Previous Versions

We're the parents of a profoundly deaf little girl who received bilateral implants of Nucleus 5 in February 2011 at age one. She is doing wonderfully with her cochlear implants. For the first few months we struggled with finding a good solution to keeping the processors on and after buying many versions of bands and pilot hats online, finally created our own for our daughter. These thin jersey or nylon headbands stay on more securely and comfortably than body tape and snugfit hooks.

I sewed 1/4" thin braided elastic loops by hand to the headband (in this case I used Scunci No Damage Hairbands similar to these on Amazon). A soft jersey/cotton/nylon blend headband will be the most comfortable and give enough stretch to accommodate most head sizes. To ensure the correct position on the ear, use the earhooks with the locking pin (to prevent it from snapping off), and if your toddler likes to play with the processors, lock the battery on using the internal battery lock. It is also faster and more convenient to simply put on the decorative covers to prevent the battery from twisting off as well.

I'm sharing my design because I am interested in meeting other parents of cochlear implant children and helping them in this journey we share. I am no longer running my "shop" to custom-make them for others but you may email me for any questions or help.

--Additional photos--
These are headbands with different widths of elastic (front and back pictures).

You can see the front and back of each headband. The brown headband has a skinny and wide elastic. The purple one uses both skinny elastic. With the purple headband you can see that I continued the elastic across the back to save myself time finishing the elastic, and also to provide more support. It's simply a personal preference. By purchasing the headbands pre-made that saves me time, and I only need to sew the elastic loops on by hand or machine.