Hi Catherine

My twins are 9 now, but both have cochlear implants and I remember having similar concerns when they were smaller and attending nursery etc.

I agree that for a short / impromptu session with water it would seem like a lot of faff to put covers on for water play etc! We tend to only bother with them for full days by the pool on holiday, and then they’re really worth it. I know it seems like a lot of responsibility for the staff, but I do think that having a chat with your son’s key worker about your concerns and the need to keep an extra eye on him when near / playing with water would definitely alleviate your worry. I remember early on as a parent of an implanted child you do feel a bit like you are having to constantly ask for additional things from staff, but to be honest mostly I found that people were more than happy to listen and had a genuine interest to learn how to make the best learning / play experience for my son and daughter.

It’s good to start as you mean to go on and you need to feel sure too that the staff are confident with the implants and how to change batteries / what do if one isn’t working etc, so to my mind it’s all part of that. One thing I did find made me worry less was using the safety clips that attach to the bottom of the processors and clip onto clothing, we also (still!) use double sided wig tape (just from amazon) as find that a small piece behind each ‘ear’ helps them stay in place. That way even if the implants fall off when he’s playing they can’t go very far and staff can just pop them back on.

Hope that helps a bit!