Advice needed on restraining devices and daycare

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

I'm not sure I've posted since my daughter got her hearing aids 3

weeks ago. I'm delighted to report that she adjusted quickly and now

wears them pretty much all of the time without taking them out. Since

she is just 20 months, I was expecting a battle, but I guess she can

tell she is hearing better She was already talking before the

aids, but her babbling bumped up a couple notches almost immediately.

The cutest thing since the aids is when she 'sings'.

She just started daycare/preschool last week and we have been

experimenting with restraining devices, both " ear gear " and " critter

clips " . The ear gear seems to hold the aids very securely and also

clips very securely. But there almost isn't room behind her ear with

the added material and it seems like the cords are pulling too much

(the ear mold slips out ever so slightly over time). I also think I

am observing increased feedback when she has the ear gear on (could be

my imagination). It doesn't seem to bother her though.

The critter clips are much less bulky, but don't seem nearly as robust

as the ear gear. The first one we bought broke on about the 3rd

wearing (the plastic sleeve that creates the loop fell off). We got a

replacement, so we will see if the first one was a fluke. The string

from the critter clips hangs over the side of her ears, which doesn't

seem to bother her, but looks like it could be annoying to me and

maybe even get caught on things.

At home we don't use either and we haven't had any problems since she

got used to the aids and stopped trying to take them out. The

possible risk there is that they are pretty much invisible under her

hair, so we forget about them. She's already been put in the bath

with them in once (fortunately we noticed before pouring water over

her head!).

So here are my questions:

1. Do you feel a restraining device is a _must_ in a daycare situation?

2. What are your experiences with ear gear/critter clips on really

small kids? (Maddy is 20 months, but on the tiny side) Does one work

better than the other? Are there other alternatives you like even better?

3. Does a hearing aid ever just fall out? Which leads to the

question: should we wear the restraining devices all the time (even at

home)?

4. At what age are these devices unnecessary?

Thanks for your inputs!

DD Madeline (20 months, bilateral mild-moderate SNHL)

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I'm glad to hear that she is adjusting so well to the aids. It's always

reasuring when the kids adapt to them so well.

My daughter was almost 3 when she got her aids, so I'm not sure if my info

will be helpful or not.

We got something like a critter clip when we got her hearing aids. They came

in our Phonax kit with all sorts of other goodies. We started having her wear

that whenever the aids were in. We never tried the ear gear because by the time

I had heard of them, we weren't using the clippy thing anymore. In the

beginning I was constantly checking to see if the aid was hanging by the cord.

That was never the case. Till this day (4 years later) I have never seen her

hearing aid just fall out. That's not to say it couldn't, it just hasn't

happened here. After a while of her wearing the clippy thing I noticed that the

part that was clipped to the back of her shirt was beginning to irritate her

skin. It was summer and it was rubbing on her back causing a small mark. So I

decided to stop using it in familiar places; home, grandmas house, etc. about

two months later. I still had her wear it when we went shopping, school, and

the park. She continued to wear it in those

places for the next six months or so. Then we just decided to stop using it

unless we were going to the park, and that stopped when she was 4.

Each kid is differnent so what worked for us, may not work for you. Although

was (and still is) an active kid, she never does anything daring where

the aids may be more prone to fall out.

Debbie, mom to , 7, moderate SNHL and , 4, hearing

Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others dream things that never were

and ask why not. G.B Shaw

---------------------------------

Stay in the know. Pulse on the new Yahoo.com. Check it out.

[Guest guest]

I do daycare at home, and Ian doesn't wear the Ear Gear at home. He just

started refusing.

So, I say, if they daycare goes outside the house, yes, wear them. If not, if

she loses them there, they are THERE, so it really shouldn't be too much of a

problem.

I am not sure why there wouldn't be room with the ear gear? Did you get the

infant size? Maybe it is just Ian's big head that houses them well?! And Ear

Gear shouldn't really cause any feedback. So I am not sure what would be

causing that. The feedback would have to do with the ear mold. How old are her

ear molds? I don't think they should be slipping out. I would check the fit.

Not much help, I know. Maybe someone else can help more?

Tawnya

Advice needed on restraining devices and daycare

Hi everyone,

I'm not sure I've posted since my daughter got her hearing aids 3

weeks ago. I'm delighted to report that she adjusted quickly and now

wears them pretty much all of the time without taking them out. Since

she is just 20 months, I was expecting a battle, but I guess she can

tell she is hearing better She was already talking before the

aids, but her babbling bumped up a couple notches almost immediately.

The cutest thing since the aids is when she 'sings'.

She just started daycare/preschool last week and we have been

experimenting with restraining devices, both " ear gear " and " critter

clips " . The ear gear seems to hold the aids very securely and also

clips very securely. But there almost isn't room behind her ear with

the added material and it seems like the cords are pulling too much

(the ear mold slips out ever so slightly over time). I also think I

am observing increased feedback when she has the ear gear on (could be

my imagination). It doesn't seem to bother her though.

The critter clips are much less bulky, but don't seem nearly as robust

as the ear gear. The first one we bought broke on about the 3rd

wearing (the plastic sleeve that creates the loop fell off). We got a

replacement, so we will see if the first one was a fluke. The string

from the critter clips hangs over the side of her ears, which doesn't

seem to bother her, but looks like it could be annoying to me and

maybe even get caught on things.

At home we don't use either and we haven't had any problems since she

got used to the aids and stopped trying to take them out. The

possible risk there is that they are pretty much invisible under her

hair, so we forget about them. She's already been put in the bath

with them in once (fortunately we noticed before pouring water over

her head!).

So here are my questions:

1. Do you feel a restraining device is a _must_ in a daycare situation?

2. What are your experiences with ear gear/critter clips on really

small kids? (Maddy is 20 months, but on the tiny side) Does one work

better than the other? Are there other alternatives you like even better?

3. Does a hearing aid ever just fall out? Which leads to the

question: should we wear the restraining devices all the time (even at

home)?

4. At what age are these devices unnecessary?

Thanks for your inputs!

DD Madeline (20 months, bilateral mild-moderate SNHL)

[Guest guest]

I can't really help with this because Ian never used them. But I have to say

that the title of this thread had me snorting my coffee this morning.

All I could think was, yeah, I needed a restraining device when was a

toddler. A leash would have been good in some settings. Man, that child could

run!

LOL ... thanks for the morning giggle, even if it was completely off topic.

Jill

[Guest guest]

My son, who is 4, goes to fullday daycare/preschool. He doesn't wear any

restraining device. He is good about his heairng aids - doesn't try to

remove them or anything like that. I have never seen a hearing aid just

" fall out " . However, my son did lose a hearing aid last Christmas - not in

school, but in a store wrestling with his older brother (they were being

really bad, and rolling around on the floor). My husband was with them, and

didn't notice that the hearing aid was out until much later. By then it was

too late.

In a daycare situation, where there are likely to be several teachers and

caregivers, make sure that everyone knows how to remove and insert the

hearing aids. And make sure there is one central location that they get put,

so everyone knows where to find them. At our daycare, the hearing aids are

removed at swim time and nap time, so coordination is essential.

Bonnie

[Guest guest]

Our son has been wearing OTE hearing aids since he was

11mo--11 years ago. We've never used any restraining

devices for his hearing aids--in fact, I've never even

heard of critter clips--boy, I feel old sometimes.

The one recommendation that the audiologist did make

was to attach fishing line to the hearing aids, and

use a safety pin to attach the line to son's collar.

That way, if the aids did come out for some reason,

they wouldn't be lost. That was useful during the

period when he discovered he could take them out

himself, but once that phase was over, it really

wasn't necessary.

Our son is very active, both inside and out, but I've

never seen an aid just fall out on its own. They do

get a little lose when he has outgrown the earmolds,

but never to the point that they bounce out.

Kiminy

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Hi - we got a 'restraining device' from our audiologist called 'safe 'n

sounds'. I've had several (they come in lots of colors) and only one has

broken in 2 years. They were vital when my daughter took her aids out

constantly. Now she only takes them out when she's really tired, but I

still find it reassuring to use.

Mara (mom of Ally, 2 yo, mod/sev loss, HA)

Re: Advice needed on restraining devices and daycare

My son, who is 4, goes to fullday daycare/preschool. He doesn't wear any

restraining device. He is good about his heairng aids - doesn't try to

remove them or anything like that. I have never seen a hearing aid just

" fall out " . However, my son did lose a hearing aid last Christmas - not in

school, but in a store wrestling with his older brother (they were being

really bad, and rolling around on the floor). My husband was with them, and

didn't notice that the hearing aid was out until much later. By then it was

too late.

In a daycare situation, where there are likely to be several teachers and

caregivers, make sure that everyone knows how to remove and insert the

hearing aids. And make sure there is one central location that they get put,

so everyone knows where to find them. At our daycare, the hearing aids are

removed at swim time and nap time, so coordination is essential.

Bonnie

[Guest guest]

Thanks for your note...I hadn't noticed how hysterical that title

sounds if you think a little different. I'm am totally giggling!

>

> I can't really help with this because Ian never used them. But I

have to say

> that the title of this thread had me snorting my coffee this

morning.

>

> All I could think was, yeah, I needed a restraining device when

was a

> toddler. A leash would have been good in some settings. Man, that

child could

> run!

>

> LOL ... thanks for the morning giggle, even if it was completely

off topic.

> Jill

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

The first day wore his HAs to school he lost one on the way to the

babysitters...he was with someone else, so I can't pinpoint where it

went, but nonetheless, we order a new one that Oticon replaced for

free....Since then they've been much better about staying in and

knows when they are in right and how to get them that way....He did lose

one a few weeks ago that he says a friend of his took out, for which he

was very mad at Jake, but we found it jsut after I submitted the claim

to State Farm. So we cancelled the claim and his HA worked just fine.

It had been in a pole barn for 2 weeks...

We just added on the boots for his FM system and he told me first thing

" the other kids can't touch these, we don't want to lose them! "

;-)

________________________________

From: Listen-Up [mailto:Listen-Up ] On

Behalf Of marabd

Sent: Monday, September 11, 2006 2:39 PM

To: Listen-Up

Subject: RE: Advice needed on restraining devices and

daycare

Hi - we got a 'restraining device' from our audiologist called 'safe 'n

sounds'. I've had several (they come in lots of colors) and only one has

broken in 2 years. They were vital when my daughter took her aids out

constantly. Now she only takes them out when she's really tired, but I

still find it reassuring to use.

Mara (mom of Ally, 2 yo, mod/sev loss, HA)

Re: Advice needed on restraining devices and

daycare

My son, who is 4, goes to fullday daycare/preschool. He doesn't wear any

restraining device. He is good about his heairng aids - doesn't try to

remove them or anything like that. I have never seen a hearing aid just

" fall out " . However, my son did lose a hearing aid last Christmas - not

in

school, but in a store wrestling with his older brother (they were being

really bad, and rolling around on the floor). My husband was with them,

and

didn't notice that the hearing aid was out until much later. By then it

was

too late.

In a daycare situation, where there are likely to be several teachers

and

caregivers, make sure that everyone knows how to remove and insert the

hearing aids. And make sure there is one central location that they get

put,

so everyone knows where to find them. At our daycare, the hearing aids

are

removed at swim time and nap time, so coordination is essential.

Bonnie

[Guest guest]

Hello, !

is 8 - a bit older than your sweetie-pea. He is, however, a total

klutz, which is a big part of why he wears Ear Gear with his TransEar.

(This is the same kid who went through four pairs of eyeglasses frames in

the first 2 *months* that he was outfitted with glasses this spring.)

And, to be honest, we used the Ear Gear as a way for to have some

control over the whole " getting a hearing aid " process. Jill said in a

different thread that her family used ear mold colors as a way for Ian to

take ownership of his hearing aid experience, which is something we'd hoped

to do. Unfortunately, the TransEar only comes in brown. But since the Ear

Gear comes in something like 17 different colors and color combos, was

able to pick one that he thought would be spiffy. He's now the kid with the

" Hot Wheels " Ear Gear (it's a red/orange combo), and he really likes it.

Something else to think about it - if your daughter would ever want to get

involved with something like soccer, your sports organization may require

the hearing aid to be tethered. In 's soccer league, all players

wearing glasses have to have them tethered with a sports strap, and 's

Ear Gear qualifies as his " hearing aid " tether.

Just my two cents (heck - this was long - make it four cents!),

Kris

Mom to (8, Profound/Complete SNL, Left Ear) and Ethan (7, hearing)