Bone anchored hearing aids (BAHAs) can be worn by people of all ages, from babies through to the elderly. In this blog, we’ll take a closer look at the benefits of BAHAs and what you need to know about hearing aid headbands for babies.
Can Babies Wear a BAHA?
The short answer to this is yes! Many babies can and do wear BAHA headbands. If it’s identified that your baby would benefit from a bone-anchored hearing aid, the sooner they start to wear their hearing aid, the better. This is because hearing loss can directly affect a child’s language acquisition, i.e. how they learn to speak, understand others and read and write. So if your child’s audiology team believes they would benefit from a BAHA, then they will want to trial this sooner, rather than later.
BAHA Implants Vs BAHA Headbands
A bone-anchored hearing aid can be worn as a surgically fitted implant or on an external BAHA headband.
As babies are too young to undergo the surgery required for a BAHA implant, a BAHA headband will always be used in the first instance. Not only does this help the audiology team confirm whether this type of hearing aid will be useful for your child but it also means that babies and young children who aren’t yet old enough to undergo surgery can still benefit from having access to improved hearing while they wait to be old enough to have the operation.
For some babies or children, surgery may not be an option for various reasons or the child may decide later down the line that they don’t want to have the surgery. In which case, a BAHA headband means they can still experience sound through the use of an external BAHA instead.
What to Expect If Your Baby Needs a Bone Anchored Hearing Aid
Your baby will be offered a trial of a BAHA worn on a headband to see if this improves their hearing and to help them with early language development.
It’s important to be aware that getting used to wearing a BAHA headband can take time. This is true regardless of your age but the adjustment period can present particular challenges for the parents of babies and toddlers. Older children will have a better understanding of what their BAHA is, how it works and how it will benefit them. They can be reasoned with and have some say in what they want their BAHA headband to look like. Additionally, if they’re having difficulties with their new hearing aid, they’ll be more likely to be able to express this to their parents and carers. Babies, on the other hand, are oblivious to all this. All they know is that they suddenly have something new on their heads! This means it can take babies a little longer to adjust to their new BAHA than it might an older child, teen or adult.
It’s also important to remember that as well as getting used to the physical sensation of wearing the headband itself, your baby will also be adjusting to suddenly being able to hear sounds that they couldn’t previously. This can be a little overwhelming to begin with and your baby may become overstimulated more quickly than usual. They might seem a little unsettled or more tired and grumpy than usual while they adapt to this change in their senses.
None of this means that their new BAHA won’t work out or that they won’t tolerate it longer-term. It simply requires a little patience and a period of adjustment – both for you and your baby!
When your baby first starts wearing a bone-anchored hearing aid, begin by introducing the headband without the processor so they can get used to the feel of it on their head without the added sound. Once they’ve adjusted to the band itself, you can then introduce their BAHA processor. Build up gradually so that initially, your baby only wears their hearing aid for short periods. It’s best to do this when they are sitting up, ideally when out and about in a pram or car seat when they’ll be distracted by what’s going on around them and less likely to notice their BAHA headband or try to pull it off! Over time, you can increase the amount of time that your baby wears their BAHA until they are happy wearing it for longer periods.
Make sure that your baby’s headband is comfortable and well-fitting and consider the placement of the processor. It’s usually recommended that BAHA wearers have their processors sitting over the mastoid bone (the large bone behind the ear). However, babies who can’t yet sit up will spend much of their time lying flat and if their processor is on their mastoid bone this can cause unpleasant feedback issues. Instead, very young babies can wear their BAHA processor on their forehead for better results and a more comfortable experience.
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If you’ve been looking for hearing aid headbands for babies, we hope this blog has helped! You can view our full range of BAHA headbands and accessories here. All of our BAHA headbands are suitable for babies and we also have accessories, such as BAHA hats for babies.