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Dr. Eric Asks...
Keep Their Little Ears Covered?
Let’s face it – there’s a lot of noise around us today, and our children are exposed to it as well. Remember when our mothers used to think we’d go deaf from listening to rock music? Well, today’s young children and teenagers are exposed to even more noise, and from sources that weren’t even around when we were younger!
We didn’t have cell phones, iPods, surround sound speakers, and IMAX theaters when we were younger. Many of these are standard fare in homes today and monitoring them to protect your child’s hearing could easily turn into a full-time job!
So, what can you do to protect your child’s hearing, given the level of noise pollution today, to make sure their hearing doesn’t become impaired?
• Choose your child’s toys carefully. The sound that many toys make can exceed 100 decibels, louder than an airplane taking off or a rock concert. Since children’s arms are short, it puts many of these toys very close to their ears. Check for a volume control switch or place tape over the speaker in toys that are excessively loud.
• How’s your hearing? Do you often have to ask people to repeat what they said or do you need the volume on the television turned up louder than normal due to your own hearing loss? Do you work with loud tools in your job every day? Do you drive your car with the radio blaring? Don’t adjust all volumes in your house to suit your hearing needs as this can affect your child’s hearing as well.
• Many iPods and iPod Nanos have a volume control feature that allows you to set a maximum volume. It can only be changed by someone who knows the iPod’s four-digit password – obviously, you need to be that person!
The problem with hearing loss is that it occurs gradually, over time. One visit to see fireworks, one rock concert, one game of Guitar Hero, one car ride with the CD cranked all the way up doesn’t really do any damage. However, multiply these occurrences over time, and your child could be at risk for irreversible hearing loss.
As parents, we have a duty to protect our children from harm until they are old enough to do it for themselves. Unfortunately, if we don’t monitor what they’re listening to from the time they’re born, it may be too late by the time they can turn down the volume on their own.
