Many of us still have to go fight the lines and crowds and finish some of our shopping in the last minute Christmas crunch. But before you go throwing those last few presents into the cart, be sure to think about the gifts in regards to your child’s safety as much as their desires. According to a recent article from AZ Central, children often get receive toys that may in fact damage their hearing. In the article, an expert from the Arizona Commission for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing poses with several noisy toys, some of which are the most popular on the market this holiday season.
Photo courtesy of AZ Central & Arizona Commission for the Deaf
Check over the children’s’ Christmas lists and think about how noisy the toys can be. Excessive exposure to these types of toys can be dangerous down the road. It can be fun to go shopping and find the top-selling toys, and Christmas is infamous for marketing loud, busy toys. But whether you are buying for children or adults, keep the following guidelines in mind as suggested by AZ Central author Sherri Collins:
- Read the age appropriate labels on toys.
- Noise is the number one cause of hearing loss. By first grade, less than 1 percent of all kids have hearing loss, but by the time they are teenagers, 20 percent of all kids have some sort of hearing loss.
- Hard-of-hearing specialists at the Arizona Commission for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing say 85 decibels is the maximum volume a child should be exposed to for no more than eight hours.
- Sounds over 100 decibels can damage hearing in less than 15 minutes of exposure.
According to Collins, in 2012, the Sight and Hearing Association stated that 19 of the 24 most popular toys tested were over 100 decibels. To read the list of toys topping the list, click here. Our audiologists wish you and yours a happy and healthy holiday season. As you peruse the aisles at the final stretch of this holiday season, consider hearing health and noise levels for those great gifts you’ll give.