Getting accustomed to hearing aids can be challenging especially for kids. The world of hearing may be a whole new and scary experience for your impaired child, here are 5 ways to help your child adjust to hearing aids.
As a parent, you always want to keep your kids safe and comfortable. Helping your child to embrace their new hearing aids will keep them interested and willing to try. Struggling with your child and their hearing aid can frustrate parents and children.
With guidance and advice from hearing professionals like the experts at HearCanada, you can introduce your child to the exciting world of hearing. Here is a closer look at how you can help your child adjust to their new hearing aids.
Make Them Comfortable
If your kid is very active, use hearing retainers or a headband to keep the device in place. Alternatively, if your kid seems to be removing them because they’re noisy or uncomfortable, you can try these:
- Put on the earmolds after warming them in your hands for a couple of minutes. The softer they are, the more comfortable they will be.
- Continuing problems should be discussed with their audiologist.
- Make sure your child’s devices are not too loud by monitoring volume settings.
Personalize Them
Children’s hearing aids can be found in various fun prints and vibrant colors. Your child can also decorate their device with stickers you can buy. When these personal touches can be added to hearing aids, a child is likely to be more enthusiastic about them.
Personalizing the hearing aids to reflect your child’s personality may help them be more confident. Decorated hearing aids may also be noticed favorably by your child’s classmates, normalizing them and encouraging acceptance.
Offer Incentives
Getting used to wearing hearing aids regularly will take time for your child. When this process is taking place, you shouldn’t be afraid to offer rewards to them. Give them snacks, stickers, or small toys when they wear their devices for a while. Also, praise them for keeping their hearing aids on all day. This kind of positive reinforcement will help.
Community Involvement
If your child is able to feel comfortable wearing cochlear devices or hearing aids, then he or she may be more likely to wear one when meeting other people with hearing loss. By meeting others that wear similar devices, your child can see that others share their disability and are thriving. You can look in your own community or online to find groups that can offer you support and advice. Participating in a community allows both parents and children to learn and adapt.
Make It Fun
Kids are much more likely to get on board with their hearing aids if parents make it fun. Remind them about how much more interesting it is when they can hear. You can create a game that involves the insertion of the hearing devices or sing a song then helps them to stay calm during the process.
It is not uncommon for children to be fussy about changes. Follow these tips to help your child adapt quickly to their new hearing aids.
