Travel Prep for Your Child with Hearing Devices - Don't Forget the Batteries

Sep 27, 2026

Uploaded by acoobca

Practical travel guidance for families with babies or young children who are deaf or hard of hearing, focusing on hearing device readiness, consistent wear, and communication support. The advice emphasizes packing a complete travel kit including batteries, chargers, accessories, and remote microphone, and keeping devices available during every waking hour. It also recommends maintaining familiar routines, using established listening and language strategies, preparing vocabulary with books and practice, and creating an experience book from trip pictures to support ongoing listening and learning.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

Travel readiness checklist

Device kit and batteries

Wear time during travel

Maintain routines and strategies

Reading aloud and home routines

Early intervention strategies on the go

Expect and use new experiences

Vocabulary and location-based practice

Create an experience book from photos

Reduce stress and maximize learning

Lean in and seek additional support

Don't Forget the Batteries! Travel Prep for Your Child with Hearing Devices Tickets, check. Bags packed, check. Your child's hearing device kit, check. Talk to your child's professional team about travel, check. Sounds like you have everything you need, so how else do you prepare for traveling with your little one who is deaf or hard of hearing? Let's talk about travel. Hi, I'm Dr. Theresa Caraway, CEO of Hearing First, and a certified speech language pathologist for 40 years, and I'm going to share some tips for taking a trip with a baby or young child with hearing loss. First, do what you can and prepare ahead of time. Pack a hearing device travel kit, keep device components, accessories, extra batteries and cords, a charger and even a remote microphone nearby at all times. This includes on the plane or train in your carry-on bag. You also want to keep them with you during the trip, wherever your itinerary may take you. You will feel better knowing your child can hear your voice and all the new sounds and language they will experience throughout the trip. Part of this means prioritizing device wear time, even on vacation. The more your child wears their devices, the more language they hear, the stronger the connections in their brain that lay the pathways for listening, talking and reading skills. Brain development doesn't take a vacation, so when you're traveling, you need to keep your child's hearing devices on during all waking hours. Second, you want to embrace the new and exciting during travel. Where you can, continue some of those same routines from home. For example, if you always read books aloud before bedtime, pack some books with you so you can keep reading aloud every day. Talk to your early interventionist about how to bring the LSL strategies you use at home with you on your trip. For me, Be a Director, Be a Bird Dog , Play-By-Play, Make Listening Easier and It's Your Turn come to mind as great ones to use during a trip with a little one. Third, expect the unexpected. Traveling is opening up your child's world, and that means there are all kinds of new sounds and vocabulary for you to explore together. If you're taking the train, find some books about trains to read aloud before, during and after the trip. If you're heading to the beach or the city, or any new location, take advantage of the new vocabulary and practice at home together before the trip. With all the new experiences, remember to take lots of pictures of your trip and use them to create an experience book. Hearing First has a helpful video that explains how to make an experience book and ways you can use them with your child. You can find that video linked below. In short, you print the pictures from your trip to put in a notebook. Then under each picture, write down what happened on the trip. Depending upon how old your child is, they could tell you what to write and even help you draw pictures. Now you have a great book to read aloud with your little one and bring all the memories of your trip home with you. I know there's a lot of stress or worry that accompanies travel, but there's also a lot of incredible opportunities for listening and learning. Lean in and make the most of it, I promise it will be worth it. If you'd like more resources or support, please visit [hearingfirst.org](hearingfirst.org), or check out the other videos on the Hearing First channel. Okay, you're all set and you're on your way. Safe travels.

FAQs

What should parents pack to prepare for travel with a child’s hearing devices?

Pack a hearing device travel kit with components, accessories, extra batteries and cords, a charger, and a remote microphone. Keep items nearby in carry-on and during the entire trip.

How should device wear time be handled during vacations or trips?

Keep hearing devices on during all waking hours. Prioritize wear time even while traveling, because consistent listening supports language development and brain connections.

How can families keep listening and language routines going during travel?

Continue familiar routines when possible, such as reading aloud before bedtime and bringing books. Also discuss with early interventionists how to use LSL strategies from home during the trip.

Sep 27, 2026

Uploaded by acoobca