Did you know that some children's toys create sounds loud enough to damage your child's hearing? It's true. In fact, some sounds from toys are greater than the siren from an ambulance. There are ways to recognize sounds that are too loud. And there are also ways for parents to protect and care for their children's hearing.
Sounds are measured in decibels. Sounds greater than 85 db listened to for more than fifteen minutes can cause childhood hearing loss. Unbelievably many toys have been measured at 129 db or higher. That’s not even reasonably safe as each increase of ten means it’s ten times more damaging to your child's ears. These explosively loud sounds create greater difficulties when listened to for longer periods or at closer distances—as children are known to do. The video below explains the problem.
The admonition, “Too loud, too long, too close” is used by the National Institute of Health to create awareness around the only preventable type of hearing loss—noise induced hearing loss (NIHL). Government programs and campaigns raise awareness, but without regulations it’s up to parents to beware noisy toys and to guard their children’s hearing.
Here are a few steps parents can take to protect their children's hearing:
Regular visits to an audiologist-- like visits to an eye doctor will help children keep their hearing fitness. Let’s spread the word about this issue. It’s time to make people aware of the third largest health problem in the nation—hearing loss and all the noisy culprits that could be lurking in your child’s toy-box right now.
If you'd like to learn more, see your hearing health provider. If you need help finding a hearing health provider click HERE to be connected with the largest network of trusted hearing health professionals in the nation!
