My father doesn’t like to sit still. He’s always outside: tinkering with his tractor, using a chainsaw, or flying in his small airplane. He got his pilot’s license the same year I was born and I grew up riding alongside him in his single engine airplane, peering out the window, yelling at the top of our lungs to communicate with each other.
Over the years, his love for flight hasn’t changed, but now I have to yell to speak to him even when we’re on the ground. The constant exposure to the deafening sound of the engine took its toll and, at 60 years old, he was forced to admit he needed hearing aids.
I thought hearing loss was something I wouldn’t have to worry about until I was much older, but I recently had to come to terms with the fact that I have a hard time hearing out of my right ear. The same ear that I always had my phone against and kept an ear bud in when listening to music—always too loudly of course.
Now I have my own daughters who like to listen to their tablets, tv, and music on full volume—a third generation of prime candidates for the noise induced hearing loss that has plagued our family for the past two generations. Two more family members that I have to yell over the noise to have conversations with.
The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders confirms that chronic exposure to loud noises can cause hearing loss and that anything above 85 decibels (dB) can be harmful1. Standard headphones emit 105 dB at full volume1; that is 5 dB higher than most power tools2—take a second to let that sink in.
When I found out about Puro’s BT2200 Studio Grade Children’s Bluetooth Headphones it seemed like my prayers had been answered. Not only are they limited to 85 dB, designed to block out background noise, providing a crisp, high quality sound—but they also look cool enough for my both my daughters (7 and 5) to actually want to wear them, which we all know is the key to any kid-related product. The girls always complained about the discomfort of ear buds, so padded earphones were a big plus and didn’t squeeze their ears, while the adjustable headband didn’t slip off their heads and meant that both my girls were able to wear them. I obviously took a turn and was surprised that they even fit me comfortably, but then again, I am the same height I was at 12 years old…
Confession: I was worried about trying to sync them to my cellphone without help; to say I am technologically challenged is an understatement. But, it only took me about 1 minute before we were listening to music (even more of a shock since I don’t know how music even got on my phone to begin with!)
The sound quality is superb—I was actually able to make out the words in songs, realizing to my horror, that I had been singing them incorrectly for years. My oldest watched a show on her laptop with no issues, even with the dog barking and her sister watching tv in the same room. And the volume on the headphones was only halfway up.
The Puro Headphones come with a charger and a cord connector as well, in case your listening device doesn’t support blue tooth, but I love that they are otherwise cordless (and user friendly); it makes it easier for my daughter to move around without the cord popping out or the mp3 player falling on the floor and I imagine safer for a much younger child. I was shocked at the battery life, 18 hours of use before needing to be charged! They also come with a cool looking and handy bag to store the headphones and accessories, so you don’t lose any of the pieces.
I can’t protect my girls from everything, but I can help them learn from the mistakes we’ve made and saving their hearing from things we didn’t realize would create lasting damage is one of my priorities. Thankfully, products like these Puro headphones, help our kids make good decisions for themselves. These have quickly become a favourite item in our household and one of the few that my daughters and I all agree on.
References:
- https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/noise-induced-hearing-loss; National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders – Noise Induced Hearing Loss
- http://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/noise/signs.htm; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – About Hearing Loss
[…] After eight years, Torran no longer uses his hearing aids as chew toys; he recognizes that they are as essential to his daily function as wearing glasses is to me. Tweaking the way I talk to him no longer feels unnatural, in fact, it spills over to the rest of my daily activities. For example, I try to look up at people when I’m at triage, I make eye contact when I enter the room, and try not to talk as I’m leaving it. I look forward to integrating other great technologies into Torran’s future—like Bluetooth telephones and computers that provide the sound directly into his hearing aid with his own volume controls. At least that way, I won’t have to yell at him to turn down the volume on his music… […]