Playground Tips for Parents of Toddlers with Hearing Loss

Like most toddler parents, we spend a ton of time at the playground. In NYC we have many great ones within walking distance. It's a part of our daily routine—winter, summer, rain or shine.

Hearing loss won't keep our 23-month old toddler from enjoying her playground, but it does give her parents a few more things to think about!

Here's how...

1. Hearing Loss Comes Up in Conversations

We enjoy helping people learn about our daughter's hearing loss, but let's just say it's not our icebreaker topic at the sandbox!

The topic comes up in all kinds of ways.

"So, are you starting to look into preschools for your daughter?"
It's hard for us to talk about preschool without mentioning special education. Some families live near great listening and spoken language-focused preschools. Their evaluation and application process is different from mainstream preschools, per state rules. Some parents of deaf children choose mainstream preschools. They may be thinking about how to arrange accommodations, such as Teachers of the Deaf and Speech Therapy services, with their child's mainstream school.

"What's that thing around your neck?"
Kids are curious about our daughter's assistive technology—especially her FM system/mini mic. It's a great opportunity to explain how it helps her hear.

"We just love your baby's bonnets! Where do you get them?"
This is a funny question to answer! Baby bonnet shopping feels like a lighthearted topic. In our experience, telling a stranger your baby is deaf can be... well... heavy stuff! We used bonnets for our baby's hearing aid retention, and happily shared the brand with anyone who was interested. When she's not wearing a bonnet or hat, her sparkly colorful hearing aids can't be missed!

"We love the way you're talking with your daughter about those plants!"
People notice us narrating to our hard of hearing daughter—at the park, the playground, the supermarket, on the street. We often explain why we're talking so much about broccoli, but sometimes we just say thanks!

2. The Playground Is a Narration Goldmine

We started narrating at the playground when our hard of hearing baby was an infant. We were sandbox sports announcers as the big kids dug tunnels and sculpted sandcastles. We practiced an auditory-first strategy—announcing things and then turning the stroller to bring them into view.

A playground outing opens up a world of fun for narration practice. It's a chance to use language for things and events less often found at home. Our favorite things to talk about include:

• Outdoor clothing—and dressing-related activities—like putting on hats, jackets, and mittens
• Action words to describe kids' activities—ball games, hopscotch, sprinkler parks
• Plants and animals
• Weather
• City noises—helicopters, sirens, airplanes, dogs barking
• Theory of mind—what emotions are kids feeling while they're playing?

Once toddlers start walking (and running!) around, you can beef up playground narration to include things they're interested in.

We also like to give our toddler lots of narration breaks. We pay attention to when she interacts with other kids—even if it's just moments of parallel play with other toddlers.

3. A Remote Microphone Changes Everything

We use a wireless remote microphone to help our daughter better hear us in the playground. Mom or Dad wears the microphone. It transmits right into her hearing aids.

These microphones are designed for difficult listening environments, in noise, and over distance. They're perfect for the playground with a toddler, where parents' voices compete against the sounds of kids playing.

The idea is to improve the quality of her conversations—but not to cut out other sounds. While the mic is on, our daughter still hears other sounds—such as kids' talking with her—because the microphones in her hearing aids remain on.

Our FM system helps us provide quality narration to our hard of hearing daughter at the playground. With an 80 foot range, it's also kind of a superpower! She can hear us while she plays further away— kicking around a ball, climbing stairs, pushing around toy strollers. Typically-hearing kids may hear parents' voices from these distances. We can't count on that. A FM system helps bridge the gap.

We also LOVE how the system helped our baby hear better in the cold NYC winter. She could be bundled up with a hearing aid bonnet and a hat, but still hear us.

The Phonak PartnerMic was our first remote microphone. We since upgraded to the Phonak Roger On. It's a full-fledged "FM System," and we enjoy its many new capabilities.

Interested in learning more? Check out Daisy Bell's review of the Phonak PartnerMic.

4. Hearing Aid Safety Is Always on Our Radar

Hearing aids are incredible devices, but things can go wrong! At the playground, we want to avoid them falling out and getting lost and/or damaged.

Our best precaution is our daughter's hearing aid retention device. Our preferred method through babyhood and early toddlerhood was the hearing aid bonnet, but there are other options. Some families use headbands, clips, and adhesive stickers.

To prevent loss, we check for our daughter's hearing aids when we leave the playground. We usually check once she gets into her stroller. As she gets older, we want to encourage self advocacy and will help her take over this responsibility. Maybe a new song is in order!

What happens if your child's hearing aids get lost or damaged? Some hearing aid companies include a replacement warranty to cover accidental loss or damage. It's worth looking up your warranty/replacement policy ahead of time so you can coordinate with your audiologist to replace the hearing aids if needed.

You might also consider getting a pair of backup hearing aids. Of course, insurance coverage varies. If your child's hearing aids were provided through Early Intervention, her health insurance benefit may remain available.

5. Water Is the One Thing We Take Seriously

Sprinkler parks! Rain! Water balloons! They're all on our mind because our toddler wears hearing aids at the playground. We want our daughter to enjoy those things as much as the other kids with minimal hassle.

Our toddler's hearing aids are water resistant, but we don't push our luck. Audiologists advise us not to get them wet.

This adorable waterproof rain hat from Reima is a lifesaver! The side flaps cover hearing aids well. It gives her great protection in light rain.

We only remove our toddler's hearing aids as a last resort. It's unavoidable if she's going to be getting drenched in a sprinkler. After the fun, we're careful not to put earmolds into a wet ear. We gently towel dry her ears before putting them back in.

Wary of ear infections, we keep our child's earmolds as dry as possible. Our nightly hearing aid maintenance routine includes blowing out moisture with an air puffer and storing hearing aids overnight in a drying beaker.