Hearing screening

Your baby's hearing will be tested in the first week after birth. This is usually done at home, in combination with the heel prick. If your baby has been in hospital in the first few days, the heel prick is sometimes already done there. In that case, the nurse from the child health clinic will only visit your home to do the hearing test.

The test takes a few minutes and does not hurt. A small plug is placed in your baby's ear with a small speaker that emits sounds. A healthy ear returns vibrations when hearing those sounds. Those vibrations are again registered by the cap. Your baby won't notice the test. The result is usually known immediately. Occasionally the test fails if the ear is still full of the wax from the birth. The test should then be repeated a few days later.

Being able to hear well is important for speech development. If a child does not hear well, it does not learn to speak properly. The sooner it is discovered that your baby’s hearing is impaired, the sooner treatment can begin. The hearing test is done during the same visit as for the heel prick.