Toddler music group with George

When George was a newborn, I signed up to a baby sensory class along with some friends whose babies were the same age. We first started going before George was diagnosed as profoundly deaf.

The 15-minute drive to the venue was horrendous. George used to scream and cry the entire way there. He was completely inconsolable, which was just awful. When we got to the class, he would be so tired out from crying that he would sleep the entire time. I felt miserable taking him there as we weren’t having the lovely experience that the other parents and their babies were having.

After George was diagnosed, things such as the inconsolable crying in the car started to make sense. I had a better understanding of my baby.

I decided to take George to the sensory class one last time to see if things were any better. They weren’t. As a first time mam to a newly diagnosed deaf baby, it was too much for me to continue going, so I never took him again. I was also still 'grieving' the child I thought I was going to have, and it was hard to see all the other hearing babies reacting to sounds.

The last two years our lives have been full of various of appointments for George, but since being implanted, things have settled down.

We managed to find some free time to attend our local deaf playgroup once or twice a month. George originally didn’t really like going as it was a new environment and new faces, something he associated with bad experiences from the hospital. The more we’ve gone, though, the more confident he’s become; he’s now running through the door on arrival!

Our local Moo Music group recently put out an introductory offer for new customers. I decided to brave it and signed both George and Sophia up for it.

For the first session, I only took George as I was pre-empting that my hands would be full with him, probably glued to me! It was a huge surprise when George took himself off and joined in with the other kids. I couldn’t believe it. It was a new environment, loud music, new faces and new things… but my baby boy took himself off like a big boy and had the best time! I was so proud of him. We’ve continued going to the class, and he still has a great time.

There have been occasions when other children have stared at his cochlear implants or asked their parent what the things on his head are. I know other parents can feel quite uncomfortable when this happens, but my message to those parents is… don’t feel uncomfortable or shy away from the conversation. Children are inquisitive, and it’s the perfect opportunity to educate them. The more children that have an understanding of George's super ears, the better! I welcome any chance to educate people, spread deaf awareness and brag about how amazing George is with his super ears!