If you have kids, at some point they will ask you to purchase them headphones to use with their gaming systems, music players and computers. Not any big shock there. On balance, headphones often provide a better experience when used in combination with various entertainment and learning multimedia. Because the request is inevitable, here are some ideas for moms and dads about what to look for when you shop.
A major attribute that plenty of buyers would not normally consider is ensuring that the headphones fit the right way. Most headphones are created for full-sized adult heads. They will not fit properly on a child’s smaller head. If headphones are too large, kids may also end up constantly adjusting them, which may lead to breakage. Headphones created for kids are designed with a growing child in mind. Most have an adjustable head strap which allows your son or daughter to get a perfect fit now and for years to come.
The second characteristic you need to look for – and the most essential – is some form of Sound Limiting Technology. Children are going to want to turn the sound up as far as they can, to a volume that could rapidly damage their ears and cause long term hearing loss. Your choice of headphones should be restricted to those headphones that don’t permit this, and which come with preset limits so that they can’t surpass a volume of 80 to 85 decibels. This bit of advice is just as true for ear buds which are inserted into the outer ear canal as it is for over-the-ear headphones.
One more factor to consider is durability and toughness, because children are hard on fragile products, and certain headphones can be very fragile indeed. You can locate information about headphones that have a proven track record for durability by consulting parents’ magazines or consumer guides. However, when looking for durability, don’t sacrifice light weight, and pick headphones that may be too heavy for children.
No matter which model headphones you go with, make an effort to restrict your kids’ use of them to only a few hours daily. Being bombarded by sound all day long, even if the earbuds or headphones limit the volume level, can still create subtle damage to youngster’s ears.