By Alaine Jacobs
I used to be nervous about taking my kids with cochlear implants out of the house. I remember when my first son got his cochlear implant, and I was afraid to even take him to the grocery store with it on!
What if we lost it? What if a piece broke off?
But then I realized that I couldn’t let my own insecurities hold my kids back. So we took our first trip out to the grocery store, and thankfully we came back with all devices intact!
Now, I have two sons with cochlear implants, and a regular hearing daughter. As a family, we venture out of the house every weekend to go hiking with our kids or go to the playground, and we often travel to the mountains to hike on the trails and explore the waterfalls.
The fact is, traveling with kids who have cochlear implants is completely possible. Going on trips with kids with hearing loss requires a little bit more forethought but is well worth the effort. If you are traveling with your kids with cochlear implants this summer, read on for 14 tips to consider.
The Jacobs family at Kure Beach, North Carolina.
Car Trips
So far, we have mostly taken road trips with our kids. We have a young family, and traveling by car makes the most sense for us right now. Since we spent numerous hours in the car traveling between the beach and the mountains in our home state of North Carolina, we have learned how to more easily travel on the road with cochlear implants.
1. Pack a separate backpack just for cochlear implant accessories. In the pack, include extra batteries, extra charging cables, an extra drying kit for the processors, and extra aqua accessories. It’s super convenient to have everything for “the cochlears,” as we call them, packed into one bag that is easily accessible, without having to dig through a full suitcase.
2. If the car trip will be several hours, pack your child’s mini microphone and connect it to a laptop or iPad for in-car entertainment. By connecting the cochlears straight to the device, the child will be able to hear the movie or TV show over the regular noise of the car.
3. Be aware of driving fatigue for hearing and allow your child a hearing break to take off their cochlear implant for a nap in the car.
Airplanes
Many parents of kids with cochlear implants are apprehensive to go on a plane trip with their kids. There are a few considerations for air travel, but overall parents say that the process went smoother than they predicted.
4. Leave extra time to go through security with a cochlear implant. Determine with your audiologist if you need to take off any removable external parts to go through the security area.
5. Pack all of the cochlear implant accessories into a carry-on bag. Or better yet, pack a separate, small backpack for your child to wear that contains all of the cochlear implant accessories for the trip.
6. Take candy or gum for your child to suck on or chew to alleviate ear pressure during take-off and landing.
7. Connect your child’s cochlear device to the Bluetooth in your iPad or laptop before the flight. You can also connect the mini microphone via AV cord into the armrest of the seat to watch the in-flight entertainment.
When You Arrive
Congratulations—you made it to your vacation! Now the fun begins! Here are tips to remember on vacation with a cochlear implant wearer.
8. Don’t forget to pack the mini microphone. The microphone will be useful to hear better if traveling in loud places or if you’re going to be far away from one another.
9. Pack a power pack. This is useful for our family when we take our kids camping overnight. Charge the pack each day, and when you go out take the charging pack and cochlear charging cables. You can charge the batteries in a restaurant or coffee shop if the batteries are depleted.
10. Keep a vigilant watch over the cochlear devices to make sure the devices aren’t lost, such as your child throwing them out of the stroller and onto a trail without you noticing (yes, this happened!).
11, Prearrange accommodations if your child uses ASL or if you need preferential seating at a show. You can do this on cruise ships and at Disney World. Just check the websites and arrange the accommodations a couple of weeks before your trip.
12. Prepare for the type of terrain and travel you plan to do. If near water, then pack the aqua kit. If doing something like ziplining or hiking, make sure to use good retention for the cochlears, such as a headband.
13. Allow your child a hearing break during the day. Hearing fatigue and feeling overwhelmed can happen during travel, so allow for afternoon rest sessions if needed.
14. Talk to your child about what you want them to do if their processors get lost, or if they can’t hear. Preparing for this ahead of time keeps everyone safe when they know the plan.
Traveling the world with kids is exciting. We love showing our kids new places, and we also love that traveling instills a sense of adventure, flexibility, and an appreciation for how different people go about their daily lives.
It is true that there are a few considerations for traveling with cochlear implants, or any hearing devices. But the more you travel the better you will become at it. Have fun this summer and enjoy many memorable adventures with your family!
Alaine Jacobs is a blogger and a freelance writer who lives in North Carolina with her husband and three kids. She loves to encourage, educate, and empower moms with kids who have hearing loss. For more information on hearing loss with kids, find Alaine at regularmomblog.com. This appears in the Summer 2023 issue of Hearing Health magazine.
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