Hearing Device Wear Time for Kids: Why Full Time Use Matters

Think of your child’s hearing aids or cochlear implants as brain access devices. Each device is specially programmed by the pediatric audiologist to help your child have the best possible access to all the brain building conversations in their life.

One of the most important things you can do to support your child with hearing loss is to make sure they wear their hearing aids or cochlear implants during all waking hours.

How does wear time support listening and spoken language?

It’s all about the brain. A baby is born with about 100 billion brain cells. When a child has lots of listening and interaction time with caregivers, these brain cells connect with each other to create pathways in their brain that are needed for a child to learn to listen, talk, and read.

The more your child wears their hearing aids or cochlear implants, the more words they’ll hear, and the stronger the connections and pathways will become. This is true whether your child is 1 month old or 5 years old.

How much time should my child wear their hearing devices each day? 

For children with hearing loss to reach their full potential and develop listening, talking, and reading skills, wearing hearing aids or cochlear implants during all waking hours is key. Research shows that children who wear their hearing devices 10+ hours per day have better spoken language outcomes.¹

How to Set Wear Time Habits

Setting daily habits to keep devices on your little one’s ears during all waking hours may feel challenging as a busy parent, but your efforts will make a big difference for your child’s future!

Here are some tried-and-true methods to help you keep your child’s hearing devices on during all waking hours.

• Build a habit. Set your goal and build a habit of having your child wear their hearing devices during all waking hours. Remember: when their eyes are open, their hearing devices are on too. Make “Eyes Open, Ears On” your mantra every day.
• Keep going. Little ones are naturally curious and love to test the limits. It’s normal for many children to pull off their devices, or they might fall off – you are not alone! If your child keeps pulling off their devices, try not to make it a big moment. Simply and calmly put it back on each time. Each effort adds up and makes a difference! Try these tips and tricks for keeping devices on little ears.
• Spread the word. Make sure everyone who spends time with your child knows why wearing devices all day is so important and how to help keep them on properly. Learn more ways to work with family members and caregivers to maximize wear time.
• Talk with your team. Work closely with your pediatric audiologist and Listening and Spoken Language (LSL) interventionist to keep your child’s hearing devices on during all waking hours.

Get a Helpful Reminder to Support Your Goals

If you’d like an easy way to share wear-time tips with your child’s caregivers (or even hang a reminder on your fridge!), download this helpful handout.

Hear from an Expert

Watch the video below to learn more about how to make wear time a reality.