Pediatric Solid Earplugs
Noisy Places to Consider
Perfect for young musicians, PulseTM Musician Earplugs are made to custom-fit your child's ears. Pulse earplugs offer high-fidelity attenuation with minimum changes of tone quality. Featuring 4 interchangeable P-SERIES filter options for different levels of attenuation: 10 dB, 15 dB, 25 dB, 30 dB (solid plug). They provide excellent sound quality for children to learn to play and practice their instruments while still protecting their hearing from potentially damaging exposure to loud music. Ages 5 years+
Noise Machines
At Sound Access, we do not advocate the use of noise machines to help your children sleep. In fact, our audiologist has some pretty strong feelings against it, but in general:
- Your child can become dependent on it to sleep and if it's not there, they can't sleep.
- Not all babies like white noise (that staticky sounding noise that is the most common source of sound from a noise machine).
- Research is starting to emerge on the harmful effects white noise has on the healthy growth and development of your child's brain, especially to the auditory processing center which may in turn negatively effect speech development.
- Noise machines can produce noise levels that are damaging to hearing.
With that said, if her best friend is any testament, our audiologist knows that not all parents will be convinced to transition their noise machines to the status of an expensive paperweight, so if you do use them here are some tips:
- Never put the noise machine directly in or on a crib, bed, playpen, stroller, or carseat.
- Never put the noise machine right at the child's head or ears.
- Set the volume to a safe listening level. You can use a sound level meter app on your smart phone and take a measurement of how loud the sound is to make sure that the machine is set to a safe listening level (no louder than 60 dBA for infants and 70 dBA for older children). Take the measurement by putting your phone or device where your child's head will typically be to ensure you are getting an accurate reading of how loud it is to your child. If you cannot take a measurement, aim to have the volume no louder than quiet conversation.
- Turn the machine off once baby is asleep. Try to avoid using it for more than an hour.
- Try not to use the noise machine for every sleep.
- If your machine has an option for the types of sound it offers, then opt for soft music or nature sounds that are less likely to adversely effect the auditory pathway and avoid white or pink noise.
Keeping our kids happy and healthy is a top priority for parents and there is a seemingly endless list of things caregivers have to worry about when keeping their children safe. When you think about all the things you are so careful about monitoring to keep your kids safe and healthy, do you include hearing on that list?
Pediatric Hearing Protection
Perfect for young musicians, Musicians Earplugs are made to custom-fit your child's ears. Musicians Earplugs offer high-fidelity attenuation with 4 easily interchanged Etymotic Research® filter options (9 dB, 15 dB, 25 dB, and solid adaptor). They provide excellent sound quality for children to learn to play and practice their instruments while still protecting their hearing from potentially damaging exposure to loud music. Ages 5 years+
Banz Infant Earmuffs are designed specifically for infants and very young children to protect their hearing from loud noises (31 dB noise reduction rating). Light and compact, the earmuffs use an adjustable headband allowing for sizing changes to hold the infant earmuffs securely and comfortably in place. Ages 3 months+
What can you do to protect your child's hearing?
- In order to prevent hearing loss, infants, children, and teens should not be exposed to noise levels over 70 dBA. Avoiding loud noises in today's society can be difficult though, so protecting your child's hearing when they are exposed is key.
- For infants and younger children, you should include earmuffs in your "must haves" for baby and keep them handy anytime you think there may be excessive noise.
- For older children and teens universal-fit or custom-fit earplugs are great options. Start teaching your children to be responsible for bringing their hearing protection and using it whenever they are around loud sounds.
- Just like you teach your children about the importance of dental care and brushing their teeth, teach them about hearing care and the importance of protecting their hearing.
- One of the best ways to teach hearing care is by example, wear hearing protection right alongside your child. Avoid playing music or movies at unsafe levels around your child. Show them that hearing matters.
Banz® Junior Earmuffs
Toy Noise
Many toys can be dangerously loud:
- Some rattles and squeaky toys are as loud as 110 dBA.
- That's the average human pain threshold!
- That's the average human pain threshold!
- Musical toys can be as loud as loud as 120 dBA.
- This is louder than most music concerts!
- This is louder than most music concerts!
- Toy phones can be 129 dBA.
- That's the same as most heavy construction equipment!
- That's the same as most heavy construction equipment!
- Toys producing firearm sounds are as loud as 150 dBA one foot away from the toy.
- That's louder than an actual .22 rifle!
- That's louder than an actual .22 rifle!
These levels are all way too loud!
For infants, try to limit the toy noise level to 60 dBA and for children limit toy noise to 70 dBA. Avoid toys that have popping or loud impulse noises that can be especially damaging. You can see if the toy lists any data about how loud it is. You can also use a sound level meter app (NIOSH makes a good one) on your phone to measure how loud the toy is and if it is too loud don't buy it or try to return it if you can. When in doubt, opt for a noise free toy.
International Noise Awareness Day
Alpine pluggies for kids
pediatric swim earplugs
Your child can choose from a variety of color combinations to personalize their custom-fit earplugs.
(Colors and options vary by manufacture).
preventing hearing loss
Pediatric hearing protection
Sound Access offers hearing protection specifically designed for infants, children, and teens.
Scroll to the bottom for information on safe listening practices for your children.
Pediatric Solid Earplugs offer a high level of noise reduction, ideal for high noise environments and activities. Designed for comfort, these earplugs are custom-fit to your child's ears and are made of a super soft silicone that is hypoallergenic. NRR 26, Mean 40 dB, Attenuation up to 48 dB. Ages 5 years+
Silicone-free, reusable earplugs designed for children between the ages of 3 and 12 (or adults with smaller ears). Soft AlpineThermoShape material offers a comfortable fit with an NRR 30 dB to block out loud sounds and protect hearing. Includes compact storage case. (May also be used to keep water out of ears).
Musicians Earplugs for kids and teens
Did you know?
Headphones are not a replacement for hearing protection, especially for children. Headphones are not generally designed to be used as hearing protection, so they may not be adequate at keeping loud sounds out. You may also be introducing even more risk if you are playing music, movies, or games through the headphones at volumes that are unsafe. Even if you use headphones with volume limiters, they may not have been designed to keep out loud sounds from the environment. Opt for high quality earmuffs designed specifically to protect your child's hearing from loud sounds.
banz earmuffs
Banz® Infant Earmuffs
pulse Musician Earplugs for kids and teens
Personal Listening Devices
- Set volume limits on your child's device if possible.
- Keep in mind that some earphones, especially wireless earphones, that are not compatible with your device may still go above the safe volume limit setting.
- Setting the volume to no more than 50% may not be the safest option. Some personal listening devices produce different sound outputs at the same volume control settings compared to others and the headphones or earphones paired with the device may produce volumes much louder at those same volume settings than other headphones or earphones.
- When you cannot set a safe volume limit, opt for headphones or earphones with built-in safe volume limits.
- Keep in mind that if you use a safe volume limit on the device in conjunction with volume limiting headphones or earphones, the sound may be too quiet and your child may complain they cannot hear the sound so adjustments may be necessary.
- Keep in mind that some headphones and earphones advertised as safe have a volume limit as high as 85 dB, which is louder than the recommended safe limit of 70 dB.
- Keep in mind that if you use a safe volume limit on the device in conjunction with volume limiting headphones or earphones, the sound may be too quiet and your child may complain they cannot hear the sound so adjustments may be necessary.
- Well-fitting earphones or headphones will help with attenuation of outside environmental sounds and will help the child hear better at lower listening levels than poorly fit earpieces.
- Limit the amount of time your child can spend listening to headphones or earphones in one setting and also throughout the course of a day. Noise exposure isn't just about how loud, but for how long and how often we are exposed. Talk to your child's teacher and other caregivers about any headphones use at school or during other activities. Limiting the time your child listens with headphones and earphones also helps decrease the risk of ear fatigue (tiredness, discomfort, pain, and loss of sensitivity that occurs after prolonged exposure to sounds).
Banz Junior Earmuffs are designed specifically for children to protect their hearing from loud noises (31 dB noise reduction rating). Light and compact, the earmuffs offer the ideal solution for protecting your child's hearing whenever noise reduction is needed. Ages 2-10 years
Did you know?
Nearly 50% of teenagers are at risk of hearing loss due to prolonged exposure to loud sounds from personal listening devices and other exposures. (WHO)