Children lose everything. Their shoes, favorite blankets and homework often end up in a void of forever lost items—and hearing aids are no exception. Approximately 34 million children worldwide present with hearing loss requiring treatment or rehabilitation. If your child is among those recently diagnosed with this condition, it’s natural to worry about how they will adapt to and care for hearing aids.
Let’s look at a few essential tips to help your child embrace and keep track of their new devices.
Make Sure Their Hearing Aids Are Comfortable
Just as in-ear headphones cause soreness after prolonged wear, your child may find all-day hearing aid use uncomfortable. If they are uncomfortable, they are bound to remove their devices. A few ways you can make your child’s hearing aid experience more comfortable include:
- Start slow. Have your child wear their devices for a few hours with breaks in between.
- Clean their devices. Dirty devices can cause irritation and infection. Make sure to clean their devices every morning for more comfortable wear.
Get Them Excited About Wearing Hearing Aids
Getting your child excited about wearing hearing aids may seem impossible, but it can make a huge difference in helping them keep track of their devices. A few ways you can garner excitement include:
- Include them in the decision-making process. Children don’t always love to be told what to do. By including them in the device-selection process, you can give your child a sense of ownership and independence—making them more inclined to keep track of the hearing aids they worked so hard to pick out.
- Decorate their devices. Make their devices more personal by adding hearing aid stickers, funky case covers or brighter colors. Adding these touches will help your child get excited to show off and hang onto their new devices.
Demonstrate the Benefits of Hearing Aids
It may feel difficult for your child to grasp the importance of hanging onto their new devices when they don’t understand why they’re beneficial. Try a few of these tips to demonstrate the benefits of hearing aids, including:
- Take them to the playground. A day at Maple Street Playground is the perfect opportunity to demonstrate how your child’s new devices can help them interact with their peers.
- Watch a movie. Your child won’t want to lose the devices that brought clarity to their favorite movie.
- Join other hearing aid wearers. Look for groups in your city that bring together children with hearing loss. By seeing others wearing hearing aids, your child will start to understand the importance of their new devices.
By implementing a few of these strategies to get your child excited about hearing loss treatment, you can help them keep track of their new devices. To learn more about pediatric hearing loss, contact Sound Advice today to schedule an appointment with one of our specialists.