Buying the best noise cancelling headphones for kids can be highly beneficial due to a variety of reasons.
If you’re reading this article, you’re probably aware of some of these reasons. In order to ensure that we’re all on the same wavelength, let’s quickly run through some of these issues.
Firstly, I’m sure you already know that a child’s ears aren’t as mature as those of an adult. This means that if they’re exposed to inappropriately loud sound, there’ll be a high chance of sustaining ear damage.
Sounds dangerous right? Believe me, it is and you shouldn’t ignore it!
Perhaps you’ve already taken this into account but your existing purchase isn’t an appropriate pair of earphones for children.
A lot of these sets don’t actually have an active noise cancellation feature so it’s really important that you confirm the utilization of this feature before making the purchase.
On top of the safety associated with a noise blocking set, this feature will also be perfect if your children are bothered by some form of external sound. A perfect example of this is the loud uncomfortable sound emitted by the engine of a car or airplane while travelling.
Sound blocking headphones will give your child the ability to ignore such turbulent sounds and focus on other things.
These types of products are also highly useful for those with sensory problems.
Buying such a set to use with conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or autism can be highly beneficial. This is because the earphones will significantly block out external sound which in turn may allow your child to focus.
The points we’ve discussed above are just some of the issues which can be solved through sound reduction. So let’s move on to actually picking the best pairs available in 2019!
Selecting the Best Noise Cancelling Headphones for Kids
In terms of product selection, we can’t simply pick something and expect the best. You might have done this in the past and more often than not, you’ll have noticed the problem after making the purchase.
In order to do everything perfectly we must carry out the research in an orderly manner. This can not only be time-consuming but there’s also a hint of frustration due to the sheer number of products available nowadays.
Due to this, we’ve listed 4 sets that might be ideal for your child’s use. You can also check the comparison table below if you’d like to see how each of these 4 sets do against each other.
Furthermore, I must stress the importance of age as some sets may be better for younger children while others will be better suited to older more developed ears. Because of this, if you’re looking at getting sound reducing headphones for babies, you’ll have to make sure that you confirm the suitability of a particular product you’re looking at.
It’s essential that you stick to the age group your child falls in.
Best Noise Cancellation Headphones for Kids
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LilGadgets Untangled Pro
The untangled pros made by LilGadgets are not only the best but also the highest-end pair.
With the availability of a diverse range of colours to suit every child, the design of this model is quite unique.
However, there are no cartoon characters utilized to create this product so you need consider whether your son or daughter would appreciate a relatively simple design.
As you can probably guess from the price tag, this is a set which has a wireless feature and exploits bluetooth technology.
There are many problems with wireless sets and the most common issue seems to be related to the battery life. However, the Untangled Pros provide an impressive battery life of 10 hours in addition to a standby time of 180 hours.
When using a wired pair of earphones, your child can pull the iPad or iPod from the table due to their spontaneous movement.
The wireless feature associated with the Untangled Pros provides a huge advantage as expensive devices will be protected from damage.
If the battery dies on a long journey, we’ll also get a detachable cable which can be used to convert the Untangled Pros into a pair of wired headphones.
This will ensure your child will be able to enjoy their music or watch their favourite shows even when the battery is down on a long journey. This feature definitely sends a few bonus points in the way of this set thereby handing a massive advantage over its competitors.
Let’s quickly discuss the aspect of the fit now! The Untangled Pros are specifically designed to stay on your son’s or daughter’s head.
LilGadgets have done their research in terms of what is required and created a product which truly satisfies these requirements. These earphones will fit children over 4 years old if adjusted to the lowest settings while the highest setting will be aimed at chilred over 13 year olds.
The soft over-ear style ear cups are incredibly comfortable and will suit your child’s small ears.
When it comes to the sound, this product will deliver music very clearly and with great precision. These have a passive sound reducing effect and they certainly do really well to carry out this function. On top of this, there is a bit of a sound leakage which will alert you over the volume being turned high by your child.
Overall, despite the relatively premium $50 price tag, we have found a pair of top earphones in the Untangled Pros. This is indicated by an almost perfect 4.9 out of 5 rating on Amazon.
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Califone 2810-TI
The 2810-TI by Califone is the second best pair within the noise cancelling category for children.
The price tag of this product is much lower when compared to the Untangled Pros. The effect of this can be seen in every area we’ve looked at.
While testing this product, I was less than impressed with the overall appearance. The single tiger motif design may be appealing go some but I don’t see it as being alluring for too many kids.
Furthermore, I was unimpressed with the overall build quality and the ear cups do feel a bit plasticky!
While the use of a 6 foot cable may help to minimize accidental pulling, I feel that it can act as a major obstacle especially considering this set is made for children.
As we’ve mentioned some negative points of these Califones, it would only be fair to talk about some of the plus points.
Firstly, this is an over-ear set which will cover the ears of your child thereby leading to enhanced comfort levels even when used during long periods. Whether you should allow use for an extended period of time is another matter.
Even though the design and overall structure of the 2810-TIs feels plasticky, some parts of the design feel quite rugged and durable. This is especially when you consider the fact that these will cost you less than 15 bucks.
In terms of the sound, the quality isn’t fantastic but reasonable considering it’s a kid’s set. The softly padded ear cups do establish a nice seal to block some but not all of the external sound. In order to control the volume, you’ll have to use the music device.
In addition to this, there’ a volume control on the cord which can be effectively utilized to ensure that your children aren’t exposed to too much noise.
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Philips SHK1000PK/28
The 3rd place on our list goes to Philips’ SHK1000s which have been created in an on-ear style.
This on-ear style can lead to the cups putting pressure on your child’s ears. In consequence, discomfort will arise much quicker than over-ear cups which will cover the entire ear.
In terms of the overall appearance, the SHK100028s are available in a range of 4 colors which include pink, blue and white. This can be a positive factor when you’re choosing a kids product. The overall design of this set is actually quite attractive while the build quality feels decent too.
When it comes to the volume limiting feature, these will provide a maximum volume of 85dB.
This is within the safe criteria for children so you’ll no longer have to worry about your kids listening at an unnecessarily high volume which can ultimately lead to ear damage.
However, taking the sound blocking feature into considering, the thinness of the ear cups will provide a minimal effect. As we are prioritizing this feature, I was left feeling quite disappointing.
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Sony MDR-222KD
There’s one element of the Sony MDR-222KDs that you’ll notice straight away and that’s the fact that these look nothing like a pair of kids headphones.
The plain black design would be more suited towards a casual music listening adult rather than a color-loving child although, the availability of a pink color does well to improve the appearance.
While the overall design isn’t too appealing for children, these earphones still look decent enough to be worthy of buying.
The only issue we have is that Sony recommends that this set should only be used for kids over 8 years old. This automatically omits babies and toddlers.
In contrast to the Untangled Pros and the Califones discussed above, the MDR-222KDs have an on-ear style. This can bring about ear discomfort much quicker than over-ear models thereby limiting the number of hours they can be worn before getting uncomfortable.
This is definitely not what we should expose our children to.
While the sound quality delivered by this set is decent, a common complaint is the volume which can often be too low. However, I don’t think this will be a problem.
The sound cancelling feature with this set isn’t great due to the poor capability of establishing an effective seal. The on-ear style needs to be blamed for this!
Despite this, we know that we’re looking at a Sony product and this is bound to be filled with great hidden quality and durability.
Conclusion
If you carefully read the above reviews carefully, you’ll be thinking one thing – only the Untangled Pros have the sufficient quality to be labelled the best set.
Even though these 3 sets are available at an affordable price, I completely agree with you!
The inclusion of these 3 products actually indicates the low quality of headphones available with this feature (with the exception of the Untangled Pros). It’s actually quite surprising how far off these 3 sets are from the LilGadgets!
Due to this, if you’re looking at getting a pair of headphones for your child, the Untangled Pros are the only worthy choice you should make. However, if you’re on the hunt for baby sound reducing headphones, then make sure you confirm the suitability by contacting the manufacturer.
