By: Beth Rosales, Au.D, CCC-A.
As both an audiologist and a mother of 2 young children who wear hearing aids, I definitely understand that keeping hearing aids on your child can be a very difficult task. Young children and babies seem to love to get their hands on those hearing aids and pull them right out of their ears! I often hear from parents of babies and toddlers that they have tried to keep the hearing aids on their child, but it seems impossible. As a result the child doesn’t wear the hearing aids regularly, which means he or she is not hearing very well most of the time, and this will likely delay oral speech and language development.
When 2 of my boys ended up needing hearing aids, I knew I had to do everything I could to keep their hearing aids on their ears when they were awake. Well, I can say from personal experience that the struggle is very real when it comes to keeping hearing aids on young babies and children, but utilizing some helpful tools and tips can make it a lot easier.
Tip #1 – Pilot hats
This is best for babies up to 18 months old or so. I fell in love with pilot hats and here’s why you should too. Not only are they cute, but they will make your life so much easier!! For my boys, pilot hats worked better than anything else when they were very young. The pilot hats should be lightweight and ideally have mesh sides or very thin material that will not block the sound from entering the microphones of the hearing aids. It’s important to get a pilot hat that fits well. If it is too loose, then it will be too easy for your little one to get his hands under the hat.
Here are some great places to get pilot hats that work well with hearing aids:
- LilNells: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LilNells My personal favorite shop! The hats fit my sons very well, and she makes them with snap closures, as well as ties. I love the snap closure because they are harder for toddlers to undo (tie up closures can work too, but tie closures are easier for kids to play with and untie). The shop owner also has options with mesh sides available and unlined (thin) hats, both of which are good for hearing aids. She is great at making custom orders, so if you see a hat you like that doesn’t have mesh sides, send her a message to see if she can make it with mesh sides, or if you have an idea or color you’d like, just send her a message to see if it is possible. Hats cost about $15 – $18.
- Anchor Your Hearing shop: etsy.com/shop/AnchorYourHearing. These hats come with mesh sides which are very breathable so there won’t be too much material covering the microphones of the hearing aids. You can email the owner of the shop through etsy with any questions about orders, sizes, etc. Hats cost about $15-$18.
- Emmifaye shop: etsy.com/shop/emmifaye. Another etsy shop that sells pilot hats for hearing aids with mesh sides. Cost per hat is about $12.
- Hanna Anderson hannaandersson.com. These hats are also an option ($14 for the Pilot Cap – not the “winter” pilot caps which are lined, but rather the regular pilot caps which are thinner, not lined, and less expensive than the winter hats).
- Silkawear silkawear.com. Cost is about $28 per hat.
Tip #2 – Crochet type of Headbands
If pilot hats don’t work, but your child tolerates wearing headbands well, then consider trying crochet type of headbands (worn over the ear, somewhat like the mesh pilot hats). Some patients have found that tight fitting, crochet type of headbands are useful to hold the hearing aids on and these can sometimes be found at stores like Target or Walmart. They can also be found online at stores or on etsy.com.
Tip #3 – Toupee Tape
Hooray for toupee tape! Some children benefit from using toupee tape on the behind-the-ear part of the hearing aid. I use this on my 4-year-old son’s hearing aids when he has gymnastics class! It helps stop his hearing aids from flopping off his ears. This is basically like 2-sided tape that you can use on skin. You can cut the tape into a small square or rectangle to fit onto the hearing aid. Place the tape on the behind-the-ear hearing aid, and then tape it to the child’s head since it is meant for skin contact. Some people have found this helpful to use along with the hats or headbands. My 4-year-old no longer needs a pilot hat, so this is a nice solution for when he is doing sports activities. You likely need to replace the toupee tape daily or whenever you take the hearing aids off your child and then put them back on him. Toupee tape can be purchased at places like Sally’s Beauty Supply (local stores carry this). www.sallybeauty.com.
Tip #4 – Otoclips
I love otoclips! Otoclips are helpful in preventing the loss of hearing aids when a child pulls them off. An otoclip is attached to the hearing aid and it has a cord and clip that is attached the child’s clothing so that if the child pulls the hearing aid off, it will be hanging from the cord attached to the clothing.
Here are some websites that sell otoclips:
- Westone: www.westone.com. Search for “otoclip” and if your child wears one hearing aid, he will need “monaural” and if your child has 2 hearing aids, he will need “binaural”.
- ADCO Hearing: http://www.adcohearing.com/. Website offers a very large variety of tools for hearing aids and hearing loss, including otoclips (under “hearing aid supplies”, “clips and loss protection”).
- The Bebop Shop (etsy.com): https://www.etsy.com/shop/thebebopshop. Very cute otoclip options, as well as some matching hair clips.
For additional tips and resources, visit Hearinglikeme.com.
Tip #5 – Positive attitude
Have a positive attitude about your child’s hearing aids! Young children pick up on how their parents feel about things. Remember, hearing aids are a very good thing. Hearing aids will help your child hear speech and other sounds that they otherwise would not detect. This will help your child develop oral speech and language skills. So if oral communication is what you want for your child, then hearing aids will help them move toward reaching this goal. Hearing aids are wonderful things!
For more information on hearing services for children or adults, visit eastersealsdfvr.org/hearing.
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