Are your kids’ eyes at risk this summer?

The answer is: YES.

Unless you’re living at the North Pole during the 24 hour night, then you need to be aware that sunlight can do a lot of damage to your eyes. And for children, that damage is significantly increased, because their eyes are so much more sensitive!

AND… for light-eyed children, the sensitivity factor is greater as well! I am particularly aware of this as my oldest has brilliant light blue eyes.

But I want to protect both my boys from sun damage, so today, I’m going to share a few products I received from Real Kids Shades.

Why do you need to get sunglasses for kids?

The truth is, wearing cheap toy sunglasses can actually do more harm to a child’s eyes than not wearing anything at all. Shaded lenses without 100% UV-A/UV-B protection will relax pupils, causing them to dilate and let MORE harmful radiation into children’s eyes. What’s more, not all sunglasses with “100% UV” protection labels pass the test. (From RealKidsShades.com)

Now… your kids might think sunglasses are the coolest thing since… Legos? Frozen? or they might absolutely hate them. Either way – the thing you, as a parent, need to focus on with the kiddos is that sunglasses are NOT toys, and they are not “fashion accessories” (although, they are pretty cool looking, aren’t they!?).

I do talk about the cool-factor with my kids, because I know that’s what will get them curious about the shades, and want to wear them. But I also tell them about how these sunglasses protect their eyes, so they know how important it is to keep them on.

I’m not gonna lie – it’s a challenge to get kids to wear two things: Hats and Sunglasses. But… sunglasses – REAL sunglasses with 100% UVA/UVB protection – are an essential tool in protecting your children’s eyesight for years to come.

And, let’s be honest, who’s more likely to go, “Mom! I’m looking at the sun!” than a kid? Right?

Real Kids Shades make kid-specific sunglasses!

Our family has been using Real Kids Shade for the past three years now and I absolutely love this brand. RKS high-quality sunglasses come in sizes for baby on up, with tons of fun colors and styles.

Plus, most of them come with straps to keep them on your kid’s head (or at least around their neck for the gazillion times your baby is going to try to pull them off). I highly recommend getting ones with the strap, as guess what happened to our one very-cool-pair of RKS that didn’t have the strap? You betcha – left somewhere on our Florida vacation never to be seen again! Sigh. Kids.

More facts about Real Kids Shades sunglasses for kids: 

• Designed especially for kids’ faces with the help of a pediatric ophthalmologist for optimal fit, comfort and safety (My First Shades)
• Lightweight, and some frames are even flexible
• Made for year-round use (yep, don’t put them away come fall, kids need sunglasses for winter sports and activities too!)
• Shatterproof
• Many styles have polarized versions
• Award-winning and approved/endorsed by iparenting.com, Prevent Blindness America, Melanoma International Foundation
• Lead-free, no BPA, no phthalates, and CSPIA-compliant, CE Certified, and FDA Approved.

You think that bargain store pair of sunglasses gives you all that? Nope. Most of the Real Kids Shades are anywhere from $15-30 each, which I think is reasonable for the quality sun protection you’ll get.

Oh, and, yeah… they ARE really cool, after all that. So put a pair of shades on your kids this summer. Keep their eyes safe  in the sun!

Do your kids wear sunglasses year-round or just summer? How do you keep them ON the kiddos!? 🙂

Thanks to Real Kids Shades for sending items to review. All opinions are my own.