Your child's first set of hearing aids represents a major milestone in the exciting journey of learning to hear, listen, and speak. Since the experience of using hearing aids is a new and important addition to your child's daily routine, it helps to have some tried and true tips from other parents and pediatric audiologists. Below are ten of my favorite strategies for getting your child off to a successful start with wearing their new hearing aid.

1) Establish a routine time for putting the hearing aids on each day. It is helpful to spend some time holding, cuddling, smiling and talking with your child the first time you put their hearing aids on to develop a positive association with the hearing aids.

2) Most babies and young children are curious about their hearing aids and will try to pull them off of their ears. When you notice the hearing aid has been removed, immediately place it back in your child's ears and be consistent in letting them know it needs to stay in their ear. The goal is consistent daily use for all of your child's waking hours.

3) Some parents use a snug soft cap or bonnet to keep the child from pulling the hearing aids off. Soft cotton pilot caps to hold child hearing aids in place can be obtained from: http://www.hannaandersson.com/home.asp.

4) Child hearing aids can be stabilized on the ears with Huggie Aids^™. A soft rubber ring circles around the child's ear and is attached to the hearing aids to secure them in place. Many parents have found Huggie Aids to be an ideal solution for hearing aid retention. Huggie Aids vary in size and will need to be changed as your child's ear grows.

5) Toupee or wig tape can be attached to the hearing aids and used to keep the hearing aid stable and secure behind the child's ear. The tape should be changed often and the child's skin should be checked regularly for signs of redness or irritation.

6) Your child's audiologist can experiment with using a smaller tone hook size to assure the fit is comfortable and stable. Also, the tubing and earmolds should be regularly checked to assure they are the proper size and length for rapidly growing ears. If the earmolds appear to be loose or are whistling, it is probably time for replacement. Young children may need new earmolds every three months.

7) Child hearing aid clips with fun and whimsical designs can be clipped to your child's shirt and short string will attach to the hearing aid. If the hearing aid drops off, the hearing aid is safely attached to your child's clothing. Hearing aid clips in a variety of designs can be obtained from: http://www.westone.com/.

8) Hearing aids and earmolds can be obtained in a variety of colors. Allowing your child to participate in the selection process and to choose their favorite color is often very motivating for toddlers and pre-school-aged children.

9) Demonstrate to all of your child's caregivers how to change the hearing aid batteries and adjust the volume to a comfortable listening level for your child. Make sure they understand how to insert and remove the hearing aids.

10) Moisture in the hearing aids can affect sound quality and performance of the hearing aids. The battery doors of the hearing aids should be opened every night and the hearing aids should be placed in a Dri-Aid™ kit to remove moisture.

Many parents find having the support and encouragement of other parents of children with hearing loss to be a valuable resource. Ask your audiologist to introduce you other families and for recommendations about local or state support groups for families of children with hearing loss.