7 Best Kids Headphones That are Safe for Your Child

 

Kids do need special headphones that can keep their ears safe and prevent any hearing loss when they grow up. We all love to turn it up on our favorite beats but doing so frequently can be troublesome with our ability to hear. The best kids headphones are more than just those colorful designs. These headphones need to feature volume limits so that their young ears remain protected.

In this post, we will provide you with some of the best kids headphones that we have tested out for you. Read on to find the best ones that you can find on the market from some of the top brands out there!

There are various reasons that kids require specially designed headphones. We have listed them down below,

-     Kids’ hearing differs from adults’

Younger ears have the better hearing ability as compared to people who age over 30s. Kids can hear frequencies that most old people are not able to hear. The reason behind that is wearing out hearing. Kids haven’t been exposed to the loud elements that are present in the world as compared to adults. So there hearing is good and it will get damaged if they start using headphones with loud volumes.

-     Hearing loud sounds from a younger age

Intense but quick bursts of loud sound don’t do the damage; it is the continuous exposure to high levels of sound that do the damage. So among adults listening to your favorite songs at high volumes continuously creates the problem of hearing loss over time and most of the credit goes to headphones. We are living in the smartphone era and for this reason, kids start using these headphones at a very early age. Therefore, protecting them from loud sounds is necessary.

-     Kids are not smart to be safe on their own

Kids don’t know the full consequences of what they are doing and for this reason, they will continue to do what they like if you don’t stop them. They will carry on doing anything until something bad happens. As an adult, you must make them understand that hearing loss induced by noise cannot be reversed. Consequently, any hearing loss at an early age will be problematic in the long run.

-     They are not gentle either

You don’t have to bother purchasing an expensive headphone for your young one because he/she will love to throw things around for no reason. Kids will eventually break something that you give them and this is just the story of life about which you can’t do much. Therefore, you only need to buy them a piece that is good enough to produce good sound and are good quality durable kids headphones.

First and for most, you need to be careful about the headphones that are labeled for kids and don’t come with volume limiting feature. Not all of them are very concerned about this aspect. For this reason, we have only reviewed the pieces that do come with this particular characteristic.

According to research conducted by American Medical Association back in 2010, the hearing loss incidence among the US adolescents aging between 12 and 19 has gone up from 14.9% (1988 to 1994) to 19.5% (2005 to 2006). The experts say that headphones are a significant contributing factor in this scenario.  

Most of the kids’ headphones have an audio output under 85dB but not all of them limit the volumes in the same manner. You can opt for a Bluetooth model because it will not exceed the marketed limit of volume. But the youth headphones that also come with wires will have a different volume-limited when wired as compared to when using Bluetooth.

Image Credit: Webmd.com

-     The debate of 85dB

This debate is about what should be the ideal volume limit. And the norm for the kid’s headset is 85dB. Some manufacturers like LilGadgets claim that this is safe for eight hours of continuous listening. They also say that two hours of listening to 93dB is also safe provided that the listening time is cut down to two hours.

After that, there should be a break of at least ten minutes. This technique is very useful for you if you will monitor your child all the time. However, if you can’t do so then you need to go for an 85dB hard stop for keeping your child safe from being exposed to long hours of high volume listening.

-     Noise exposure works just like sun exposure

In reality, noise effects humans especially kids the same way that the sun does. If the sun is too bright then prolonged exposures have a negative impact. Similar is the case with noise and if you hear it at loud levels for too long then hearing impairment or loss is inevitable. Now as kids have sensitive skin so they should be exposed to sunlight for very long times. And this works the same way when we talk about high volumes because of their extra sensitive hears. The key here is that you need to give the cell in your ear some rest to recover and to clear out any waste. With the shorter time of rest, they won’t be able to clear it out and it will result in hearing loss.

-     WHO suggests differently

The World Health Organization has a different suggestion from what headphone manufacturers like LilGadgets claim. WHO says that you shouldn’t hear anything that is over 85dB for more than 60 minutes! This is backed by the research conducted by OSAH back in the 1970s claiming that 92% of the research participants that were exposed to eight hours or more of 85dB sounds on daily basis didn’t have any handicapped hearing loss.

The point of focus here is the term ‘handicapped’ which means that the research is not talking about the point that those people didn’t have any hearing loss but they were not handicapped by this exposure. And it doesn’t reassure or establish the claims of the companies like LilGadgets.

In ethical terms, there are no means for the researchers to exactly pinpoint and study the fact that how much sound is too much for human ears. Of course, no one wants to become deaf just for the sake of some science study! So there are some critical points to consider here,

• The exposure of daily noise doesn’t only include listening to high volumes of media. It also includes noise produced by these sources like traffic, airplanes, workplace, construction activities, and anything else that you hear loud daily. This is all exposure to environmental noise.
• Media exposure along with exposure to environmental noise will increase the noise consumed up to more than 70dB. This is your daily intake of noise and with extra sensitive younger ears the effects get amplified.
• If your kids are exposed to this type of sounds then the amount of time for safe listening is greatly reduced.
• Thus, the point that WHO made to listen to nothing more than 85dB and for less than one hour is very valid.

There are some important features that you need to consider before buying headphones for kids. We are listing them down and will briefly illustrate how they contribute to your right buying decisions.

-     Style and outlook

You just have to make sure that you don’t allow your kids to grab the first pair that they see and feel attracted to it. Your kids know nothing about the quality, performance, and durability of anything. For them, they just want their favorite cartoon character on it, or something similar to someone they have seen wearing at school. It is you who has to decide about all the safety features of that particular product.

-     Durability

This one counts a lot because kids love to get their hands on everything they like and then break it apart. It’s just in their nature. You cannot change that but what you can do is do buy a pair that offers exceptional build quality and superb durability that is just right for kids with headphones.

-     Hearing safety and protection

The headphone that you are considering to buy for your kids must come with hearing protection and there should be a volume limiter on it. If it ain’t there you shouldn’t buy it no matter how attractive it looks in terms of design and price. The volume limiter should also work as per the rules set by W.H.O. and not by any brands because that is just a marketing stunt.

-     Price

There is no point in going for the expensive pair because your kids don’t care how much you have paid for it. They just want it and that’s it! Though it is entirely up to you that how much you are willing to pay to get them their favorite headphones but still kindness is not in the repertoire.

-    Wireless

It is a better option if you consider buying the best wireless headphones for kids because they will have the same decibels as marketed or mentioned on the package. Therefore, you will be sure about what sound levels your kids will be listening too.

A perfect pair of headphones that is just right for your kid is a pair that particularly features a volume limiter. This should be your number one priority. If this feature is not there then you should not consider buying that particular model.

Your second top priority is durability. Kids are bound to break stuff so your headphones are into it as well. It is better to invest in a pair that can take the toll. Your third priority should be the style or look of the headphone. After checking a pair for volume limits and durability, you should start looking at the colors and designs available in that model and go for the one that your kid loves.

According to the pediatric experts going for the volume limiting range is not your only option here. You must also monitor your child listening habits very closely. If that is not possible then you can turn down the volume to less than 60% of the maximum and top it out. Your best bet is to go for wireless models because they can not produce high sounds.

The primary difference between these two types of headphones is that the adult models are equipped with all the bells and whistles to provide the listener with a top-notch listening experience. On the other hand, the child headphones don’t produce that much quality because kids are not into the details of the stuff that they are hearing.

They both do come with volume-limiters but in the case of kids headphones, the limit is far more restricted as compared to the adult models. In terms of design, the kids’ models are more colorful and cartoonish while the adult models are much more subtle with all the hints of elegance.

1.      Best Overall - BT2200 Kids Over-Ear Headphones by PuroSoundLabs

The BT2200 is the best headphones for a digital piano that you will find on the market. We loved it because it is a wireless model and its volume has an 85dB limit. We were highly impressed by its ergonomic construction and its lightweight design. The ear cups are cushioned as well.

Image Credit: Amazon.com

• All-day comfort

The BT2200 is designed to provide your little one with all-day comfort. This construction is best for your kid to wear it for long hours as well. The lightweight headphones will not tire your kid and s/he can enjoy listening to whatever s/he likes.

• Ambient Noise Reduction

This headphone will limit the heights of volume but not it's quality. It is capable to provide your kids’ ears with all the sound details crisply but at low volume output. The pair can reduce the ambient noise by 82% and will keep the surroundings quiet and peaceful.  

• Seamless switching

Another feature of this headphone that we loved is its seamless switching. This feature makes all the controls very easily accessible. With the help of the Bluetooth button which is a multi functional button on this piece allows your kid to start/stop, on/off volume +/- at will. This button can also transfer calls to the headphone.

Verdict

If you want the total package then this is the best option that you will find on the market at this price by far! Your kid can also consider it as school headphones.

 

Read more here>