Build Daily Hearing Device Routines for Kids: Tips for Parents

Habits help all of us! Think about washing your hands and brushing your teeth – those habits probably feel automatic now, but at one point, they were brand new and took practice.

Building habits happens through repetition, reminders, and reflection! You practice the routine, set up helpful reminders, and check in to see how it’s going. And before you know it, something that you want to do has become something natural that you do! This is especially true for children with hearing loss wearing their hearing devices all waking hours! It takes repetition, reminders, and reflection to help your little one wear their hearing devices – but with a few simple steps you can be on your way to making this a natural habit for you and your child!

Why Is Wear Time a Worthwhile Habit?
Children with hearing loss need consistent access to conversations and sounds during all the hours that they are awake for their brains to learn to listen, talk, and later on – read! Every hour, every routine, and every effort you make truly adds up over time.

Think of “all waking hours” as brain-building time for your little one! Remember – everyday routine moments like talking, playing, and singing play a big role in helping your child’s brain grow. So, building daily habits to keep hearing devices on your child’s little ears helps them learn all day long!

Pro Parent Tip: Remember, “Eyes Open, Ears On!” When your child’s eyes are open, their hearing devices should be on too, so they can hear all the important sounds around them!

Tips for Building Your Daily Habit
Make It Clear and Simple
Create clear and simple reminders! This may look like a wake-up routine or a special place just for hearing devices, to help you remember to put hearing devices on your little one as soon as they wake up. Your child will quickly learn that waking up means devices on, and devices on means they’re ready to listen and learn!

Try it out:

• Say “Eyes Open, Ears On!” every morning as your cue. Place sticky notes around the house to keep this motto on top of mind.
• Keep all hearing devices in one clear place like a small shelf, basket, or tray.
• Pair putting devices on with a morning routine you already do like a diaper change, getting dressed, or morning hugs.

Make It Meaningful
Connect hearing device wear time to your hopes and goals for your child! These goals may be that your child

• Learns new words
• Joins conversations
• Talks and play with friends
• Or a number of others!
• Try keeping these goals front and center, so they can remind you of the meaningful purpose behind wear time!

Try it out:

• Keep a short list of motivators written down on your phone or on sticky notes: “I want my child to talk with their friends.” “I want them to love reading.” “I want to help them have every chance to learn.”
• Celebrate small wins – “They pointed to their ear when they heard a sound!” Share wins like this with family, friends, caregivers, your LSL professional, audiologist, or even other families of children with hearing loss.
• Use this vision board and goal setting worksheet to write out your goals and celebrate each exciting milestone along the way.

These motivations help wear time feel purposeful, not stressful! Source