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When my daughter and I both needed our first glasses recently, I quickly became aware of how expensive eye care and corrective eyewear can be. Even if you have vision insurance, it's not likely to completely cover the designer frames at your local optician, not to mention the added expense of lenses and exams! But don't worry, I'm here to share with you some tips I've come up with for getting glasses for cheap, or even FREE!! Watch this adorable video of my daughter unboxing and trying on her first glasses, and then read on!
1. Eye Exam Options & Tips
Ophthalmologist Check with your insurance to see what they'll cover. Most medical insurances should cover a full exam with an ophthalmologist for the price of a visit to a specialist. In our case, it's a $30 co-pay. Our doctor warned us that many insurances do not cover the cost of refraction, however, so call ahead to your eye doctor for their price for what they'll charge you out of pocket if not covered, ask them for the insurance code for the procedure and then call your insurance company to ask if it's covered. Optometrist An optometrist is not a medical doctor, but they are trained post-doctorate professionals at local vision centers and optical shops. Double check when making your appointment that they will provide you with a thorough exam, not just to determine your prescription, but also to dilate your eyes and check for signs of glaucoma. Since treatment in the early stages of glaucoma (when you have no idea you have it) can literally save your vision, it's highly recommended to get regular exams once you pass the age of 35!! Yeah, I didn't know this either, but you can be sure I'm going to add it to my list of annual exams to have now! Anyway, back to optometrists... these exams will likely not be covered by medical insurance, but if you have supplemental vision coverage they'll usually cover or reimburse you a set amount. Mine, for example, required me having the optometrist fill out the claim form, which I send in and can be reimbursed up to $50. So, I called around, finding some places charging as much as $75 for an exam!! I went with a highly recommended place that charged $45 and would do a full exam (yes, checked me for glaucoma, which I don't have, phew!!). If you're near Bay Ridge Brooklyn, check out Oasis Vision Center (7411 5th Ave, Brooklyn), they were great, and they were extremely respectful when I told them I was purchasing glasses online - not a single sales pitch!! Children's Eye Exams Our pediatrician does a really easy test using PediaVision, a camera that takes a quick photo of the child's eye. It measures all sorts of things and can determine certain abnormalities that need to be checked by a vision specialist. Our 3 year old daughter failed this, and our 6 year old son failed his school's exam. So we took both for a full exam at a highly recommended local Pediatric Ophthalmologist (Dr. Caryn Pearlstein in Bay Ridge, Staten Island, or NJ). Their vision charts varied depending on if the child knew letters or needed pictures, as you can see Mia demonstrating in the photo below. With 2 kids getting examined, we were there a while, and eventually every image she saw was "poopy". Gah. Kids... Make sure your prescription, whether filled out by an ophthalmologist or optometrist, includes the PD or pupillary distance. This is required for ordering glasses online, and while you can measure it yourself, a trained professional will be able to do it much more accurately. 
2. Buying Affordable Prescription Glasses
You may be able to find affordable frames at your local vision center, however more often than not you'll find labels upward of $200+ and that doesn't even include the lenses!! Check with your insurance to see what they'll cover before deciding on your budget. My insurance, for example, will cover $100 per frame every 2 years, and $50 per lenses once a year. It was not enough to cover the child-proof MiraFlex frames (no hinges!!) everyone recommended for my 3 year old, so my search continued online, and this is where it gets interesting!! There are numerous websites where you can find very budget-friendly glasses online. I ended up finding the cheapest Miraflex glasses on discountglasses.com (affiliate link) - Just $100 for the glasses, including the frames, meaning they would be 100% covered by our insurance and save me about $150 extra out of pocket that our local optician wanted to charge me!! It also meant I still have my $50 in lens credit to use later in the year if/when her prescription changes! For myself, I got a pair of glasses for $117 included lenses and a pair of prescription sunglasses for $60 including lenses (though my 2 pair were complimentary as part of an Instagram campaign I worked with them on; side note, this blog post is not sponsored by or in cooperation with them or any brand).
Not only do they have glasses and sunglasses (prescription and non-prescription) for adults and children for about $20 - $150 a pair (with lenses, so cheap!!), discountglasses.com (affiliate link) also has a really cool app on their website that allows you to virtually try on most of their frames! You line up your face, it takes a picture, you turn left, turn right, hold a credit card to your forehead and boom, you're ready to roll!! Check out a couple pairs that I "tried on" from the comfort of my own desk!
Ordering glasses online can save you tons of money, but it's not a perfect system. They may not fit quite right (our nose bridges are different shapes and sizes, our face/head widths vary, our cheeks might not be comfortable under certain frames - these are not taken into account by our prescriptions), there could be a mistake in the order, etc. But for me, it was worth the risk, and thankfully we didn't have any issues. Discountglasses.com (affiliate link) does have free returns though, and if it's a small issue such as the ear pieces needing to be loosened, you should be able to visit any local optician to fix quickly and cheaply (or for free if it's the same place you got your exam, maybe?).
So, what do you think? Will you buy your next pair of glasses online? Leave a comment below with any tips I missed (I'm a newbie to this eyewear thing!!).
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Here's our roundup of the kids' activities and family-friendly events going on in the Greater Bay Ridge area of Brooklyn for the week of February 28 - March 6, 2019!
Don't forget to sign up for our e-newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay in the loop of all the local goings on!! All the events and ads below are linked, so click away for more details and to double check before heading out for an event (time changes, cancellations, and mistakes do happen on occasion). Click here to submit your Bay Ridge area family-friendly event or program for a complimentary listing in an upcoming events roundup! Businesses are invited to read more about advertising with us and to sign up for our advertisers' newsletter to receive occasional ad specials and upcoming deadlines. 
ONGOING:
Enter to WIN a $200 gift card at European Wax Center in Bay Ridge!!
Giveaway ends Wednesday, February 27 at 11:59PM!! 
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Looking for a kid-friendly indoor waterpark near NYC or Philadelphia? We just took a day trip to Sahara Sam's Indoor & Outdoor Waterpark in West Berlin, NJ and simply cannot recommend it enough. We received our tickets free in exchange for an honest review, but don't worry - I'm no sellout and always tell it like it is haha!! Be sure to watch our quick highlights video (below) and then keep reading for more details!!
Just a quick 90 minute drive from Brooklyn, Sahara Sam's couldn't be a more perfect kid-friendly day trip from NYC! They're open year-round with the indoor waterpark, arcade, and birthday parties, and the outdoor waterpark area opens in summer.
Bring your bathing suits and towels, no outside food or drinks, and pack smartly as you can fit a good amount of stuff in the large locker ($15), or possibly the small locker ($10) - they take credit card, don't worry. The lockers are good all day, you can go in and out of them as much as needed which is great if you're like me and want to take some quick photos or videos here and there and then keep your camera safe (and dry) in between, or grabbing your wallet as needed for lunch and snacks!
They do have complimentary life jackets for infants through 90 pounds, but you may want to bring your own if not arriving early - when we were leaving at 3pm they didn't have any available. 
The food was standard kid-friendly amusement park type food - pizza, hot dogs, chicken fingers etc. We got the 16" pizza, about $16, which fed our family of 5. Great price, and delicious! The restaurant room does not require you to get dressed or wear shoes, which lets families keep their lunch break as quick and painless as possible haha! They also have a full bar within the water park room, and a large arcade, although you do have to be dressed with shoes to go in the latter.
Their Lizard Lagoon (baby & toddler area) has a wading / splash area, some small fountains, a double slide, and a wall around it that parents were all hanging out on. Very cute and all 3 of our kids spent a lot of time in there.
The Tim Buk Tu Adventure Playland in the center of the main room was awesome, with one of those HUGE buckets that dumps water every couple of minutes, a few small to medium sized slides, and various water play activities.
Their lazy river is GREAT!!! When we went early in the morning, there was no line and we could actually board our tubes in the zero entry part making it super easy for an adult to get on and load a child in your lap. Later in the afternoon it got really busy and actually made me a bit nervous doing it with our party of 5. Once you get a tube and get yourselves on it's nice to float around, but the getting on and off amidst all that chaos, with 3 little ones to worry about, it's really tough (unless the adults in your party outnumber the kids, then it's no problem)!
They have a bunch of large water slides, all minimum 42" to ride, which meant we had to take turns going with our 6 year old so that someone could stay behind with our 3 year old twins. But the slides were awesome - SO much fun!!!! Our favorite, we nicknamed the "Superman" slide but it's actually called Tut's Twisters and it's 2 slides where you go head-first tummy down on a mat, very unique and thrilling!!
The entire indoor waterpark was nice and balmy, 84 degrees year round! I was nervous about water temperature, as that can make or break a waterpark trip in my opinion. But the water was actually super nice, luke warm, not chilly at all (except for a separate room that held Tut's Twisters and a large pool - that room and the water were quite cool) - everything else, from the lazy river to the kiddy pool, were really nice temperatures! No shivering - phew!!
Tickets will run you about $30-40 per person (get a discount when purchasing in advance online) and if you plan to go at least twice in a year (you will, trust me) get the season's pass, which is a GREAT deal!! They're on sale now for $47.99 (regularly $84.99). Use code SSBUY3 to buy 3 or more and get them for $44.99 each
What do you think? Have you been to Sahara Sam's before? Do you have another amazing family-friendly day trip from NYC to recommend? Check out my massive list of the best getaways from NYC with kids here (many include links to my personal reviews and YouTube videos)!
Here's our roundup of the kids' activities and family-friendly events going on in the Greater Bay Ridge area of Brooklyn for the week of February 21 - 27, 2018!
Don't forget to sign up for our e-newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay in the loop of all the local goings on!! All the events and ads below are linked, so click away for more details and to double check before heading out for an event (time changes, cancellations, and mistakes do happen on occasion). Click here to submit your Bay Ridge area family-friendly event or program for a complimentary listing in an upcoming events roundup! Businesses are invited to read more about advertising with us and to sign up for our advertisers' newsletter to receive occasional ad specials and upcoming deadlines.
Our 2019 Summer Camp Guide to Bay Ridge and Beyond will be published in just a few days! Stay tuned!! Click here for advertising options, our 2018 Summer Camp Guide received over 4,000 views!
ONGOING:
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21:
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Save an additional $40 when you mention Bay Ridge Families!
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~ sponsored post ~
It may be freezing outside, but the time is NOW to plan your children's summer! Most summer camps' early bird discounts expire in March, and others are fully booked up around that time! Our 2019 Summer Camp Guide will go live in a week or so, in the mean time, we're thrilled to introduce you to Kids in the Game (KING) Summer Day Camp!!
KING offers an action-packed classic day camp experience at their 5 NYC locations, including Park Slope, Upper East Side, Upper West Side, Inwood, and Riverdale. Emphasizing enrichment through movement and play, campers will have a blast in activities such as sports, Zumba, art, STEM, theater, yoga, twice-weekly pool days, and weekly field trips!!
Children entering Pre-K through 8th grade are welcome to register at Kids in the Game, where activities are designed to instill teamwork, introduce friendly competition, build sportsmanship, develop confidence, and create an unforgettable summer experience!
KING Summer Day Camp runs Monday to Friday, 9AM - 4 PM, with complimentary early drop-off as early as 8am and extended day til 6PM for just $15 per day.
There is an Early Bird Discount of $50 off registration before March 1, and 10% sibling discount for each child. 
PARK SLOPE LOCATION:
FACILITIES: Saint Saviour High School (701 8th Ave; with gymnasium, cafeteria, classrooms, and library will be used for indoor activities each day), and much time spent at Prospect Park (1 block away) ACTIVITIES:
PRICING:
DATES: 7 weeks (July 1 - August 16) Open Houses:
Age Groups:
Kids in the Game also offers camps for shorter school breaks, sports and school programs, and birthday parties!! Get more info here and be sure to sign up for their e-mail list serve to be kept in the loop!
Here's our roundup of the kids' activities and family-friendly events going on in the Greater Bay Ridge area of Brooklyn for the week of February 14 - 20, 2018!
Don't forget to sign up for our e-newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay in the loop of all the local goings on!! All the events and ads below are linked, so click away for more details and to double check before heading out for an event (time changes, cancellations, and mistakes do happen on occasion). Click here to submit your Bay Ridge area family-friendly event or program for a complimentary listing in an upcoming events roundup! Businesses are invited to read more about advertising with us and to sign up for our advertisers' newsletter to receive occasional ad specials and upcoming deadlines.
Our 2019 Summer Camp Guide to Bay Ridge and Beyond will be published by the end of February!! Stay tuned!! Click here for advertising options, our 2018 Summer Camp Guide received over 4,000 views!
ONGOING:
Save an additional $40 when you mention Bay Ridge Families!
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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15:
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Here's our roundup of the kids' activities and family-friendly events going on in the Greater Bay Ridge area of Brooklyn for the week of February 7 - 13, 2018!
Don't forget to sign up for our e-newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay in the loop of all the local goings on!! All the events and ads below are linked, so click away for more details and to double check before heading out for an event (time changes, cancellations, and mistakes do happen on occasion). Click here to submit your Bay Ridge area family-friendly event or program for a complimentary listing in an upcoming events roundup! Businesses are invited to read more about advertising with us and to sign up for our advertisers' newsletter to receive occasional ad specials and upcoming deadlines.
Save an additional $40 when you mention Bay Ridge Families!!
ONGOING:
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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9:
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About Me ^_^I'm a NYC metro area mom blogger living in NJ with my Japanese husband & our 3 kids (twins plus 1). This blog is chock full of product reviews, family travel guides, and giveaways galore! It's also home to Bay Ridge Families, and several guides focused on kid-friendly activities and guides to South Brooklyn, Hudson Valley, and New Jersey, as well as family-friendly destinations beyond the NYC area (check the menu bar!)  
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