Short-term exposure to loud noises can result in temporary hearing loss and ringing in the ears. Exposure to loud sounds throughout childhood can cause permanent hearing loss as well as harm a child's physical and psychological health – including learning, behaviour, speech and language.
A baby's hearing is very sensitive and can be easily damaged by loud sounds. A baby's ear canals are much smaller than an adult. When sounds enter the canal they become louder. Noisy toys and games can cause hearing damage.
As a rule of thumb, babies should not be exposed to noise levels over 60 decibels. The noise level recommended for hospital nurseries is actually lower, at 50 dB. For reference, a quiet conversation is between 50 and 55 dB and an alarm clock is 80 dB.
Protective earmuffs reduce noise by completely covering both ears and come in sizes that fit most people, including infants and children. Earmuffs are easier to use than earplugs, especially for young children.
By four months, your infant will babble routinely, often amusing themselves for long periods by producing strange new sounds (muh-muh, bah-bah). They'll also be more sensitive to your tone of voice and the emphasis you put on words or phrases.
Otoacoustic emissions (OAE) tests whether some parts of the ear respond to sound. During this test, a soft earphone is inserted into your baby's ear canal. It plays sounds and measures an "echo" response that occurs in ears with normal hearing. If there is no echo, your baby might have hearing loss.
“Any exposure to loud sounds, especially above 70 to 80 dB level, puts an infant's ears at risk and places these vulnerable patients in jeopardy for permanent damage to hearing. Movie theaters are too loud.”
Loud sounds could potentially damage infants' hearing and hinder auditory development. “Babies have a different way of listening to the world,” says Lynne Werner, professor of speech and hearing science at the University of Washington, in the May edition of The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.
Keeping the atmosphere moving, bright, and with noise present can help to keep a baby from reaching a deep sleep. If you value quiet during baby's nap time for a little bit of peace, embrace it!
As is the case with any public place, a movie theater acts like an incubator for germs. Keep your baby away from strangers' hands, coughs, sneezes, etc. Everyone gravitates toward babies. They may want to touch and hold and hover—but that's how babies, who are particularly susceptible to germs, can get sick.
Causes and Risk Factors
Hearing loss can happen any time during life – from before birth to adulthood. 1 out of 4 cases of hearing loss in babies is due to maternal infections during pregnancy, complications after birth, and head trauma. For example, the child: Was exposed to infection, such as , before birth.
White noise reduces the risk of SIDS.
A relatively famous study (famous if you read a lot about baby sleep, so honestly you should be a little proud if you haven't heard of it) showed that babies had a significant reduction in the risk of SIDS if they had a fan in their room.
Increased noise levels can cause stress. This can cause changes in a the body that can affect your developing baby. Sound can travel through your body and reach your baby. Very loud noises may be able to damage your baby's hearing.
Concerts can be a great place to take babies, but there are a few things parents need to keep in mind. Make sure the concert is appropriate for young children, bring snacks and drinks for your baby, and dress them appropriately.
Background Noise Is Harmful to Learning
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that children under the age of 2 not watch any television.
Loud noises can impact a child's development in many ways. It can cause hearing loss, increase fatigue, decrease a child's ability to pay attention, even result in an upset stomach. Hearing loss directly impacts a child's speech and language development.
All loud sounds are bad news for infants, who have delicate eardrums and can easily suffer future hearing loss if not protected. Wearing baby ear protection is always a good idea, but it's essential if you're going out to watch fireworks.
As far as safety goes, while repeated exposure to loud noises can be harmful to anyone's hearing, one night of fireworks isn't a problem. But you can minimize the noise by toting your baby in a carrier and covering her ears to muffle the sounds during the show.
You'll want to keep sounds around your baby quieter than 60 decibels. For comparison, quiet conversation at home is about 50 dB, freeway traffic is 70 dB, a workplace can be 80-85 dB, and a jet takeoff is about 100 dB.
According to most pediatric health experts, infants can be taken out in public or outside right away as long as parents follow some basic safety precautions. There's no need to wait until 6 weeks or 2 months of age. Getting out, and in particular, getting outside in nature, is good for parents and babies.
Well, it depends on your kid. Lots of kids see their first movie around the age of 3 or 4, but some parents wait until kids are a bit older, especially if they're sensitive to loud noises or scared of the dark. Choose the right movie.
Even if your baby does have a mild hearing loss, they will still be able to hear most or all the sounds in their own voice when they cry or babble.
Your baby has been hearing sounds since way back in the womb. Mother's heartbeat, the gurgles of her digestive system, and even the sounds of her voice and the voices of other family members are part of a baby's world before birth. Once your baby is born, the sounds of the outside world come in loud and clear.
Permanent hearing loss can significantly affect babies' development. Finding out early can give these babies a better chance of developing language, speech and communication skills. It will also help them make the most of relationships with their family or carers from an early age.