The Hearing Bonnet

With Jaime becoming increasingly active, I found myself constantly watching out for her hearing aids. Any parent of a child who wears hearing aids or cochlea implants knows how quickly they can disappear.
I tried tapes and headbands, however, neither solution lasted long. Or I found with such strong hearing aids the interference was becoming an irritation and distorting the sound processing.
Finally I was offered a solution from Early Intervention in Brighton, a simple baby bonnet. This was the answer, it seemed to work flawlessly, however I soon found some flaws; the stark white appearance was certainly not subtle, and although 100% natural cotton, hot weather soon posed another difficulty, also this bonnet still caused some "buzzing" and interference on her stronger aid (especially as we came closer to getting new ear moulds)

I began trawling the web for other alternatives however nothing seemed to be quite right for us.
This set me on the quest to make my own "hearing bonnet".
I am by no means a seamstress, owning a sewing machine is about as close as I come.
So I enlisted the help of a dear family friend and very quickly we made up our own "prototype" bonnet, I am not claiming to be original, nor a genius, I am simply happy that I finally had a fashionable alternative that has allowed me to mix and match patterns and materials to suit our hot summer climate as well as reducing the impedance to sound.
I still need a lot of practice in sewing, and I need to make some more alterations to the pattern for a better fit, however I hope that with some perseverance and practice I may be able make bonnets to go with the multitude of outfits hanging in my little girls wardrobe. I would also love to be able to make bonnets for other families who go thought the same daily hearing aid battle with their own babies or children.

Our First "prototype" bonnet, not quite the snug fit I was after, but a step in the right direction.

My second attempt at my "hearing bonnet", getting closer with the fit, now for some more patterns and colours!

I have also begun working on a "hearing headband" for older children who still require assistance to keep hearing aids in place however do not wish to wear a full bonnet. My prototype headband has been a relative success with Jaime so far, however currently at an age where she is discovering the joys of rolling the bonnet tends to be a better option.