*This back to school shopping post is sponsored by JCPenney Optical. All opinions are my own.*
Back to school shopping season at our house is one of the most expensive times of the year.
Honestly, outside of the month of May for my husband (it’s my birthday, Mother’s Day, and our anniversary), and Christmas, we probably don’t spend more any time of the year as we do at the end of summer/beginning of fall as the kids prepare to go back to school.
School supplies, new clothes, sports fees and gear, and various school related fees and expenses mean that we are always shelling out for something when we start back to school shopping.
Including eyewear.
With a young glasses wearer in the house, we like to make sure that he is wearing his most recent prescription when it’s time to head back into the classroom each year.
Because of the vision issue he has, we always go to his pediatric ophthalmologist for his exams, but finding affordable, quality eyewear that fits his personality and his active lifestyle is always a challenge.
We’ve found that allowing him to choose glasses he likes and feels good in is so important for getting him to take care of them and wear them consistently.
JCPenney Optical reached out to us and asked us to check out their back to school sales for this year.
With so many great options and affordable price packages, families with children in glasses can really save on their eyewear by taking advantage of the Back to School sale.
And, if you have more than one child in glasses, or one child who likes or needs more than one pair, you can enjoy even greater savings when you purchase two pairs.
You can even get great discounts on upgrades like thinner lenses with scratch and impact protection for active kids like mine, and blue filter lenses that help prevent eye fatigue from electronic devices. They even have discounts on Transition lenses so your child can enjoy sun protection too.
While he doesn’t care much about the special features, Dude 3 does have a lot to say about the feel and style of the specs he wears and I was happy to see that JCPenney Optical had a ton of options for young faces.
Dude 3 got his first pair of glasses the week he began kindergarten and I’m not too proud to admit that we made a terrible first choice for him.
If you’re embarking on this journey with your child now, here are some tips to help you get it right the first time.
Back-to-School with JCPenney Optical: Choosing The Right Pair of Glasses for Your Child
Allow your child to choose frames he likes the look and feel of.
Finding out you have to wear glasses is a major life change for anyone, but it can be particularly challenging for children to get used to. They may feel self conscious or weird in their new specs –sometimes they may not want to wear them at school or wherever they could see their friends.
When Dude 3 got his first pair, I gave him a lot of autonomy over the style. Of course I had to ensure they would fit his face and lenses appropriately, but I wanted him to choose the pair he felt he looked good in. Since, you know what they say –look good, feel food!
Don’t skimp on added features.
Things like scratch resistance and impact protection can be huge for young glasses wearers. They aren’t as careful as adults and their lenses are much more susceptible to being scratched or broken. Protecting their lenses with scratch resistance and impact protection may increase the price at the onset, but it could save you in the long run by allowing your child to get longer wear out of their glasses.
JCPenney Optical has a ton of discounts on these and other features like UV protection during their back-to-school sale, so now is a great time to get everything your child nees.
Pay special attention to fit.
There are few things more discouraging or uncomfortable than glasses that are too big or too small. Having to push them up all the time is annoying and they can be quite painful when they are too tight. Not to mention, proper fit also aids with improved ability to see. The doctors and technicians at JCPenney Optical are more than willing to help you ensure your child gets a perfect fit and, they are super helpful with making adjustments if you find that they aren’t fitting great after you go home.
Consider your child’s activity level.
For super active kids like mine, wearing glasses can be a huge burden if you don’t have the right type of frames. Talk to the professionals at the store when you go in to JCPenney’s to choose your child’s glasses so that the can help you select a pair that will be a great fit for their lifestyle.
My son, an avid basketball player, struggled with his first pair because they were constantly being knocked off when he played and it hurt terribly when the ball hit him in the face. We eventually found out from his teacher that he wasn’t wearing them during the school day at all!
To help, we went back and selected a pair with rubber bridge padding, and a strap to go around the back of his head. We eventually got him a pair of prescription sports goggles to wear for added comfort and safety when he played sports.
Learn more about the JCPenney Back-to-School sale at JCPenneyOptical.com.