When you have children, sooner or later they are going to ask you to purchase them headphones that they can use with their gaming systems, computers and music players. Headphones can markedly increase children’s experience with these entertainment and learning multimedia, but there are some features you should look for when buying these headphones.
The first consideration, although it may not immediately register as important, is good fit.
Children’s heads are smaller, so headphones created for grownups will likely not fit them properly, and might not offer the complete range of sound. When headphones are too big, children will often be adjusting them constantly, which might lead to damage. A number of kid’s headphones come with adjustable headbands which make the initial fitting easier, and that permit refitting as the youngster grows.
The most crucial characteristic you should look for, however, is that the headphones are equipped with some kind of Sound Limiting Technology.
Children will want to turn the volume level up as high as they possibly can, to a level that could quickly damage their ears and cause hearing impairment. Because of this, you should limit your choices for children’s headphones to those that do not allow excessive volume levels, and that include predetermined limits that make sure they never exceed 80 to 85 decibels. This suggestion is equally true for ear buds which are inserted into the outer ear canal as it is for over-the-ear headphones.
A different factor to consider is durability, because kids are hard on delicate products, and certain headphones can be quite fragile.
Refer to parents’ magazines or consumer guides to find out which models of headphones have a reputation for durability. Make sure you balance this need for durability with a bias toward light weight, however because you really do not want your kids to be running around wearing headphones which are too heavy for their body size.
No matter what selection you make for children’s headphones, a final piece of advice is to restrict usage to a few hours each day. Being bombarded by sound all day long, even if the earbuds or headphones restrict the volume, can still subtly damage kid’s sensitive ears.