Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Fun Eye Patches

Once I knew we were going to be patching, I set out to find patches that weren't the ugly skin-colored bandage color.  None of the stores in my area carried eye patches that weren't the black pirate type.  While searching online to order any patch, I came across quite a few cute options!

I ordered Nexcare patches online... and while they stuck really well, they left a horrible red mark on his eye and he fussed when it was time to take them off (it hurt!)  I tried using baby oil and lotion to help remove them, but that didn't help.  I tried to do the Maalox trick where you dot parts of the patch with Maalox in hopes that it won't stick to certain parts of the skin.  That was just messy.


Tommy in an Eye-Doodle patch
The first fun patches I came across were eye-doodle patches at http://eye-doodle.com/.  These are patch stickers that go over any eye patch.  They were created by a mom of a child with cataracts.  Her story is posted on the website and I just had to support her!  These are absolutely adorable patch stickers.  They came quickly and had great customer service.  These will be great when Tommy is older and can pick his own.  They are not too expensive, when added to a standard patch (I had Nexcare brand) the total cost is comparable to pre-decorated patches.

Tommy in an Ortopad patch
The next ones that I tried are from Ortopad.  http://www.ortopadusa.com/  These patches are hypoallergenic and were reported to be better for sensitive skin (which Tommy appears to have).  They  have many options- cute styles for girls and boys that are pre-decorated.  They also have a plain beige option which includes stickers that you can add.  I bought the Ortopad Elite Boys version and am very happy with them.  I had some initial user-error (you need to apply the patch then hold the patch for a few seconds to make it stick) but once I got the hang of it, I love them!  His skin never breaks down as it did with the Nexcare brand patch and they are cute.  I don't love all the designs- but I can use the Eye-Doodles over those!

Other brands that I have found, but not tried are:
http://www.myipatches.com/home.php  These patches are cute (I requested a sample) and this company lets you pick the styles of patches that you want.  They sent me a free sample, but sent a note with tips on how to make them less irritating to the skin.  Since Tommy is having enough trouble with cradle cap and baby rash, I'm waiting to try them.  They supposedly stick really well, and I have a feeling that I will need those as my little boy gets bigger!

http://funeyepatchkitsforkids.com/ These patches allow your child to decorate them with stick-ons (like jewels and foam stickers).  They also have a nice selection of cool colored patches.  Since Tommy doesn't decorate yet... I haven't tried them.  I may order some for his sisters to decorate for him, but haven't done it yet.

I have found quite a difference in how people react to a fun patch as opposed to a plain patch.  People will ask what happened to him and often give positive comments on the patch.  With a plain "flesh-colored" patch, they tend to look away.  An interesting aspect of human nature!

Since we will likely be patching for quite some time, I am so thankful that some companies have cute options available.  My favorite company is still the eye-patch stickers as I love the fact that a mom of a child with cataracts created them initially to make her daughter's experience better.

5 comments:

  1. This was so helpful! My daughter was born 3 months ago and had cataracts as well. It has been such an adventure trying to navigate the waters. I just started a blog for her as well. Trying to find any help I can on this! I do use the patches from ortopad and they work great!

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  2. Hi
    We have used these books to motivate our kid during the first patching months. http://www.amazon.com/Add-Lazy-Patches-Cute-Puppies/dp/1523442727
    Its a nice cute book with large images the kid sticks the eye patch into, after wearing it. It has 30 images one for each day. Not solves everything, but was good for motivation at the beginning.

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