More from Hearing Healthcare of Virginia online: www.VirginiaHearingAids.com.
One thing you can look forward to if you have kids is that at some point they will ask you to get them some headphones to work with their computers, games and music players. Headphones are able to markedly increase kid’s use of these entertainment and learning media, but there are a handful of characteristics you should look for when buying these headphones.
Proper fit is definitely the first thing to consider.The majority of headphones are designed for full-sized adult heads. They will not fit properly on a child’s smaller head. You should not justify the size difference by believing that the kids will eventually grow into them. In point of fact, the constant fidgeting and adjusting will most likely result in a shorter useful life due to breakage. To help with this, a number of headphones made for kids come with flexible head straps, which makes it simpler to get a good initial fit, and to adjust the fit as children grow.
Sound Limiting Technology is the most crucial characteristic to search for. Naturally, children will often want to use the highest allowable volume settings to completely immerse themselves in the experience. Adults know that this is a really poor idea that could result in long term hearing loss. Your choice of headphones should be restricted to those headphones which do not allow this, and which include preset limits so that they can’t be made to exceed a volume of 80 to 85 decibels. The decibel restriction suggestion applies to both headphones that fit over the ears and ear buds, although it is quite possibly more significant for the ear buds which are placed inside ears.
Yet another criteria that moms and dads should consider is ruggedness, because some headphones may be too fragile for use by younger children. Refer to parents’ magazines or consumer guides to find out which brands of headphones have a reputation for ruggedness and long lives. Having said that, when looking for durability, you shouldn’t sacrifice light weight for it, and pick headphones that may be too heavy for kids.
Whichever brand of headphones you go with, try to restrict your kids’ use of them to just a couple hours a day. Continuous sound, even through Sound Limiting Technology ear buds or headphones, may create subtle harm to their sensitive hearing that may appear later in life.
Did you know?
Hearing Healthcare of Virginia makes custom molded headphones for comfort and durability. Contact us today for details.
(888) 512-1164
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