Hearing aid manufacturers are now designing child-friendly hearing aids and accessories.
What will my child’s hearing aid look like?
Hearing aids for children sit behind their ears with a soft earmold in their ear.
Hearing aids and earmolds for children now come in child-friendly color options.
Special Accessories for Little Ears
- Smaller earhooks to ensure a more comfortable and secure fit
- Dry tubing for earmold
- Tamper proof battery door to protect against the child removing the battery without permission
- Battery tester, hearing aid “stethoscope”
- Earmold cleaner and air blower
- Dehumidifier, huggie aid
- Colorful stickers to decorate the hearing aids
- Critter clips to keep children’s hearing aids attached to them so they don’t get lost.
- Headbands or hats to keep hearing aids on little ears.
Special Care for Little Ears
- Your child’s hearing will be monitored every 3-6 months until they are 7 years old. After 7 years of age,hearing tests will be done once a year or sooner if necessary
- Adjustments to hearing aid settings will be made every time the child gets new earmolds to accommodate for physical changes of the ear canal or when a change in hearing is detected
- Earmolds need to be replaced as often as every few weeks for infants as their ears grow rapidly in the first few years
- Earmolds for older children is usually required once or twice a year
Hearing Aid Use and Care
- Children get used to their hearing aids at different rates. There may be a period of adjustment that follows the fitting
- The child has been living in a quiet world, so start with quiet environment and gradually move to noisy situations
- Point out to some of the familiar sounds in your house
- After the initial adjustment period, the child will begin to wear the hearing aid(s) as part of normal everyday life
- Encourage your child to wear his/her hearing aids
- Make sure the hearing aid is always working and talk a lot to your child
- You are ‘in charge” of your child’s hearing aid(s)
- You determine when the hearing aids are put on and when they are removed from the ears
- If your child pulls the hearing aids off, replace them back immediately
- Practice inserting and removing the hearing aid(s)
- Look for sign that the child is outgrowing the earmolds- feedback (whistling will occur when the earmold no longer fits properly and a new mold is needed)
What to Do Every Day
- Inspect the hearing aids
- Check the earmolds, tubes and hooks for sign of moisture, dirt and dust
- Listen to your child’s hearing aids through a stethoscope before the aids are worn
- Turn the hearing aid on and say the following five sounds: “oo” as in moon, “ah” as in father, “ee” as in key, “sh” as in shoe, “s” as in say
- The vowel sounds should sound clear and no distortion should be present for the “sh” and “s” sounds
- If you notice a problem, refer to troubleshooting or consult your audiologist
What to Do at Night
- Open the battery compartment to turn your hearing aid off
- Check the battery with a battery tester
- Discard any dead batteries
- Check the earmold for wax, remove any wax, wipe the mold with a damp cloth; do not use alcohol because it will dry out the earmold
- Store the hearing aid in a dry aid kit and put it away from extreme heat or cold
- Charge your rechargeable hearing aids nightly
What Never to Do
- Never put your child’s hearing aid back in his/her ears after a repair without first having the audiologist check/reprogram hearing aid settings
- Do not allow your child to wear the hearing aids in the shower or while swimming
- Don’t leave your hearing aids within reach of little children or pets
Would you like us to assess your child’s hearing?
Our audiologists assess hearing using tests that are safe, painless and easy to administer.
