Does anybody have experience using cotton balls in toddler's ears to muffle sound? For this particular case, the headphones won't work, and I am wondering if anybody has known the cottonballs to pose a hazard.
TIA
Thanks for the idea to use noise-cancelling headphones. We have them, too, and love them. As I said initially, the headphones won't work for this particular case.
Well, I don't know about cotton balls in the ears. But I DO know CVS has ear plugs in all shapes and sizes and strengths. My boys (19, 17) buy them when they go to screamo concerts, lol.
:)
I grew up target shooting with my dad and using cotton in my ears to muffle the sound. Most of my hearing in one ear started going by my teens. I'm thinking the cotton didn't work.
Nowadays they have all sorts of ear plugs available at the drugstore to help muffle sound. Squishy- expanding foam rubber, corkscrew style soft rubber connected by cords so they don't get stuck in your ear. They are cheap, some are disposable, some reusable. They can be used in conjunction with the larger, headphone type ear protection. They often are rated for effectiveness in reducing sound exposure. I keep a small pair of ear plugs in my purse and use them whenever I'm around loud sounds to protect the hearing that's left.
What do you want to muffle sound for? You can get noise cancelling headphones.
There are so many better options. Cotton balls are ok.. But not perfect an d not really made for this use.
No, I would NOT use cotton balls to muffle sound in a toddlers ears.
Contact your pediatrician or your ENT to ask them what they would use for muffle sounds in your child's ears.
I don't know what you want to block sound for. That would help to know.
I am not quite sure what sound you are trying to muffle but recently, I took my daughter to an orchestra concert and I knew it would be loud. We were on the front row.
I went to Academy and asked them what I could purchase. They pointed me in the direction of these gel like plugs that molded to her ears for $3. They are used at shooting ranges.
When we went to the air show one year we bought the foamy ear plugs that are meant to expand to the ear and they worked great. Our son was about a year old at the time of using them. They didn't seem to bother him. They sell them by the dozen at Acadamy for couple dollars and they come in small as well. We used the ladies size and worked great.
the ent told us not to put anything in our toddlers ears smaller than an elbow. I would try ear plugs or those ear muff that gun shooters wear. i doubt that they would keep them on but try cotton in your own ears. it only muffles it slightly not well enough for sound protection, i believe.
We've used the children's-size foam earplugs from the drugstore and my oldest has a fairly extreme noise-sensitivity, so he has noise canceling headphones that work wonderfully!
One thing you might try that I haven't seen suggested yet is silicon earplugs. They sell them at drugstores nest to the foam earplugs. I pick up a box with 3 pairs for $1.99 at CVS. They're like little pats of gel that can be cut smaller, molded and fit to size (like play-doh) and can give a snug fit. I wear them when I go to the gym because the trainers like the music super loud. Even with all the movement and sweat in a spinning class, they don't pop out. I can still hear but it's muted.
I know you can safely use cotton balls coated with vaseline in the ears. I would worry about a small piece/strand getting caught in the ear. I would think earplugs would be better. Check with your peditrician.
