A few summers ago, I had one of my worst nightmares come true.

My hearing aids got wet.

When it happened, it was like super slow motion, as gravity pulled me into the pool. I tried to find some way to keep my head above water.  I flailed my arms and kicked away I can only imagine my face being covered in sheer terror. 

I never thought they would survive.

Handing over control can encourage independence and foster confidence in your child who has hearing loss and wears hearing aids or cochlear implants. But it isn’t always clear when is the best time to start this process.

When can a child start to care for their own hearing aids? First things first, I think we do know when it’s too early. 

Bedtime for any baby or toddler can be a stressful time of the day, but this can be more so for a deaf child.

The thought of having to remove their hearing equipment, whether it is hearing aids or a cochlear implant can be a daunting thought. I am one of those mums who believes in routine. I’m not terribly strict with it, but I believe children thrive with a bit of structure to their day. This is why we have put a particular routine in place to help our little boy Harry, who is profoundly deaf without his cochlear implants, feel safe and comfortable when it comes to going to sleep. 

Here are my tips for establishing a bedtime routine for deaf children:

It is finally summer, which means wading pools, sprinklers and road trips to the beach. But can your deaf child enjoy the water just as much as any other kid, even with his cochlear implant? 

All children should be able to enjoy getting wet, running through the water and generally enjoying the great outdoors in the summer!  For parents of children with cochlear implants however, the thought of water can ring alarm bells. 

Whether your child has a waterpoof cochlear implant, such as the Advanced Bionics Neptune processor, or another hearing technology, there are ways to ensure your deaf child has a great summer. Here are my Cochlear Implant Care Tips that can make summer enjoyable and carefree for everyone. 

Ask Anna is a weekly advice column for the hearing loss community. 

Dear Anna,

I read that batteries should be removed from hearing aids at night. I have been leaving them in with the door open and placing the hearing aids in a dehumidifier overnight. Should I be taking the batteries out? Should the batteries be inside or outside of the dehumidifier? Thank you for your input. – Bob

As a parent of a hearing impaired child, taking good care of your kid’s hearing aids automatically becomes part of your daily ritual. Besides the hygienic aspect, protecting these valuable devices also prevents damage and allows them to have a longer life cycle.

A cochlear implant may look incredibly simple to put on and take off but the assembly behind them and the care that they need can be a little overwhelming, especially on a baby or toddler!

When we were first sent home with the full Advanced Bionics kit we wondered where on earth we were going to store all of this stuff (and whether we would actually need half the things in the box day-to-day).

One of the most common accidents with hearing aids is a pet thinking it’s lunch.*

If you Google the phrase “pets eating hearing aids,” you will find endless articles and pet shaming photographs detailing this horror. No matter how often I read these stories however, I never believed it would happen to me.