Question: What do I need to know about hearing protection gear for children?
Answer: A hearing-protection device should be specifically designed for a small child’s ears and head. It needs to fit well in order to work properly. It should also withstand a child’s rough use. Most will have built-in limiters for volume to remove the guesswork about unsafe sound levels. These devices can come in the form of earbuds that can be connected to their mobile music devices or they can be earmuffs worn over the ears. They should be worn in any noise environment with 90-dBa sound levels or greater. There are also mobile apps that can be helpful for measuring noisy environments and determining the necessity of hearing protection.