How To Pick The Right Kids Headphones for School Children

A guide for parents looking for the best children’s gift

Is it your child’s birthday? Or maybe it’s his or her graduation day? Or maybe you just want to give him or her a gift? Then here’s a suggestion. Why not purchase headphones?

There are a number of reasons you should purchase headphones for school children. Kids nowadays are, after all, on their gadgets almost 24/7, and you need something to protect them from possible hearing damage. For kids, it’s also the best gift on Earth, precisely because they serve a purpose for, say, that Nintendo Switch. Also, the headphones, they think, also actually make them cool.

Check out this guide to purchase the best headphones that will make your kid (and you) happy:

1. Volume Limiting

As the term itself implies, volume limiting refers to the setting of a maximum level of volume at which music or any other sound can be listened to. The sound in normal headphones can exceed 100 decibels (dB), but sound at this volume can damage a child’s highly sensitive auditory hair cells.

When looking for headphones for children aged 12 and below then, you want to find those that limit volume to 85 dB. This way, even when you’re not watching over your kid, you can be assured he or she won’t have his or her hearing damaged.

You may also want to look for headphones that block out external sounds so that your child’s ears are protected even in high-level noise environments. Noise-isolation headphones do this through their physical attributes, while noise-cancelling headphones use a microphone. Headphones that suppress external sounds are good for a child due to various reasons:

  • They help increase the child’s overall focus by making him or her concentrate on the headphones’ sounds.
  • They prevent a child from having stress induced by the external noise.
  • They allow the child to enjoy the headphones’ music more as he or she gets fully immersed

2. Audio Sharing

If headphones have audio sharing capacity, they allow for more than one person to listen to the same music. Some kids’ headphones have an extra audio jack or a slot for this purpose. These are the headphones you want for your kids because apart from the fact that they encourage sharing, they also spare parents like you from the stress of having to deal with at least two children fighting over the same music!

Be aware, though, that experts have said that even at a volume level of 85 dB, children should only be listening with their headphones for a maximum of two hours per day.

3. Aesthetics

The way the headphones look is probably the most important thing for your child. Children want to stand out in their new headphones, but not for the wrong reasons. Don’t get headphones that will hurt your child’s ego, and make them the target of ridicule, then. Don’t get something too cutesy like cat ear headphones, either, lest your child be forever labeled as a baby.

Remember that kids just want to look cool, but not too out-of-this-world. Take your time and look for those headphones that are the perfect fit for your child’s style.

4. Comfort and Fit

Comfort refers to a state of physical ease and freedom from pain, while fit refers to the quality of being in the right size and shape.

Aesthetics are important in headphones, sure, but so are comfort and fit. What good are the cool-looking headphones, after all, if your child can’t even wear them for two seconds straight, or if they’re too loose and keep on falling.

For school children, it’s best to look for headphones that are made of soft materials, from the headband itself to the ear cups (try padded ear cups). Make sure the headphones you choose also have adjustable bands so you can make changes when necessary to make the device the perfect fit for your child.  

Conclusion

Choosing those headphones for your child should not be a hastily made decision. If you take time researching for the best headphones for you, all the more should you take time looking for the best headphones for your child. This is your child we’re talking about, after all, and there are far more considerations to take into account before you decide to take that leap and shell out money.

If you’re diligent and do your homework, there’s no reason you can’t get those headphones your child will adore you even more for.

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