Even for adults, hearing aid fittings can be stressful. They’re lengthy appointments that require a lot of patience, tinkering and learning. The appointment for a child who is about to receive hearing aids or assistive listening devices might bring even up even more anxiety. The child might be afraid of going to a medical professional, may have a difficult articulating their needs and may feel overwhelmed.

Luckily, there are several things parents and guardians can do to make the process easier for the child. Remember, preparing for the appointment is one of the best ways to ease any concerns you or your child might have. Read the tips below to help you and your child feel better prepared for a hearing aid fitting.

This won’t hurt a bit

A child’s greatest concern about going to any sort of health professional is likely the fear of experiencing pain. This is where you can be of great assurance to them; unless there is something unique and complex about your child’s hearing aid fitting – ask your audiologist if you aren’t sure – fittings don’t hurt.

Pregame the process

If you have a young child, chances are good you have a better communication rapport with them than just about any other adult, and you can use that to make the process easier. Get a list of questions the audiologist is planning to ask the little patient ahead of time, and ask them these questions yourself. You can also get to the bottom of secondary issues, such as ear pain, or add your own questions to the conversation yourself. This way, even if your child clams up at the audiologist, you’ll be ready to step in and answer the pertinent questions.

Until we meet again

One distinct disadvantage children have over adults with regards to hearing aids is that their ears are still growing, so refittings and new molds will have to happen with a certain amount of frequency. That’s why it’s important as a guardian to frame the audiologist appointments as a continuous process rather than a one-time thing. If your child is aware that they will be going back every so often, and learns the process is not a traumatic one, subsequent visits will be that much easier – especially if they know you are there with and for them, every step of the way.