Sunglassess for infants

[edKENdance]

Hello there, just had a baby boy about three weeks ago. I preface this by saying that I know Bolle carries sunglasses for kids but I'm talkin' infant. Our child Jack will be getting a lot of sun and I'm interested in brands as well as advice. If you know how I could just strap a lens around his face, that would suffice. I know exposure to UV light in infant development has been attributed to problems later on in life as well as light exposure during sleeping (ie night lights) would really appreciate anything you can give me.

Ken

[chip anderson]

SAve yourself a lot of time, money an turmoil, kid will take them off, throw them, tear them up, etc. You can't hardly get infants to keep glasses on when they are needed to see with.

Chip

[Jackie L]

We used to carry a line of toddler sunwear by a company called Baby Optics. I will try to find their phone number tomorrow. If you find it first, let me know.

Osh Kosh also has a line of small tots' sunglasses.

Jackie O

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Still a Maina for now

[JennyP]

When you think about the positions we put these infants in (tummy down, reclined, or semi-reclined tummy up in strollers) and upright in front or back slings, I think its a good idea to be concerned with uv protection for the whole child! My kids tolerated hats pretty well while very young and this also protected their faces from sunburn, and the stroller had a good-sized hood to move to block the sun. If I could have found sunglasses for them I probably would have purchased them, but bear in mind, this was nearly 2 decades ago!
jP

[edKENdance]

Thanks for the info. As of now Jack doesn't have enough dexterity to do anything with his hands and when he is outside, he's really bundled up because it's still quite cold here.

[hcjilson]

Ed, I think Chip and Jenny are right.He's only three weeks old but he will become active with his little hands before you know it....perhaps as early as tonight! Check it out when you get home :) Brimmed hats will do the job and be a lot less hassle for you and Mum.Have fun with Jack, he'll be 32 before you know it!

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Harry J

[Judy Canty]

My suggestion is to use the Como Baby frame from Franel. It's all nylon, no moving parts and the baby will use them for a long time. I use this one all the time for infants.

[Sara]

Ed can dance,
I agree with uncle chip,babies feel it as a foreign body.
Babies anterior lens capsules have high ability to absorb ultra-voilet radiation.
Keep in mind,nature blesses new borns with inbuilt proctection system for some years.
Sara

sorry its EdKenDance

[This message has been edited by Sara (edited 03-22-2001).]

[RP]

edKENdance,

In reply to your original post, the night light (light exposure at night) was recently suggested as a problem, but this has since been debunked. The original research wasn't particularly good, but you can sure generate a lot of media interest from their conclusions!

Rick (born in St. Vitel, MB!)

[edKENdance]

Thanks RP, that was just something that I took at face value. Seemed to make sense. BTW I just a had UV sheet applied over the opera window in my son's stroller. I'll probably pick up baby shades when he can appreciate their inherint coolness and wont be pullin' them off all the time. Other then that I'll just keep my eye on Austrailia becuse all the cool UV items seem to arise there first
Thanks

[Specs]

It is not necessary to protect the child's eyes from U.V. till about 11 yrs. of age. The eye is still developing till about then. Some early exposure is good for the lens of the eye. Otherwise the person will be quite sensitive in bright light as they age. The eye has natural defenses at a early age to prevent any damage from occuring. A lifetime of U.V. is obviously a problem. Keeping sunglasses on a young child that doesn't need Rx is going to be a problem anyway.

[pedseye]

There is a theory that if you put a child in sunglasses at an early age the baby will become more photophobic than if you had just used a hat for total face protection. Working in Pediatrics, this theory has not been proven or disproven; it is mearly a theory. I believe all infants and children tolerate things differently and some will keep glasses or a hat on and some won't. When I put sunglasses on my baby, I was more worried about him taking them off and poking himself in the eye, causing more damage than the sun would have. I found getting them used to a hat works best and the Gen.Peds Docs prefer the use of hats because they are more concerned of the sun to their face. He is 18 mos old now and wears a hat well. I too want to do anything I can to protect my little angel, so to me, if you want to have your infant wear sunglasses, the one's from franel are the best.

[chip anderson]

Never forget that we, our eyes and everything else evolved (or was created) on this planet in and for the presence of UV. It may not be the bad guy people that make money off it say.

Chip