Help Prevent Hearing Loss In Your Child With These Tips

Hearing loss is often seen as something with which the elderly should be concerned, but it's never too early to begin protecting your hearing. If you have children of any age, it's important for you to take a proactive role in reducing their risk of eventual hearing loss. While your child might need hearing aids several decades from now, some acute care for the child's hearing right now can delay the need for hearing aids. Here are some tips that you can employ to reduce your child's risk of hearing loss.

React Quickly To The Symptoms Of An Ear Infection

Ear infections are a common concern for young children; by the age of three years, five out of six children have had an ear infection. Given this statistic, there's a high probability that your child will experience this sort of infection at some point, but the concern is that young children won't be able to relay this information to you. The concern with ear infections is that if they're left untreated, they can cause hearing damage and even hearing loss. Be on the alert for symptoms of this issue and act quickly by taking your child to the hospital. In young children, a common symptom is fussiness that you can't otherwise explain; in older children, they'll likely complain about pain or pressure in their ears.

Be Smart About Headphone Usage

Many children, especially in their teenage years, enjoy listening to their music through headphones or earbuds. The risk of doing so, however, is that they'll listen to the music at a high volume that can eventually cause hearing damage. There are a few ways to address this issue. One is to set the maximum volume on your child's mobile device; this can typically be done through the "Settings" app. Another strategy is to encourage your child to listen to his or her music freely. Many children opt for headphones because their parents don't approve of their music choices, but if you aren't critical of what your child listens to, he or she may not need to use headphones.

Provide Proper Hearing Protection

When you're having older children help you with noisy work around the yard, make sure that you've provided proper hearing protection. Mowing the lawn, cutting tree limbs with a chainsaw, using a leaf blower and other such backyard projects all emit noise at high decibels that can eventually cause hearing damage. Even if your child is playing in the area, make sure that he or she has hearing protection or goes inside where it's quiet. Contact a company like Waters ENT Sinus & Allergy to learn more.