Children's Eyeglass Frames: Like Yours, But More Fun

Odds are, there's a pair of eyeglasses that both you and your child will love at the optical store. Today's styles feature durability and safety for your peace of mind, as well as designs that please your kids, whether they go for popular characters such as Harry Potter, SpongeBob and Barbie, "grown-up" styles, or a mix of both.

Today, many kids want eyeglasses that look just like their parents' or older brother's and sister's. Plastics in elongated rectangular shapes, small, retro-styled ovals, and even thin, clean titanium eyeglasses are all available for small customers today. The availability of these styles for kids has them yearning to wear glasses more than ever before.

Branded eyewear appeals to kids as well as adults. Here, eyeglasses from Barbie, Jessica McClintock and Stride Rite.

Pop-culture icons and logos are big in kids' eyeglasses, too. Cartoon characters are coming out of the television and into the dispensary with their own line of children's frames. Many of these are grown-up in appearance with fun details, like glow-in-the-dark plankton on SpongeBob SquarePants frames or paw prints on Blue's Clues styles. The popular Harry Potter books and movies created a demand for frames "just like Harry's" while older children are influenced by trendy brands and logos they see being worn by their sports heroes.

No matter the style or brand, it is important for children to feel that they are a part of the frame selection process. Choosing an eyeglass frame they like goes a long way towards getting them to wear their glasses and take better care of them as well.

While kids may want a specific color or brand, parents will want something that's going to last. Some of the technological developments that are showing up in adult frames such as spring hinges (which allow for much bending in both directions at the temples) and flexible frame materials (which allow for accidents such as sitting on frames or over-bending when taking them on and off) are now available in children's frames. Thinner, lighter and stronger materials like stainless steel and titanium are becoming more reasonably priced as the supply of frames made of these materials increases. Frames made from these durable materials are great for kids who are hard on their glasses.

In addition, more and more manufacturers of eyeglass frames and lenses, as well as the optical shops themselves, are offering extended warranties on children's eyeglasses so that parents can feel more at ease in making this purchase.

Polycarbonate lenses have also made a great impact in children's eyewear. Today, most kids' frames are sold complete with these impact-resistant lenses. [Read more about polycarbonate lenses for children.]

1. Designers have taken cool and classic designs that work for adults and scaled them down for kids.
    
2. Branded or licensed eyewear lines grab a child's attention. Fisher-Price, Hush Puppies, Stride Rite and Marvel Comics are appealing to kids of all ages but especially to very young children. Lines related to wrestling (WWF), basketball (Converse) and other sports are very popular with slightly older kids.
    
3. Parents will appreciate the durability of spring hinges, flexible materials, strong frame materials and polycarbonate lenses available in kid's frames today. Children will appreciate not getting in trouble for breaking another pair of glasses.
    

1. Sunglass clip-ons for eyeglass frames are available with many children's frame styles. These are hugely popular for adults and are now widely available for kids as well.
    
2. For the child who is fast becoming a teenager, eyewear fashion is increasingly important, and designer eyeglass frames from Guess?, Calvin Klein, DKNY, Laura Ashley and others are appealing. Also popular are apparel and accessories names such as Esprit, Coach and Ocean Pacific, as well as celebrity brands like the Britney Spears eyewear collection.