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Playing Audiologist: How We Use Pretend Play to Prepare Our Hard of Hearing Baby for Doctor's Visits
Classic toy doctor kits make perfect audiology sets. Here's what we do with each tool—and why this kind of pretend play has made a real difference at appointments.
Why Pretend Play and Audiology Go Together
Our daughter's audiologist is one of the most important people in her life—she's there at least every few months, sometimes more. That's a lot of appointments for a toddler to process.
Young children manage unfamiliar experiences through play. When they play out something scary or confusing—a doctor's visit, a new teacher, a move to a new house—they're rehearsing it on their own terms. Audiologist appointments tend to have a recurring cast of props: the otoscope, foam and syringe for earmold impressions, sound booth toys. A toy doctor's kit, it turns out, contains rough versions of many of these things.
So we started playing audiologist. Here's what we do.
How We Use Each Tool
Our doctor's kit came with six or seven tools. Here's how we reimagined some of these for an audiology session:
The otoscope — This one is the most obvious. In a real audiology appointment, the audiologist uses an otoscope to look into the ear before fitting earmolds. We use the toy version to check our doll's ears before "fitting" her hearing aids.
The thermometer — We reimagine this as the small tool the audiologist uses to push a cotton blocker into the ear canal before making an earmold impression. The shape is just right for demonstrating that step.
The syringe or needle — This becomes the device used to inject foam into the ear for an earmold impression.
The stethoscope — We could repurpose this as the headphones from the sound booth. Or even the headset used by your child for bone conducted hearing tests.
The blood pressure cuff or other accessories — Anything elastic or wrapping works as a hearing aid mold or a hearing aid bonnet.
The goal isn't medical accuracy—it's familiarity. When our daughter has played "audiologist" thirty times and walked through the foam and the otoscope and the headphones in a warm, playful context, the real appointment feels like a place she already knows.
Doctor Kits You Can Use
Luckily, classic “doctor” toy sets can be easily reimagined as specialized “audiology” sets! (Extra perfect with dolls and stuffed animals who use hearing devices!)
The 25-piece Get Well Doctor Kit from Melissa & Doug features plenty of toys well suited for audiology pretend play.
Playing the Whole Appointment
We set up a "booth"—a small blanket over a chair or a cardboard box works well—or just a corner of a room—and walk through the visit in sequence: check-in, inspecting the ears, hearing test with stethoscope headphones, taking earmold impressions. We narrate everything, using real words: "Now the audiologist is going to look in your ear. Does it feel okay? Great. Now let's test your hearing."
Turn-taking matters here. She checks our ears, we check hers. She tests our hearing, we test the doll's. The repetition on both sides of the role builds familiarity faster than one-sided play.
We also model the emotions: "This part is a little weird—the foam feels cold! But it's okay, it'll be done soon." Giving language to the sensations she'll feel at a real appointment reduces the surprise when they happen.
Pair It With Toys That Already Wear Devices
If you want to take the play further, give the audiologist a patient who already wears hearing devices. Our roundup of dolls and toys with hearing aids and cochlear implants covers ready-made options across every price range. Or if you'd rather make one, we have two quick DIY methods: felt hearing aids sewn directly onto a stuffed animal in about 15 minutes, and a bead-and-headband method for a more detailed look. A doll with hearing aids makes the whole appointment feel complete—and gives your child someone to practice advocating for.
