Preparing for Your Child’s Hearing Test (7 months - 4 years)
Imagine you are 3 years old and your mom or dad takes you to the doctor to get your hearing tested. When you walk in, a stranger tells you to go into a small room. They start sticking stuff in your ears and telling you to listen to all the sounds.
You don’t like things in your ears because your ears have been hurting. You start to cry. Your mom or dad gets frustrated because you have to be quiet for the hearing test.
Children don't know what to expect at a hearing test and it can be scary.
Preparing your child for what to expect can help to make the experience more pleasant for everyone. If the child is prepared, the examiner will likely be able to get more reliable results in a shorter time and avoid having to bring your child back for repeat testing.
There are several things that parents can do to prepare their child for a successful hearing test:
- Schedule the appointment for a time in the day when your child is likely to be alert and in a good mood.
- Bring something to help distract or sooth your child during times when they need to be quiet, like a favourite toy or a snack. Queuing up their favourite videos on YouTube can also be very helpful.
- If possible, consider not bringing other children to the appointment; you will be involved in the appointment (holding/playing with your child during the test) and the clinic may not have extra staff on hand to provide childcare to other children.
- Help your child get used to having something in the ears by puting headphones or earbuds on them while they are doing something they enjoy. You can play music through the headphones as long as it is not loud.
- Have your child repeat words to you. For example, ask them “say baseball, say hotdog, say ice cream”. If they are too young to repeat words, ask them “where is your nose? where is your mouth?” while having them listen and point.
- Bring their atention to sounds they may hear in the environment. If the telephone rings, say “Listen, do you hear that?”
- Practice playing the “listening game” with your child. Cover your mouth and say “beep, beep” softly and have them do something every time they hear it (i.e., toss a block into a bucket, put a piece in a puzzle).
You will be surprised how much of a difference these small things will make for your child when they have a hearing test.
Preparing in some of these ways will help the child feel more comfortable during the testing, cooperation will be improved, and the examiner will be able to get more reliable results from the child in order to properly assess their hearing.
Book Your Hearing Health Check Appointment
Book your appointment online, by calling 1-833-669-4425 for more appointment options and availability or by texting 226-220-7982
