Tips for keeping Hearing Aids/Cochlear Implant Coils on

How do you keep Hearing Aid/s or Cochlear Implants on a child that is too young to understand their purpose? What can a child/children do with their hearing aids in the back seat of the car? Where do they hide them in the garden? Why do they chew the batteries? The Big Questions…

Important things to remember…. Young children can take the batteries out of the aids in the car and put them in their mouths. There are waterproof bags for some CI’s, but without these, CI’s and Hearing Aids are not waterproof, remember to take them off! Some sports are not appropriate to wear hearing aids/ implants on the pitch. Check with the coach or your insurer.

Tricks from other parents to keep H.Aids or Cochlear Implants on. Headbands – placed around the coils or hearing aids to hold in place. This stops them flapping about until the child gets used to them. Hats – with ties to go under the chin and tied at the back of the head so the child can’t undo them. Hairclips – can help anchor the Coils to the hair, and be used as a reward for time with aids on.

Mittens from newborn to stop them getting a hold. Once the child is old enough to take the mittens off, add a tie around the wrist to hold them on. Stretch-n-grows that have fold over hands; keeps their hands warm, and they can’t pull off their hearing aid/CI. Beanie. Sweatshirts with hoods on them, and ties to tie them up. Caps with ties underneath to keep the hat on and not allowing access to hearing aids. Hats with plenty of “holes” in them (like mesh material) for microphone to be accessed.

But always be mindful of the child. Take cues from your child about time out from wearing hearing aids/ implants – sickness looming, change of seasons, end of term or end of the day – these can make us grumpy and tired and also our children too. Some families have found that a set time each day for ‘quiet time’ works well. Aided hearing is extremely tiring, and sometimes can be very overwhelming. Adjusting to wearing hearing aids or implants is both physically and mentally exhausting, so it may be good to have some “down time” where the child can have some quiet or time to themselves away from others. Often persistence is the key. Keep trying, but do not make it something frightening. Put the aids on in the morning in a quiet environment. Sounds you may not even hear will be very loud and often startling to a child who has had no sound all night. Let the child adjust before moving somewhere louder. Bribery is fantastic! Sometimes a much loved t.v. program will be enough encouragement to put/ keep aids on, in order to hear the program. Sometimes a treat such as stickers or stamps for small stretches at a time.