As parents, it’s our job to teach our kids habits that will keep them healthy for the rest of their lives. If you’re reading our blog, then you probably have some experience with hearing loss in your life, and so, it should be clear that it’s very important to set good habits that prevent your children, or grandchildren, from developing hearing loss.
A significant part of hearing loss is age-related, but a lot of early-onset hearing loss is simply a matter of not following certain best practices.
Here are five ways to teach your kids about hearing health and help to protect their hearing:
1. Keep the phone volume down
Loud music via headphones (or even worse, earbuds) is one of the main culprits of hearing loss in younger people. One good rule to set is that phones should always stay on half volume when listening to music via headphones. This can ensure the volume never gets to levels of being able to cause hearing damage.
2. Wear hearing protection during noisy activities
Many are surprised to find out that hearing protection is a best practice when doing everyday activities such as mowing the lawn or using power tools. This goes doubly so if you have hobbies like shooting or motorsports.
3. Wear hearing protection during concerts
By the time your child is attending loud concerns, he or she may be a teenager and less than willing to listen to your advice, but concerts are one of the places where our ears are most frequently exposed to loud sounds. Concerts are especially risky for the hearing of young people, who may attend several concerts a month.
4. Exercise and eat a healthy diet
Research is now showing that hearing health is about more than just taking care of our ears. It’s also affected by the overall health of the individual. So, make sure that your child is equipped with the knowledge and habits necessary to eat healthy and take care of themselves throughout their life.
5. Teach kids about the importance of hearing and hearing health
It’s easier for kids to appreciate something when they know how that thing works. Teach your kids about the hearing apparatus of the inner ear, how valuable hearing is, and how inconvenient it can be to suffer from hearing loss.
Extra: Lead by example. It’s one thing to tell your child what they should do, but we all know that kids learn best by example. So, the most important thing to do is for you yourself to protect your hearing and utilize these best practices, so that your kids can internalize these good habits.
We hope these tips help you set some healthy hearing habits with your children. If you suspect your child may suffer from hearing loss, reach out to us to get them tested!
