Auditory Protection for Infants?

Why not find someone to babysit him instead? He's certainly not going to care whether he is there and then you and your husband can really enjoy what is probably a more adults only venue instead.

1 mom found this helpful

My oldest son, now 5, hates loud noises and won't let you put anything in his ears but wanted to go to a Monster truck Jam. We bought the muffs they use on gun ranges & they were wonderful. He enjoyed the show tremendously without hurting his ears! You can get them at Academy. I hope this helps.

1 mom found this helpful

I bought some Peltor Kids headphones for a friend with a little one and she loves them. These are the ones you see the "celeb" kids wearing at their mom or dad's concerts. They are made in England, but they sell them here.

here's a link to show you what they look like:
http://www.peltor.se/int/Product.asp?PageNumber=154&P...

1 mom found this helpful

We have used shooter ear muffs in the past for fireworks, so I am sure that they would work for the festivals.

Here is link to order online:

http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/ear-muffs-for-childr...

1 mom found this helpful

My son just had tubes put in his ears yesterday so this is perfect timing. We got some reading material about ear protection. They recommend musicians earplugs. They make them for babies too. If they don't fit well, you can have custom ones made. Talk to your audiologist or ENT doctor. Our insurance covers them so perhaps that is an option for you.

I agree with Elizabeth B....find a good sitter & enjoy your selves. No one really knows the effects on loud music to the ears, & some are more sensitive than others. Why risk his ear protection, coming off or not being effective. Also, at that age he will soon out grow them. When you block of babies ears at that age, they can get confused or disoriented as to why they can not hear you. I just don't think it is worth all that, & it is not something he will enjoy. There will be a time when he will be old enough to enjoy!!

www.mybiopro.com/claudia13 (learn how to protect your family from cellphone radiation & EMFs)

I second Mary's suggestion of Peltor earmuffs. We've been using those on our baby for concerts since she was two months old. Had her hearing checked a few times since then to make sure, and no damage.

My daughter's ENT told us that small children's hearing is particularly vulnerable to loud noise damage...

Here's a website that sells both ear muffs for babies/toddlers and baby earplugs:
http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/chearpr.html

Specifically,
http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/ear-muffs-for-childr...
http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/bablnasopl.html

I took my son everywhere with Peltor Kids Ear Defenders. My son went to church (organ music), Texans games, and noisy wedding parties with these things. They work 100%. You can find them on Ebay here in the US too.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/PELTOR-GREEN-DEFENDERS-PROTECTORS...

My friend used cotton balls for her baby. We took my daughter to a concert and put tissue in her ears. But we have used the squishy ear plugs before. They conform to the ears and they work great!!!

Hi S.,
I realize Mack's earplugs are for water, but I use them for sleeping with a loud snoring hubby. I don't know that they offer the sound protection he would require, but they could offer some help. They mold as small as the child's ears. I bought mine at Walgreens. HTH
Peace,
C.

I agree they will probably pull them out, but you could do the cotton or the "foamies" as suggested, maybe get some first aid tape and lightly tape it to your infants head or ears. I bet your toddler would do better with a hot holding them in place..

One thing to think about. I love the "foamies" they work the best for me, but my ears get hot with them and then I break out in a rash when I use them for very long.

Here's a link to several items on the market right now:
http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/chearpr.html

My husband likes to race his cars at a very loud track and really loves it when we come out to watch. We did some research and found that the earmuff style of headsets are probably the best (and only) thing out there suitable for babies and toddlers. All the smaller earplugs and other devices say 'for use by children 5 (or 7) and older.'

Drawbacks: The earmuffs look huge and clunky and you have to get your little one used to them beforehand so they won't just keep knocking them off their head.

I didn't want to bring our baby unless she had some kind of protection, so we sprung for the earmuffs. We spent some time getting her to think they were as cool as her sunglasses, and the rest is history. They really do work.

Hope this is helpful.

- E.

Depending on how loud it will be, you can use ear muffs or headphones to help. But, I would use the ear wax balls that you can roll into a certain size. They are not for use for small children due to the child may put in too small of balls in ear or eat it. But, if you're watching your child diligently, he should be fine. You don't want to put it in in small pieces - one large piece only - so it won't fall into his ear canal. And, You don't want him eating it. I saw a lady do this with her baby at a spurs game too.

We took our baby to a few very loud music events around the age of your son and while in her car seat, we put the "hood up" and then put a blanket rolled up by each ear (between her head and the pad on the car seat)... she slept SOUNDLY through a concert that I wanted to leave because I was really worried about her and the sound was so loud that I couldn't hear anything my husband was SCREAMING in my ear!

I asked my daughter-in-law who is working on her doctorate in audiology. Her reply: "Here is my semi-professional opinion - Technically, you could go to your local audiologist and get custom hearing protection for your child. It would require making a mold of your child's ear and ordering it. However, children's ears change and grow so fast that you would be replacing them constantly. That's why infants with hearing loss go through so many ear molds until they are about 4-5. So really, it would be VERY expensive to do. I would recommend just not taking him until he is old enough to get custom ear protection that would last long enough to be worth your money."

Talk to your pediatrician. If there isn't anything he/she can recommend, then I wouldn't take your son. Cotton isn't going to do the trick and infants are very vulnerable to auditory damage at this age.

I'm not really sure about what kind of ear plugs to get but I will say what ever you do try the kiddo will probably try to yank out. Keep that in mind when doing your purchasing.

Good luck!
J.
http://www.mommysjoy.com

Maybe try cotton? You can place the cotton in his ears, then put a hat on him that will cover his ears so he can't yank it out. Hats offer good protection from the sun too. You could test this theory by placing cotton in your own ears and turning up some music to the volume that you think the noise level will be at the festivals and see if it blocks enough sound. Just a thought. Have fun and God bless!

I would buy some of the soft moldable ones. My husband refers to them as foamies. You roll them between your fingers and gently insert them in the ear. Where you have a young baby they're going to stick out quite a bit, but should offer more protection than leaving his ears naked.