EarsToday.com - Infant Ear Protection

nfant ear protection is important because babies and children have more sensitive, better hearing as you do as an adult. But over time, this will get damaged, and hearing loss cannot be easily repaired. In most cases hearing loss is permanent.

It is easy to protect and care for your child’s hearing. So that it will still be good in later life. It just requires that you keep them away from noises that are too loud. When this is not possible, they need to wear some sort of baby ear protection.

This article will help you to understand how to look after their hearing. What noisy situations should be avoided. Then, what the best earmuffs are for your children when any loud noises cannot be avoided.

“Noise that is potentially dangerous to an adult is even more dangerous to a child”

Baby Hearing Protection – Why Is It Necessary?

These days we know a lot more about hearing loss than we did in the past. In this article, when I talk about permanent hearing damage, I am not trying to scare you. When loud noise damage hearing, the cost will almost always be a tiny imperceptible change. It will not be immediate deafness or noticeable damage.

However, as the damage builds up, it will become noticeable in later life. So infant earmuffs should be used in noisy locations. I was an infant in the late 1960s, when no children had earmuffs. I am now in my 50’s and have quite bad Tinnitus. I have difficulty hearing conversations in loud locations. Had my hearing been looked after when I was younger, this would not be a problem.

Do your children a favor, and use infant ear protection whenever necessary. At least until they are old enough to do it for themselves

Infant Ear Protection – What To Look For

As with everything, there are good toddler ear muffs, and there are bad. When choosing a pair for general everyday use, you should be looking at the following criteria:

• Go over the ears
• Soft padding around the ears for comfort
• Low pressure, for comfort over extended periods
• High NRR (Noise Reduction Rating)
• Harmless Materials (BPA, Lead-free)

You do not want

•  In-Ear Plugs
•  High Pressure (uncomfortable)
•  Cute (Choose functionality over appearance)

Do Babies Need Toddler Ear Muffs?

As mentioned above, kids hearing protection is necessary. The ears of an infant, are more sensitive, making them vulnerable to loud noises, or prolonged sounds. Permanent hearing damage can quickly happen at a young age.

In fact, research has shown that one in eight children has suffered some permanent hearing damage. This can be avoided.

Obviously avoiding loud and prolonged noises, is the best way of not getting hearing damage. Of course this is not always practical or possible.

Everyone has to go to noisy cities, use cars, planes, and trains, or use power tools in their homes. Your baby/child will be exposed to some loud noises occasionally. It happens to everyone, and usually, there will be no noticeable problems

However taking baby ear protection with you when you, means that it can be used in the following noisy situations to help with

•  Protecting their hearing
•  Allowing them to sleep
•  Stopping over excitement
•  Stopping them being frightened by sudden noises

Their ears need to last a lifetime, so protect them with infant ear protection when needed. But how do you know what noises are too loud?

How Can I Tell What Is Too Loud?

A lot of studies has been done into just what is too noisy for an infant’s or child’s hearing. It is not much different from what you can take (maybe slightly lower).

However, your baby is not going to be able to tell you if something is too loud, or move away from noises that are uncomfortable. Sudden noises can startle and frighten your baby, as they do not understand what they are.

The Memphis Department of Education suggests, that if you cannot hear a conversation around you easily, because of any background noise, or you can’t hear what someone is saying who is about three feet away, then the sound is too loud. Your infant would need some form of kids ear protection in this situation

If your child is older, and listening to music on headphones, you should not be able to hear the music from a distance of arm’s length away.

If in doubt use  baby ear plugs or kids hearing protection!

Below is an infographic of how loud common thing sound; this should help you get an idea of what volume common things are.

Of course, the volume will depend on how far away you are from the thing making the noise. A useful tool to help you know what volume your child is experiencing is your Smart Phone.

You can get apps that will measure the sound using the microphone, and give you a reading of how loud the noises are. Below are links to an iPhone and Android app that will do this. (Just search for “decibel meter free” in the App or Play store)

Decibel Meter Free Android

Decibel Meter Free Apple

After using one of these apps for a short while, you will know what is too loud and what is not. You will not be measuring the volumes for long, don’t worry

When you measure how loud something is, you need to put the phone next to your child. Not the thing making the noise (e.g. Television). Sound reduces over distance, the only thing that matters is how much noise is being experienced by your baby.

Try to keep the noise down to normal conversation levels. If measuring the sound, try to keep it under 75 decibels for the most part.

When the noise is going to be above this for any time, then you need to use some toddler ear muffs, like baby Banz earmuffs.

You should never use homemade ear protection on a child. For example, tissue paper. As you need to push this into the ear canal. This can scratch the very sensitive skin in there, and may also compact the wax in the ear.

Recommended Infant Ear Protection

The following are the recommended ear protection for kids. Two sizes of Muffs depending on age, and waterproof swimming/bathing plugs