Protecting Young Eyes

No matter what age your child, style certainly comes into play, whether it's mom or dad picking out some cool shades for their cool three-month-old dude, a preschooler wanting Blue's Clues sunglasses, or a teenager wanting to look chic.

Let your child rule the roost when it comes to picking out sunglasses—as long as the chosen pair meets your standards for quality and price—and your child will be much more likely to wear them.

One word of warning, though: Cute and trendy can sometimes be dangerous. For instance, earlier this year about 70,000 Barbie sunglasses were recalled because the frames could break, allowing petroleum distillate and floating glitter to leak out. Such distillates can injure eyes and skin, and can be fatal if swallowed. These sunglasses were sold nationwide at Target, Walgreens, and Bradlees from June 1999 through August 2000 for about $6 (for additional information, call IMT Accessories 800-868-7870).

Protection for Infants
If your child starts wearing sunglasses as an infant, he or she may be more likely to tolerate them as he or she grows older.

Sunglasses for infants are typically the most difficult to find, since many parents forego them. As I've mentioned, such an accessory should not have any hinge or screw, since the hinge may break or the screw come loose, thus posing a choking hazard.

Check out the Right Start (www.rightstart.com) for sunglasses for infants and toddlers. They come in two styles, "wrap" and "round," both with bendable rubber frames and lenses offering UVA and UVB protection, both under $10.

Another source is OneStepAhead (www.onestepahead.com), which offers soft plastic sunglasses for both infants and toddlers for under $10, with UVA and UVB protection.

Never put any kind of sunglass cord on an infant or toddler, as these pose a strangulation hazard. Such a hazard also exists for older children, who may get into a wrestling match with others or get the cord stuck on playground equipment.

Protecting Kids' Sunglasses
Taking care of kids' sunglasses is undeniably a tricky job, which is why I don't recommend buying expensive ones for kids—or myself, for that matter. Kids lose, scratch, or break sunglasses with notorious ease.

Cords (also called retainers) can help older kids keep track of them, especially on hikes in which kids are likely to be pulling them on and off as they go in and out of the sun's glare.

Another helpful product is a hard storage case so glasses won't get crushed when stashed inside backpacks or thrown on the backseat of the car.

Make those sunglasses last as long as possible, and make sure they're worn whenever the sun shines bright!

Here's wishing your family many sun-filled, sun-protected days.