Mom Documents Attempts To Get Baby To Wear Eyepatch, Goes As You’d Expect

A mom who has documented her efforts to get her baby to wear an eyepatch needed to correct his lazy eye has gone viral.

Renèe Barendregt, 34, from Adelaide, Australia, started sharing her frequent attempts in 2023, a method designed to improve his eyesight, but the process hasn’t been straightforward.

Aiming for two hours a day, the mom to one-year-old Ziggy has reported the journey so far as “really hard.”

Barendregt welcomed suggestions from other TikTok users and has tried methods such as pool floaties, putting socks on his hands and even donning an eyepatch herself.

Each video captures the stressful and unpleasant situation for both Barendregt and baby Ziggy, but the mom always resolves to try something new next time.

Some followers recommended using athletes’ tape, believing a more secure fit would deter Ziggy from removing it.

To Barendregt’s dismay, it didn’t work either, but she vowed to “keep trying for my Ziggy bear” on a daily basis.

Barendregt has also tried wearing an eyepatch with him and captioned the video: “Putting an eyepatch on has made me realize it’s actually quite scary and I have perfect eyesight in my other eye.”

Barendregt holds Ziggy up to the camera and tries the suggestion in real-time, restraining his arms as best she can, but Ziggy always finds a way to pull off his eyepatch, leaving Barendregt frustrated but determined to find a solution.

The video, which has been viewed over 17 million times, shows a visibly deflated Barendregt, but she thanks her online community for the suggestion.

The comments section is filled with encouragement and support for Barendregt’s situation.

Some TikTok users advised using creative distractions with music or games in a bid to keep him entertained long enough to forget about the eyepatch for a while.

Other users who have lazy eyes shared their recommendations too.

One commented: “I had these as a baby, my mom used to put me to sleep without it, and would put it on while I slept and when I woke up I didn’t realize she had put it on, as my skin got used to the feeling.”

Another suggested Barendregt set small time increments and get a snack for him every time he doesn’t touch the eye patch.

One user said: “I don’t have a suggestion but just wanted to leave a comment and say you’re doing such a good job.”

Newsweek reached out to @reneebarendregt for comment via email. We could not verify the details of the case.

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