Good hearing plays a very important role in a child's development. With its help, the baby learns to recognize voices, imitate various sounds, and, therefore, speak. At first glance, it is rather difficult to determine exactly whether a baby hears or not. But even this seemingly almost impossible task has its own solution. Parents can test hearing in a child of any age at home without using modern devices.
Instructions
Step 1
To understand in time that the baby has any hearing problems, first of all, it is enough to be a very attentive parent. Mom and Dad should know some features of the baby's development at a particular age, monitor his reaction to external stimuli, loud sounds, the voice of people close to him, and also pay attention to the level of speech development of the baby.
Step 2
A child is born with slightly muffled hearing, but by the time he is discharged from the maternity hospital, the baby hears no worse than any adult.
Step 3
A wary reaction to sudden loud noises and a smile in response to the mother's voice are indicators of good hearing for a baby from birth to 4 months.
Step 4
A baby with good hearing at the age of four to seven months usually turns his head towards a sound or a familiar voice, smiles when addressing him.
Step 5
From seven to nine months, the toddler must make many different sounds, turn his head towards even quiet sounds, and begin to understand the simplest words, for example, "mom", "dad", "give", "bye."
Step 6
Turning your head to quiet sounds, turning around to your name, paying attention to the speaking person, babbling, imitating various sounds, the toddler usually begins from 9 months to a year. Such actions at this age indicate a child's good hearing.
Step 7
By the age of two, a baby with good hearing loves when children’s books are read aloud to him, clearly speaks at least 10 words, fulfills the requests of parents, without looking at their faces. If your baby is looking closely at mom or dad's face when they talk, they may be trying to read lips.
Step 8
You can also check your child's hearing with the help of loud-sounding toys, for example, a whistle, drum, pipe. The principle of this check is very simple. The kid sits on his knees, for example, to his mother, face to face. Dad at this time plays on prepared instruments out of sight of the child. There should be a distance of 3-4 meters from toys to the toddler. Naturally, the normal reaction of the child to the sounds made is to turn the head or body in the appropriate direction.
Step 9
Three small boxes, one third full, one with semolina, one with buckwheat, and the third with peas, can also help determine if a child is hearing well. It is necessary to shake the boxes at a distance of 20-30 cm from the child's left and right ears so that he does not see them. In this case, it is necessary to observe the reaction of the toddler to sound stimuli.
Step 10
At the slightest suspicion of poor hearing in a baby, parents should immediately consult an otolaryngologist to check the child's hearing on a special medical device.
