All About Your Child’s Earmolds

What you need to know

What are earmolds?

Earmolds are used to direct sound from a hearing aid to the eardrum.

Earmolds need to fit snugly in the ear. When earmolds do not fit well, sound from the hearing aid comes out of the ear and goes back into the hearing aid microphone. This causes a squealing or whistling sound called feedback.

A good earmold fit is important for your child to hear at their best. To ensure a snug fit and reduce feedback problems, earmolds for infants and young children are made of a soft material.

The size and shape of the ear canal changes quickly in infants and young children. Your baby may need earmold impressions and new earmolds every 4 to 6 weeks. As your child grows, you won’t need to replace their earmolds as often. When your child approaches preschool age, you may only need to replace their earmolds every 6 months.

At first, putting in your child’s earmold can be challenging. Some earmolds slide in easily. Others may be more difficult to put in. This can depend on the shape of your child’s ear canal and the earmold material. Your audiologist (hearing specialist) will show you how to put in your child’s earmold. With practice, it will get easier.

When do you need to replace your child’s earmolds?

As soon as your child’s earmolds seems loose, or if you notice problems with squealing or feedback, call your audiologist to make an appointment. Do not wait until the feedback happens often or becomes unmanageable. It can take time to book an earmold appointment and another 10 to 15 days for the earmolds to be made and ready for fitting, so making an appointment right away is important. Making sure that your child’s earmolds fit well is essential for your child to be hearing at their best.

Earmolds should be replaced when:

• They do not fit well. (You may notice redness or sores on your child’s ear.)
• Your child outgrows the earmold and you notice feedback problems. For babies, this can happen every 4 to 6 weeks.
• The earmolds are cracked, damaged, or lost.

If your child’s earmold needs to be replaced, your audiologist will need to take a new impression of your child’s ear. If your audiologist only needs to replace the tubing of the earmold, no new impression is needed.

To see this information online and learn more, visit https://myhealth.alberta.ca/health/aftercareinformation/pages/conditions.aspx?hwid=custom.ab_earmolds_inst.

For 24/7 nurse advice and general health information call Health Link at 811.

Current as of: February 3, 2023

Author: Provincial Audiology Professional Practice, Alberta Health Services

This material is not a substitute for the advice of a qualified health professional. This material is intended for general information only and is provided on an "as is", "where is" basis. Although reasonable efforts were made to confirm the accuracy of the information, Alberta Health Services does not make any representation or warranty, express, implied or statutory, as to the accuracy, reliability, completeness, applicability or fitness for a particular purpose of such information. Alberta Health Services expressly disclaims all liability for the use of these materials, and for any claims, actions, demands or suits arising from such use.