In just a couple of weeks children in Louisville will be eagerly unwrapping gifts beneath the Christmas tree. Let’s just hope that Santa and his elves keep in mind the dangers presented by certain toys. We’re not just talking about choking hazards, either – did you know that some toys can prove hazardous to your child’s hearing health?
Ho-ho-how Can Toys Cause Hearing Loss?
Toy manufacturers lately seem to have adopted the belief that noisier is better. But loud toys put your child at risk of developing noise-induced hearing loss. Exposure to sounds above 85 decibels (dB) causes permanent damage to the tiny hair cells in the inner ear. The louder the sound, the less time it takes for irreversible hearing loss to occur.
When purchasing gifts for your child this holiday season, you might want to avoid the following:
- Black & Decker Junior Leaf Blower (113.8 dB)
- Marvel Avengers Infinity War Infinity Gauntlet Electronic Fist (108.5 dB)
- My Little Pony Singing Rainbow Dash (108.4 dB)
- Vtech Go! Go! Smart Wheels Minnie Convertible (107 dB)
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi Bladebuilders Electronic Riot Baton (106.3 dB)
- toys Woofer Hound Dog Guitar (106.2 dB)
- Marvel Avengers Infinity War Mission Tech Iron Man (106.1 dB)
- Fisher-Price Sing & Learn Music Player (105.6 dB)
- Fisher-Price Bright Beats Spin & Crawl Tumble Ball (104 dB)
- Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Puppy’s Busy Activity Home (103.7 dB)
- toys Meowsic Keyboard (103.4 dB)
- toys You Turns Steering Wheel (103.3 dB)
- Fisher-Price Rock ‘n Sort Snail Pail (103 dB)
- Marvel Black Panther Slash & Strike Erik Killmonger Figure (101.6 dB)
- Fisher-Price Shimmer & Shine Tummy Rubs Nazboo (100.7 dB)
- VTech Pull and Discover Activity Elephant (100.3 dB)
- VTech Drill & Learn Toolbox (99 dB)
- Spider-Man Homecoming Super Sense Spider-Man (99 dB)
- VTech Sort & Discover Drum (98.8 dB)
- Playskool Friends Sesame Street Tickle Me Elmo (90 dB)
These dB measurements were taken as if the child had his or her ear directly next to the toy’s speaker. Given kids’ natural curiosity, it’s a safe bet that’s exactly what will happen.
To check the safety of other toys not on this list, we recommend downloading one of the many free smartphone apps designed to measure dB levels. Your Louisville audiologist can recommend safe and age-appropriate toys for your child if you’d like some help filling their stocking this holiday season.