Sunglasses tally

I feel like I should keep a record of the sunglasses that we have been through. We keep losing them because Charlotte likes to throw things out of the pram and if we don't notice... bye bye sunglasses.

In order of appearance:

1. Heart-shaped, white frames with heart pictures

Image: too horrifying to photograph
Cost: £0.00 (gift for Emily)
Source: belong to big sister
Reason: they were the only damn things that had short enough arms that when she was lying down in her stroller they wouldn’t get pushed forward off her face.
Review: Lots of smiles and stares in the pram. Very embarrassing. “No, my baby is not wearing these because I think it is funny, she is wearing these because we don’t have anything else that fits right now!”
Current status: Unfortunately, we still have them, they sit in the medicine/sunscreen basket.

2. Toddler sunnies, orange/pink with butterfly pictures


(This is Emily, not Charlotte)

Cost: £0.00 (These belong to Emily)
Source: Local pharmacy in Shoal Bay, Australia
Reason: She would keep these on better than the Baby Banz
Review: I love these sunnies, they look great! They are Emily’s proper sunglasses right now. But, despite the mirror coating, they are not that dark. Besides, they were clearly too big for Charlotte as a baby. When she is older and Emily has outgrown them, they will be saved as a backup pair.
Current status: Emily still owns these

3. Beaba baby sunglasses, beige

Cost: £11-ish
Source: online somewhere, probably Amazon
Reason: She was still rejecting the Baby Banz and these were the only style I knew of that I hoped might be small enough to fit her face closely but with actual arms instead of a band.
Review: I was never particularly sold on these. Charlotte accepted them fine but the fit wasn’t very close to her face. I think the shipping messed them up a bit and they always sat crooked on her nose. I could never get them to straighten. They were a reasonable level of darkness but there was so much light leakage around the sides that I moved straight on to really working on getting her to accept and wear the Banz. I also wasn’t very keen on the colour, beige should be a nice neutral choice, particularly since she is wearing them in all weathers, but they just looked a bit blah.
Current status: In the hall cupboard as a last, last resort emergency pair.

4. Baby Banz, aqua


Cost: £10.37
Source: Amazon (given in Christmas stocking)
Reason purchased: Couldn't find the pink ones in the baby stuff in the cellar. (Found them about a week later - of course.)
Review: Good for wraparound qualities but not that dark. The band takes a while for them to get used to (see above failed sunglasses appearances) but once she got the hang of it, it didn't bother her so much and she would keep them on. The band is bad for wearing with a hat, either summer (very important for us) or a winter wooly one. I also hated the red marks the frames left on her face.
Bonus points: if you can get the band over a wooly winter hat, they look like a way cool snowboarder!
Current status : Unknown. They were thrown out of the pram on the school run, I scoured the pavement on the way back and the next day. We even enlisted the help of the upstairs neighbours who were on their way home, but no luck.

5. Baby Banz, pink

Cost: £0.00
Source: inherited from big sister
Reason: bought for Emily as a baby for Aust trip
Review: see above for Aqua colour.
Current status: We still have these, they sit in the pocket of the stroller as an emergency spare.

6. Julbo, Looping I, Pink/grey


Cost: £24.94
Source: Little Trekkers
Reason: One morning Charlotte tossed the pink Banz out of the stroller. Martin was with her and phoned to tell me what happened but he didn’t phone me back to tell me that he had gone back and scoured the pavements and found them. (He's very thorough.) He never in his wildest dreams imagined I would have been so efficient as to have ordered another pair within an hour! I had them in mind for ages, a friend recommended them to me. I wasn’t going to buy them immediately but when the need arose, I was there, clicking away with the mouse.
Review: these have been my favourites to date. The lenses are extremely dark, 95% light blocking, the mirror coating helps. The frames are durable, comfortable, attractive and close fitting. Moorfields and RNIB even stock these frames for their custom lenses now. In fact, the pair that I took to Moorfields were these ones. Again from an earlier post where they said they wouldn’t be able to produce anything better than them at present.
Current status: Lost. I am sure these came home with me a few weeks ago but I have not found them since. There were a few scratches on the mirror coating where I think Charlotte had a bit of a gnaw on them but they were in otherwise good condition and they were expensive so I am very sad about that.
Update: Found tonight! In one of Emily’s toy handbags. Everybody in the household denies putting them in there. At least now I can wrap the Julbo IIIs she is getting from my Mum for her birthday (see below).

7. RNIB amber lenses in Julbo Looping II frame, blue/green


Cost: £22.xx
Source: RNIB
Reason: I was reading more and more about Achromatopsia (even before her confirmed diagnosis) and thought I’d better get Charlotte some more serious eyewear. But the cost put me off a bit. Then I was talking to Michael who said that amber coloured lenses really helped him with contrast. So I ordered them. Lucky I did, because they took ages to arrive and I had to chase them multiple times. Having said that, I didn’t pay their invoice for ages because I am not used to being invoiced for things and having to send a cheque. (Says the online shopper with a credit card habit)
Review: We have only just started using these in the last week (since the mysterious disappearance of the Julbos). They have been a bit too large and the lenses aren’t that dark. Charlotte seems to really like them though. They are great for cloudy days and indoor on bright days. I like that I can see her eyes through them, which I can’t with the mirror coated ones. When I look through them, they definitely distort colours and shades into simple light and dark. I don’t know if this is completely beneficial to Charlotte, I’ll have to see how it compares to the red lenses (up next). I think that Charlotte’s rods work better in the dark areas which the amber lenses just merge into shadows. I can see that they would be very helpful to someone who has vision which is mostly just light and dark shapes because they make the lights brighter and the darks darker which is obviously good contrast. Privately, I have also been avoiding these ones a bit because of the blue frames which are just so boy-like. I don’t think I am too gendered in their clothing but these are different, they cover half her face and she wears them all the time.
Current status: Perfect second pair. I think I might order a pair of yellow ones for indoor when she is a bit older.

8. Julbo Pop Toddler, Rose


Cost: £20.14 on sale (but Mum bought them as a birthday gift for Charlotte)
Source: Little Trekkers, of course!
Reason: Sad loss of Julbo Is. I decided to upgrade a size and these were cheaper than the Julbo Looping IIs.
Review: They are the same lenses as the first Julbos so that’s great: really dark, mirror coated. The frames are a bit of a strange shape though and the colours on the frame are a bit wilder/brighter than the first pair. I wouldn't get them again because the Looping styles really are better: they don't have hinges on the arms and you can't put them on upside down (which happens more often than you would think).
Current status: Was going to be her primary outdoor pair until the return of the Julbo Is, now they will be spare until Is are lost again or outgrown.

Coming soon:

9. NoIR Dark Red 4% in infant size (£49.94)
UK stockist: Optima
I have high hopes that these will be her regular outdoor glasses. Of course, I will be posting their own special review. But they won’t let me choose the colour of the frames! For £50 sunglasses!!

Other sun protection purchases:

Universal sun shade for pram: Shade-a-babe (£35.00)
Great sunshade, I move it from pram to pram and she really likes it. I hate how it hides her away from the world though.
Sun tent: Nivea (£26.90)
I thought we would use it on holiday and in the garden but I never do. It’s hot inside and very bright. I can usually always find shade instead.
Hats: £0.00.
Emily had tons. I am really aware of sun protection and we have been to Australia regularly enough that she is kept in a good supply of sun hats and swimming hats that have all been handed down in due course.

Total purchases:

Sunglasses: £138.39
Other: £61.90
Grand total: £200.29

That’s not so bad really. In light of the fact that our medical care is completely free and I am being seen by a wide range of specialists, we really aren’t shelling out that much money. A Paediatric Ophthalmologist charges a standard £205.00 per private consultation and we have seen one three times on the NHS. I should add up the market value of the NHS-paid care we have received. Wait until the genetic testing bill comes in!