Whether you’re heading on a long journey and the little one needs entertaining, or you want to take your kid to a show but you’d like to protect their ears from the noise, there are many reasons why a parent may invest in headphones for their child. As with any purchase involving children, extra precautions need to be taken in order to ensure the item is safe and comfortable. Indeed, when a parent is buying headphones for kids, they must consider several features before they arrive at their decision. These are those; our 4 IDEAL considerations when choosing a safe pair of headphones for your child.
VOLUME LIMITER AS NECESSITY
Most pediatrics experts recommend that kids should use over-the-ear headphones only. These come with a volume limiter, which helps reduce the level of exposure to excessively loud noises. According to the World Health Organisation, 85 decibels is the maximum ‘safe’ volume for listening to music via headphones, so always make sure your purchase enables you to cap the volume at under this figure. Any louder and you risk damaging your child’s hearing. In addition to these caps, most experts also recommend that you limit the time spent listening to headphones to only two hours a day.
CONSIDER THE DESIGN
The headphone’s design is another factor to consider before buying a pair for your kids. Generally speaking, over-the-ear headphones are much safer than buds, which can get stuck in a child’s ear if manipulated incorrectly or fiddled with excessively. This also applies to any other in-ear model, as the closer proximity of the eardrum and canal to the speaker which these designs offer can be extra damaging to a little one’s ears.
WIRELESS WONDERS
Although the consistent need to charge them can be a little annoying, wireless is almost always the safer bet when buying headphones for your child. They have no cords and therefore, the risk of strangulation or tripping over a lengthy wire is eliminated. Although this type of headphone, enabled via Bluetooth, tends to be more expensive, the investment in safety is 100% worth it. Just make sure to remind your little one that should they wish to move away from the device they’re watching, they’ll likely lose connection. A useful way to encourage your child to sit still, we think!
MATERIAL WORLD
It’s also important to investigate the material used for the ear cup in case it causes a reaction with your child’s sensitive skin. Eco-friendly materials which enable the ears to ‘breathe’ are best; avoid regular synthetic materials such as nylon, rayon and polyester, which can cause a flare-up. The comfort of the headphones is equally important. Too heavy or tight and your child won’t enjoy their new toy. Conversely, too loose and they’re liable to drop and damage the headphones. Find the right balance.
