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Jun 23, 2023

5 Best Baby Noise

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The next time you bring your baby on a potentially loud adventure — a sporting event, festival, plane ride — pack noise-cancelling headphones designed to keep your little one safe, comfortable and happy.

There are so many occasions when you'd want to protect your baby's ears from high decibels — festivals, concerts, parades, fireworks, plane rides or even family celebrations (birthday parties are loud!). Luckily, baby-appropriate noise-cancelling headphones are a thing and they'll help protect your baby's delicate ears. When it comes to buying kids' headphones for older children, they're often made for gaming or watching shows, so they limit audio output to kid-safe volumes. But sound-dampening baby ear muffs are different; they are meant to dim surrounding noise.

It's somewhat ironic, because a baby's own cries can easily reach a stress-inducing 100+ decibels. But having a baby or toddler at an event where there is sustained 100+-decibel noise can lead to noise-induced hearing loss. That's why it's important to take preventative measures. And if your child has autism or is sensitive to sound, noise-cancelling headphones can also provide some relief.

At the Good Housekeeping Institute, we are all about baby safety and frequently evaluate products such as the best baby monitors and the best infant car seats. For this story, we consulted experts and scoured the internet to find the best noise-cancelling headphones for babies that have a Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) of 20 dB or more. We looked at 20 pairs of headphones and whittled the choices down to the five best.

Though manufacturers might say that baby headphones are suitable from birth, we have opted to list all of our picks as starting at 3 months. Talk to your pediatrician, but most tend to prefer that parents refrain from bringing a newborn younger than 3 months to a crowded (i.e. loud) event until they get their two-month round of immunizations (see the CDC vaccination schedule). It's also good to point out that none of these baby headphones will encase your baby in silence. Though they may be called noise-cancelling, they are really sound-reducing. Your baby will still be able to hear some noise. Keeping these factors in mind, in addition to comfort and user-friendliness, we selected the best noise-cancelling headphones for babies.

The one universal "con" of all baby ear muffs is that your baby might try to pull them off. To help thwart that issue, we've included tips and tricks for getting your baby to wear headphones at the end of our list. We also have information from a pediatrician on why you might want to use baby headphones, how we compiled this list and what to look for when shopping for baby noise-cancelling headphones. If you're interested in finding some peace and quiet for yourself, check out our roundup of noise-cancelling headphones for adults or sound machines for sleep.

Possibly the most well-known brand for baby noise-cancelling headphones, Banz offers earmuffs that are well-padded for extra comfort around the ears and the headband. Available in an array of colors and patterns for cuteness, they've shown up on the ears of celebrity kids including Prince George (at an air show) and DJ Khaled's son Asahd (at the BET Awards).

On a more relatable level, we've had testers put these on their babies for events like weddings. Nutrition Lab Director Stefani Sassos uses them on her daughter for loud family events when there's music playing. "At one, I had 'loud noise environment' notifications going off on my Apple Watch and when we left, my own ears were ringing — all of which reaffirmed that these were necessary for my daughter," Sassos said. "She was nine months old at the time, and comfortable in them." Though they're the heaviest and priciest on our list (but not by a lot), Banz has a high NRR rating and over 12k five-star Amazon reviews, illustrating they are a quality choice.

With an NRR rating on the low side, these don't cut out quite as much sound as some other choices, but they are the lightest baby headphones on our list and a value pick from a trusted brand that also makes protective headphones for adults. So if you think your toddler is more likely to wear headphones if their grownup is wearing them too, you might want to grab your own pair of ProCase adult headphones and twin with your little one while watching fireworks or riding in an airplane.

Note that the baby-sized ones only come in this shade of blue. The ProCase Kids Ear Protection headphones, age-graded from 1 to 16, are a little more expensive but also a little more protective, and they come in more colors. They're something to consider if you're shopping for a toddler, preschooler or big kid.

Mumba Baby Earmuffs match our best overall pick for its high NRR rating, meaning they cut down about as much noise as possible. As with all noise-cancelling headphones, your baby will still hear loud sounds, but they'll be muffled. Online reviewers praise the durability of the foam headband which can take a good bit of stretching and twisting.

When you push down on the logo-printed button, you can slide the headband through and easily adjust the fit. Though you can expect these to fit past your baby's second birthday, they are likely going to be too small by age 3.

If you struggle to keep headphones on your baby's head, you may have some luck with this Dutch brand that uses an elastic headband for a snug fit and firm hold. Some families say it works exactly as promised for them, while others report that it's initially a little tough to get on their baby if they're a real wiggle-worm. If you’re always conscious of protecting your baby's fontanelle, or soft spot, you’ll appreciate that the fit keeps these headphones away from that area (though you may be comforted by the fact that traditional headphones that cross the fontanelle are not considered dangerous). These headphones should stretch to fit up to age 3.

Available in six colors, Muffy Baby headphones come with a carrying case that makes it easy to keep your baby's ear protection clean and separated from everything else in your diaper bag.

We'll be honest that we were first attracted to this newer brand's lovely monotone pastel design. But Snug Baby Earmuffs are also good noise-cancelling headphones for babies through age 2. Their low price nearly matches our value pick, yet these headphones have a slightly higher NRR rating for more soundproofing ability.

We like that so many online reviewers say their baby wears these comfortably. The only complaint from some is that the headphones might arrive with a faint chemical smell. If that happens, we suggest unboxing them a day or so before you'll be using them and wiping them down with a baby wipe.

We reviewed 20 pairs of noise-cancelling headphones designed specially for babies, focusing on pairs with a Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) compliant with ANSI/ASA S12.6-2016 as required by the American National Standards Institute. According to that organization, the highest NRR a consumer can expect is 30 or 31, and two of our choices, including our best overall pick, meet that high threshold. Note that you might also see companies list an SNR number, which is the European standard; NRR is the US standard.

The Environmental Protection Agency established the current Noise Label Program, which requires an NRR number to be listed. But the EPA is in the process of changing NRR rating labels. Instead of the "single number" approach, future labels may indicate a range, accounting for variability in usage and fit. Of all the baby headphones we looked at, only Alpine Muffy Baby headphones currently provide a range instead of a single number.

We also checked our final choices with the experts at Quiet Mark, a partner of the Good Housekeeping Institute. Quiet Mark has not certified any noise-cancelling headphones made for babies. Though the staff had no red flags with our picks, they noted that a professional audiologist or pediatrician is the best person to provide advice about appropriate use. Finally, we received feedback from parents who have used headphones on their baby regarding fit, comfort and ease of use.

Heading somewhere loud with your baby in tow and want to protect their ears? This is what you should be mindful of before you buy a pair:

✔️ Fit: Be sure you're buying headphones that will fit an infant. Look for an age grading that goes from birth or the infant months to age 2 or 3 years.

✔️ Ear-muff style: The big ear muffs are the sound-reducing kind. Headphones with smaller cups are usually the ones you plug into a device so your child can listen to music or shows. The noise-reducing headphones for a baby will not have any cord or Bluetooth ability.

✔️ NRR rating: As described above, the Noise Reduction Rating gives you a gauge of how well the headphones block sound, with the highest rating for baby headphones reaching 31. Most baby noise-cancelling headphones have a rating somewhere in the 20s; we would not recommend buying headphones with an NRR rating below 19.

✔️ Realistic expectations: Don't expect headphones to deliver silence. Though they may be called "noise cancelling," there is no pair of headphones that can silence everything. "Decreasing the sound reaching your baby's ears is the goal," Dr. Balk says.

When wearing headphones, your baby might not hear the conversation going on at a late-night family barbecue and could even drift off to sleep, but they might open their eyes when fireworks start. The noise won't be as loud as it would be without headphones, but your baby will still hear the muffled bangs.

We turned to the American Academy of Pediatrics for advice. AAP member Sophie J. Balk, MD, a pediatrician at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore in New York City and professor of pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, says that babies should be shielded from loud noise as much as possible, and baby noise-cancelling headphones can play a part in that.

"For many reasons, babies’ delicate ears and hearing are thought to be more sensitive to excessive noise compared to older children and adults," Dr, Balk says. "Babies also can't remove themselves from uncomfortable – even painful – noisy situations so they must rely on adults to protect them." By using ear protection, you're not only keeping your baby from experiencing pain, you're working to prevent any permanent damage. "Hearing loss that occurs because of excessive noise can have long-term consequences, including their ability to learn," Dr. Balk says.

A rule of thumb: If a place seems loud to you, it's probably too loud for your baby. "Noisy restaurants, parties, sports events, dance events, life events – all can be fun for people but also may get extremely loud," Dr. Balk says. "If you decide to stay at the event, put protective headphones on your baby to keep them as safe as possible."

Here, some advice from parents who have been there.

• Fuss with the fit at home, before you are in the loud situation. That gives you a chance to adjust the headphones to the proper width so that they slide right onto your baby when the music or event begins.

• Be ready with a distraction when you first put the headphones on your kid. When you place a hat, headband or anything else on a baby, often their first inclination is to yank it off. But if you're prepared with a favorite toy, sippy cup or anything they can hold in their hands, you can likely distract them long enough that they'll forget something went on their head.

• Look convincing. If you appear worried that your baby is going to reject the headphones, they'll probably read your skepticism and be nervous themselves. Prepare to look delighted and excited about your baby wearing headphones and they're more likely to keep them on.

• If needed, pretend that YOU want them. If your baby is really having none of it, put the headphones on yourself and show your baby how glad you are to have them. They always want what you've got! Another tactic: Use peer pressure to your advantage and have an older sibling or friend wear headphones.

The scientists, researchers and journalists of the Good Housekeeping Institute regularly review home safety products such as the best air purifiers for allergies and baby products such as the best bassinets and best swaddles for safe sleep in infancy.

This list was overseen by our Chief Technologist and Executive Technical Director Rachel Rothman, a mechanical engineer with more than 15 years of experience at the Institute. Rothman is also a parent with three kids ages 6 and younger. See her list of the best sensory and fidget toys for all ages.Contributing writer Jessica Hartshorn, most recently a senior editor at Parents magazine, wrote this story. She's a mom of two and has covered subjects such as the best baby carriers.

Jessica (she/her) is a freelance writer with several decades of experience writing lifestyle content and evaluating home and parenting products. A mom of two teens and two cats, her previous work can be seen in American Baby and Parents.

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