As parents of a baby with deafness, we're often overwhelmed. We have so much on our plate. And, of course we want to spend time with our family and taking care of ourselves.

So, other than just following our do's and don'ts (which is super helpful), here's a few concrete ways we can include friends and family when they ask "How can I help?" 

Do a Project

We've done a bunch of projects during our journey so far that could be fun ways for others to help.

Photo Books

Photo books can remind our baby of aspects of a holiday, vacation, routine, or outing.

They provide the opportunity to discuss noisier events in quiet settings ("Baby Goes Food Shopping").

They're also great for focusing on specific sounds (an "M" sound book).

Making one is quick and easy using an inexpensive photo album. We've also used a tech platform to make a fancier Christmas-themed book.

With a little guidance, we could hand this project off.

Sewing

There's tons of cute sewing projects. Laura likes to sew as a hobby. But, if she didn't, we would tap our circle to help.

We've used sewing for our Ling toy creation and adaptation.

And, we added listening devices to a baby doll or a stuffie.

We did these projects using inexpensive materials, and they took no more than an hour.

People who sew usually love an excuse to thread their needle and get to work!

Build Our Repertoire

Sometimes when we're working on a particular sound with our baby, our instructor will ask us to emphasize that sound for a week or two. This is often done through songs we know that happens to repeat that sound. Check out our list here! 

Sometimes finding a song that emphasizes a specific sound comes naturally, and sometimes we're stumped! 

"Can you think of any songs that use the ___ sound?" is an easy way others can help out.

Host an Auditory Fieldtrip

If someone has access to a special place for an auditory fieldtrip, that can be a great way to help out! 

It's always better to know someone than cold call a stranger.

Check out our ideas for auditory field trips here!