Given that I have a 10-month old, I am no stranger to noisy toys. Like many other parents, I am not generally a fan of these noisy toys. Yes, they are annoying and repetitive, but that is not why they bother me. Noisy toys bother me because they can damage your hearing when used over time. In addition to that, I feel like all of the bells and whistles set an unrealistic expectation for their entertainment requirements. Why would they want to sit quietly and read a board book when they can play a textured light-up key board with dancing animals popping out of it? OK, maybe that is a bit extreme, but you get the point. I’m getting a little side tracked here, but I think the cheap plastic toy era has mad it easy to focus on quantity over quality. This leaves a mountain of toys that are undervalued and just take up space. Rant over. Back to the important stuff. So, we know that repeated exposure to loud noise can take a toll on one’s hearing. Last November, The Sight & Hearing Association actually went in and looked at the intensity level of certain toys. Twelve of the twenty toys tested increase the risk of hearing loss with less than 15 minutes of use. According to OSHA guidelines, exposure to 85 dB for no more than eight hours is the threshold for hearing protection. Let’s look at how loud certain things are to get an idea of what that sounds like:
The most accurate way to measure sounds sounds of concern is with a sound pressure level meter. For a less expensive way to do this, there are a few free apps out there that measure the sound pressure level. I have no idea how accurate these apps are, so please do not take this as a recommendation to replace help or advice that you would otherwise get from an audiologist, doctor, etc. The apps are a quick and easy way to get a general idea of how loud certain devices are. The two that I have tried are Decibel10th and Sound Meter.
The info on the graphic above was obtained from ASHA’s website. Click here if you’d like to read more about the toys that were examined by The Sight & Hearing Association.
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