That noisy toy your child loves to play with may not be good for his
ears.
Noisy toys can affect a child’s hearing overtime. Noise induced
hearing loss doesn’t happen from one event; it does so gradually says
Cynthia Jacobsen, Ph.D, Director of the Hearing and Speech clinic at
Children’s Mercy Hospital and Clinics.
“Some toys with cranks, sirens or horns, cap guns, and electronic
toys emit sounds loud enough to damage hearing,” says Dr.
Jacobsen. “It’s not just toys; it can be musical instruments, or noisy
household items.”
Dr. Jacobsen says you should be able to talk to your child without
having to raise your voice to be heard over a toy or appliance. Safe
loudness levels are the noise of your dishwasher or washing machine,
which are about 70 decibels. Sounds that are 85 decibels or greater can
cause hearing loss over time, these can include loud toys, electronic
music instruments, lawnmowers and fireworks.
“Remember that children hold toys close to their face, making noises
even louder,” Dr. Jacobsen says. “Also, if you can hear music three
feet away from your teen’s earphones, it’s too loud.”
Dr. Jacobsen offers these tips:
- Buy toys with volume controls and on/off switches.
- Set the volume limiters before allowing children to use
electronic items.
- Put tape over speakers to muffle sound.
- Keep the volume down and give a child “quiet breaks.”
- If a toy sounds too loud in the store, don’t buy it.
- Children are even more sensitive to sound than adults.
- Remove batteries from loud toys.
