It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to say that there is a pair of headphones for everyone. And, that includes babies and kids alike. Some might wonder why a baby may need headphones. But, headphones may be more important to kids than the grown-ups. Best baby noise-canceling headphones allow your baby’s ears to be safe from any sounds which can hurt their ears.
Ever wonder why your baby starts crying every time they hear a loud sound. It’s not just because they are scared but also because their ears hurt. Infants and kids, up to the ages of 4 and 5, have very delicate ears. Being exposed to loud noises/sounds regularly can cause temporary or in worst cases, permanent ear damage. There’s a 70-85 decibel threshold, that if crossed, can serious damage to a child’s ears.
Therefore, you need baby headphones to keep your toddlers’ ears safe. However, finding the right baby headphones can be a daunting task. To help you do the same, our experts tested 20 baby headphones on the market and found these 5 baby headphones to be the best.
Roundup of the Best Baby Headphones
| Best Baby Headphones for Airplane | Vanderfields Earmuffs |
| Best Headphones for Newborns | Baby Banz Earmuffs |
| Best Baby Headphones for Noise Cancellation | Puro Sound Labs BT2200 |
| Best Budget Baby Headphones | HEARTEK Kids Earmuffs |
| Best Baby Headphones for iPad | Riwbox Bluetooth Headphones |
In this guide, we’ll discuss how you can keep your babies’ ears safe and find the best baby headphones to ensure baby ear protection. Then, we’ll detail each of the top 5 baby headphones one by one, list their pros and cons, and answer some frequently asked questions on baby headphones. Read further to know more.
Places You Should Avoid Taking Your Baby To
Avoid taking your newborns or toddlers to the following places to avoid damaging their ears:
- Events that have a large crowd gathering, such as, clubs, movie theaters, music concerts and weddings.
- Busy public environments, such as cafes and restaurants.
- Transportation systems with high probability of damaging a child’s ears, such as airplanes (due to air pressure as well as noise) and subways/trains (due to screeching noise from the brakes or from the noise from the horn).
Factors to Be Kept in Mind While Selecting the Best Baby Headphones
1. Comfort
When we’re talking babies, comfort should always be the top priority. Not only are a baby’s eardrums sensitive but so is their skin. Therefore, as parents, you should pick headphones that are comfortably padded and have a soft covering material, just like the best headphones for sleeping for adults.
2. Safety Certifications
There aren’t many certifications out there for noise-canceling headphones. But, if you find a pair of headphones with an Noise Reduction Ratings (NRR) label, it means that it has been approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
3. NRR
As mentioned above, NRR labels speak good for a pair of headphones. NRR is short for Noise Reduction Ratings. It is a means to measure the ability of a pair of headphones to cancel out ambient noise. The higher the rating, the better the noise-cancellation.
4. Adjustable Ear Cups
Children can be very picky when it comes to anything. Therefore, parents should get headphones that have adjustable ear cups, as per their child’s comfort and fit. A snug fit always provides the best noise cancellation.
5. Design
Come on, let’s get real. If it doesn’t look right, it is not right. Design is as important as anything. Parents would want to look for headphones that compliment their kid’s cuteness.
5 Best Baby Headphones to Protect Your Toddlers’ Ears
Let’s now look at the detailed reviews of the 5 most impressive baby headphones.
1. Vanderfields Earmuffs
Best Baby Headphones for Airplane
- Budget-friendly and value for money
- Available in a plethora of colors
- Heavily padded and adjustable to ensure maximum comfort
- Have an NRR of 26 dB which is really good for the purpose of traveling
- Some parents have mentioned that the headphones were too small for children with larger heads
- Some parents complained that the ear cups weren’t too adjustable
The Vanderfields Earmuffs are the perfect headphones for children to wear, while traveling by air. Firstly, these headphones are very compact and lightweight. These qualities make them easy to carry around. Vanderfields Earmuffs are noise-reducing headphones and not noise-canceling headphones. Whereas some might find this to be a con, it’s more of a pro in the context of travelling. It cuts the extra noise that your child gets from the crowd, but it allows your child to hear you in case you wish to speak to them.
Vanderfields Earmuffs have a certified NRR of 26 dB. This rating is high enough to ensure that once your child is asleep, he/she will not be awakened due to any noise. This is because the headphones are more than capable of keeping people from being woken up.
Coming to the comfort part, the headphones are heavily padded which makes them a comfortable pair, even if worn for extended periods of time. Also, the headphones can be adjusted in two ways. By extending the earcup from the headband, and by allowing the earcups to be folded. The headband lining also has a padding which allows more comfort, even if the head is being rested somewhere.
To top it all off, Vanderfields Earmuffs come in a variety of colors. So, one can say that there is a color to match every kid’s personality. These headphones can be worn by children from the ages of 1 – 10 years. They can also be worn by teenagers and young adults as they help in noise reduction.
View on Amazon: Vanderfields Earmuffs
2. Baby Banz Earmuffs
Best Headphones for Newborns
- Budget-friendly and value for money
- Available in a plethora of colors
- Are comfortably padded for elongated periods of use
- Have an NRR of 31 dB which is higher than what most headphones offer
- Some parents say that the headphones were too small for children as old as 3 months
Generally, finding a pair of headphones for newborn babies is a tough job. The Baby Banz Earmuffs for infants and newborns take away that headache.
Even though compact, the ear cups have been designed in such a way that they will stay comfortable, even as the ears of your children grow. Baby Banz Earmuffs have a NRR of 31 dB which is higher than many ear protection headphones on the market.
The ear cups are made of soft cushioned material, and the headband has a generous amount of padding to give your child the comfort he/she needs. The comfort level ensures that kids do not take the headphones off due to irritability. On top of all that, these headphones come in a plethora of hues, some of which also have a funky design. So, parents can protect their children while still making them look funky and trendy.
The Baby Banz Earmuffs are compact in size and weigh very less, making them a go-to choice for parents. The headphones have been designed to provide a snug fit not only for infants but also for newborn babies.
View on Amazon: Baby Banz Earmuffs
3. Puro Sound Labs BT2200
Best Baby Headphones for Noise Cancellation
- Wireless Bluetooth headphones with good sound quality long battery life
- Come in a lot of different colors with a classy and modern look
- Are comfortably padded for on-the-ear type headphones
- Block out 82% of ambient noise, which is much higher than what other headphones provide
- These headphones are more expensive in comparison to others
- Some parents prefer the design to be more inclined toward children than otherwise
These headphones do more than just noise-reduction by blocking out 82% noise. These are one of the best noise-canceling headphones for babies. Put these headphones on your baby and nothing really will be able to cause it any disturbance. These headphones come with a carry case, making them a popular choice among parents.
These Bluetooth headphones have a standby battery life of 200 hours as well as a playback battery life of up to 18 hours. The BT2200 headphones also have stereo sound which makes it the perfect choice for ear protection as well as listening to music. The treble as well as the vocals are crystal clear whereas the bass is sufficient enough to not cause damage to a child’s ears. The colors in which these headphones are available are all very classy and modern, contrary to how children’s headphones are usually designed.
The Puro Sound Labs BT2200 Headphones are for more than just ear protection for your children. These wireless headphones are designed to not only help your children be free of ambient noise, but also to provide them with a nice music experience. They follow the WHO’s 85 dB recommendation of sound level.
View on Amazon: Puro Sound Labs BT2200
4. HEARTEK Kids Earmuffs
Best Budget Baby Headphones
- Wireless Bluetooth headphones with good sound quality long battery life
- Come in a lot of different colors with a classy and modern look
- Are comfortably padded with mounted design, for elongated periods of use
- Have an NRR of 27 dB which allows a sleeping baby to be undisturbed
- Some parents complained about an earpiece coming off the headphones
- The headphones can surely have a better build quality and sturdiness
Budgeting is something that never leaves our side. Raising children comes with its fair share of expenditure. So it doesn’t come as a surprise when parents choose to look for headphones which are budget-friendly.
The headphones come in a number of colorful shades. The earcups are mounted earcups with a generous amount of padding. The mounted design allows for the weight of the earcups to be distributed evenly, allowing for a more comfortable wear. HEARTEK Kids Earmuffs have a collapsible design, i.e., the earcups collapse inside the headband, making these headphones extremely easy to carry around. This is a big boost as parents already have a ton of stuff to carry around for their children.
To add the icing on the cake, these headphones have a certified NRR of 27 dB which is more than enough to allow a baby to sleep without being disturbed by ambient noises. These headphones go on to show that price does not necessarily dictate quality.
HEARTEK Kids Earmuffs are the perfect choice for best budget baby headphones. These headphones are made to provide children with ear protection at a minimal cost.
View on Amazon: HEARTEK Kids Earmuffs
5. Riwbox Bluetooth Headphones
Best Baby Headphones for iPad
- Look stylish
- Wired or wireless option
- Excellent fit for baby’s head
- Lightweight
- Affordable price
- Come in many colors
- Integrated MP3 player
- Decent sound quality
- Build quality needs to be improved
Riwbox Bluetooth Headphones are our choice for the best baby headphones for iPad due to the ease they offer for long wearing. The protein in the ear cushion gives it a high degree of soft flexibility, so it doesn’t irritate the baby’s soft skin when it covers its ears. It’s also lightweight and airy, making it ideal for extended usage.
Riwbox Bluetooth Headphones come in excellent packaging. The quality of the colors’ final execution is superb. The earcups themselves are sturdy and have a great design and excellent craftsmanship.
They come in two options; wired or wireless, and both the Bluetooth and wireless connections worked without a hitch with our phone during evaluation. They do not freeze up and always follow the commands. They’re quite loud for something so little. And offer a good amount of passive noise isolation. Plus, the foldable design is an added plus.
In conclusion, Riwbox Bluetooth Headphones are cool and breathable and provide great comfort as the clamping is not overbearing, which is a thing to look for if you are purchasing something for babies. Their Bluetooth feature works very well with any device, whether Apple or Android, and the wired features are also effective. We recommend them highly.
View on Amazon: Riwbox Bluetooth Headphones
Frequently Asked Questions About the Best Baby Headphones
Contrary to popular belief that headphones can harm a baby’s ears, headphones act as a protective gear for a baby’s ears if used correctly. Especially headphones with noise-canceling features, as discussed above, can protect your infant’s ears from noises that can possibly damage their ears temporarily or permanently. Headphones may also be used to soothe your baby, by playing soft instrumental music at soothing and tolerable lower volumes. Though, if headphones are used carelessly when with kids, they can be unsafe for their ears. Therefore, parents should be extra careful about handling headphones with babies.
Children’s ears can be harmed in two ways, while flying. Firstly, pain in the ears due to the change in air pressure. Secondly, due to ambient noise coming from a crowded airport. There are a number of ways by which parents can protect their baby’s ears.
Let us take a look at them:
– Parents can get the right pair of headphones for their children to help avoid any damage or disturbance to their ears.
– Asking their children to swallow their saliva to neutralize air pressure, is recommended for parents with children above the age of – – Chewing gum or sucking candies can be effective in helping avoid ear pain. This is only recommended for kids over the age of 3.
– Bottle-feeding, breastfeeding or using a pacifier can help your baby’s ears. It facilitates the process of sucking which in turn helps ease any pain in the ears. This is a very suitable way for infants.
– Parents should ensure that their children stay awake during take-offs and landings. The air pressure upon taking-off and landing changes. As we sleep, we swallow less often. Therefore, staying up allows for more swallowing, further allowing air pressure to neutralize.
Sounds over the level of 85 decibels are said to be harmful for children. 85 dB would be the sound that your hairdryer or vacuum cleaner would make. Parents often carelessly perform these activities around their kids, which may unknowingly cause hearing problems to them.
Pregnant women should be extra cautious around loud noises/sounds. These loud sounds can be harmful for their babies in two ways. Firstly, loud sounds can cause stress to a woman’s body. This stress can lead to negative changes inside a pregnant woman’s body, which can harm their child inside the womb.
Secondly, loud sounds do travel down to a woman’s womb. Though, they are generally muffled and do not affect the baby. But, if the sounds are too close or too loud, they can harm a baby’s hearing development, even inside the womb. Therefore, it never hurts to be extra cautious when it comes to children.
Pregnant women should be extra cautious around loud noises/sounds. These loud sounds can be harmful for their babies in two ways. Firstly, loud sounds can cause stress to a woman’s body. This stress can lead to negative changes inside a pregnant woman’s body, which can harm their child inside the womb.
Secondly, loud sounds do travel down to a woman’s womb. Though, they are generally muffled and do not affect the baby. But, if the sounds are too close or too loud, they can harm a baby’s hearing development, even inside the womb. Therefore, it never hurts to be extra cautious when it comes to children.
Final Verdict
What we learn is that ear protection is of utmost importance for babies and children. It is one of the things that are often not looked into too much by parents, seeing they already have a lot on their plates with their children. Headphones are a great tool to protect your children from noises and sounds that can cause harm to your children’s ears. So, don’t think twice and get a pair of baby headphones!
If you have any queries, questions or suggestions, feel free to let us know in the comments below!
