How Children Can Develop Hearing Loss

Hearing loss in childhood can develop in a number of ways. Some of these triggers are congenital, which are present when the child is born or occurs soon after birth. A few examples of congenital childhood hearing loss causes are:

• Low weight at birth

• Severe jaundice while a newborn

• Loss of oxygen at birth

• Drug use during pregnancy

• Infections during pregnancy (syphilis, maternal rubella, etc.)

There are also acquired causes that can trigger hearing loss in children. Some of the main causes of acquired hearing loss in children are:

• Injuries to the ear or head

• Infections such as measles, meningitis, or mumps

• Objects or earwax that block their ear canal

• Collected fluid in the ear

• Loud noise exposure

• Chronic ear infections, especially when left untreated

• Ototoxic medications

Ways Parents Can Protect Their Children’s Hearing

While the above lists can seem intimidating and a little scary, it isn’t a done deal that your child will have hearing loss. In many of these cases, parents can prevent hearing loss in their children by taking some simple hearing loss prevention steps.

Educate them on hearing protection – While young children may not understand in-depth conversations about hearing health, you can model hearing health care for them. Doing simple things like keeping the volume of the TV and car radio lower can help protect your child’s sensitive hearing.

For older children and teens, you should have conversations about listening safety and push for the use of over-the-ear headphones rather than earbuds. If you need some advice about how to approach these topics, our hearing specialist can help.

Have children vaccinated – Many of the diseases that can lead to hearing loss—along with other severe consequences—can be eliminated by having your child vaccinated. By working with your child’s pediatrician to get them vaccinated, you can protect your child from a host of medical issues in the future.

Use hearing protection for the whole family – As loud noise exposure is a significant cause of hearing loss, using the appropriate hearing protection is a must. Whether the family goes out for some target shooting or to a sporting event, be that family that wears hearing protection. For high-impact protection, earmuffs are best, but even just using disposable earplugs can help protect your children’s hearing.

Find Hearing Health Care In Powell And Cody, WY

Here at Modern Hearing Solutions of Wyoming, we care for hearing patients of all ages. While most of our clients are adults, we can work with children as well. And with hearing clinics in Cody and Powell, it is even easier for the whole family to care for their hearing.

If you would like to utilize our hearing services either for yourself or your child, feel free to contact us today to set up your appointment.