must for me - especially when driving!

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  2. I love big sunglasses for myself and my kiddos. I am over here just trying to prevent as many wrinkles as possible:)

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  3. These are great tips for parents with young kids. I think choosing their own pair really made our kids want to wear them.

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  4. I always were sunglasses. I have blue eyes, which are more sensitive to the sun. I encourage my nieces and nephew to do the same. Better to start early.

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  5. I totally agree. A lot of parents do not realize that's it's important to take care of your eyes until it's too late. It's not easy to grow up wearing glasses and it would be better to simply avoid it. Protecting your child's eye should be important.

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  6. This is great advice. The sun has been so intense the last couple of days! It's important to be prepared.

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  7. Thank you this is a great informative post. Going to share this with my friends that have young children.

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  8. It is funny how eye safety and protection seems to be so overlooked. I'm guilty of that at times, both with regard to myself and my kids. These were some great reminders and you provide some good tips to make all of us remember that wearing sunglasses is important.

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  9. My lil one is too young to keep her sunglass on, she just wants to pull them off, but I do try!

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  10. This is often overlooked. Most people just worry about keeping their skin safe from uv rays. Thanks for sharing these tips.

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  11. I agree, sunglasses are so important! Thanks for reminding everyone of how important this is.

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  12. The bigger the better is a smart rule of thumb. My kids, fortunately like their sunnies.

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  13. Great stuff for protection, this should really help safeguard the kids under the sun. Though I hope this won't be an excuse for parents not to explain the harmful effects of the sun.

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  14. well i would say big large sun glasses great to protect the eyes and as well as very fashionable

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  15. Some great tips for protecting our eyes from harmful UV rays esp For little ones. I wear prescription sun glasses and so does my son, and hubby!

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  16. my daughter loves wearing sunnies, we have matchy matchy or twinnies sunnies so she always wear one as well

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  17. It is so funny how I never thought of these things when my kids were younger, now they are 7, 9 and 13 and I am being educated more on it. Looks like a great pair of glasses for little ones!

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  18. Oh, nice eye protector. Our eyes are so precious and we should take good care for it.

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  19. My daughter and I are both sunglasses obsessed. It's crazy how the sun can really hurt your eyes.

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  20. I agree that everyone should practice good eye care by shielding their eyes from the harmful rays of the sun. I always make my six year old son wear sunglasses so that he will not experience vision loss or any other problems as he grows older. Thanks for backing up my beliefs with your posts!

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