The Staying Sane Guide to Keeping Hearing Aids In Your Baby and Toddler

 

How do you keep your child’s hearing aids in? I get this question all the time. But if you are anything like me, you know you’re really asking, how do I stay sane and keep my kids hearing aids in? Because we all know that keeping hearing aids in a baby and toddler can drive anybody out of their mind. So, if there is anything that you take away from this post, please let it be this – you are not alone. And if you are looking for honest insight from a fellow momma in the trenches, read on.  

 

On top of my children loving to hide or throw their hearing aids in random places, my daughter hated to wear them for pretty much the first 2 years of her life. I felt so much guilt over the fact that I could not keep Sayge’s hearing aids in all the time.  Pilot Hats were by far the best solution for Sayge . But even that stopped working when she could reach in and grab the hearing aids out. Well-meaning therapists and audiologists will have tips and tricks, but I am here to offer the staying sane guide to keeping hearing aids in baby’s and toddlers. Because, let’s be honest, there are days when NOTHING will work.

This guide really just what ended up working for us as a family.  This simple process helped me feel like I was doing my job as a mom while staying sane and not losing my mind. Now I understanding that some kiddos don’t have this issues and keep their hearing aids in. However, my kiddos did not fall into that category. For me to survive I had to admit I was trying to live up to unrealistic expectation. I wanted my children’s hearing aids in from morning to night. I wanted them to love them and not pull on them or rip them apart. Is that too much to ask? Well, yes, while it was a great dream, it wasn’t realistic. If I was going to stay sane, I had to modify my expectations.  So here is what I did…

• • Step 1 – I made it a goal to attempt to put my children’s hearing aids in every single day. 
  • Step 2 – If she takes them out, I offer to put them back in (I never force). Sometimes she wanted them out; sometimes I think they just flipped off.  So there were times when she let me put them back in, while other times she refused. 
  • Step 3 – If she refuses, let that be okay for the moment and try again at another time. 
  • Step 4 – Remind yourself it will get better. Your child will wear them eventually. It might not be today, or even tomorrow. But there will be a day when it clicks. It may be sudden, or it might be subtle, but it will happen. 

Some days she had them in for most the day, some days it was 10 minutes. In the meantime, we learned some sign language to help bridge our communication gap. I used strategies like signing songs, distraction, or having someone else put them in besides myself. Sometimes that worked and sometimes that didn’t. There was never one full proof answer. I had to be flexible and flow with her. 

I know it is hard. It’s a kind of hard that only another Momma with children with hearing loss can truly grasp.  Give yourself grace. Give your children grace. What is right for other kids might not be right for your kid. You are their mom, and you know best. Do what works for your family.