Buying Kids' Headphones

                     

               You won’t find them for sale in most stores.  Sales staff at your local retail outlet won’t know what you are talking about.  Still, there really are some safer alternatives when it comes to kids’ headphones and sound products. Consider this; one in five kids will have some degree of noise induced hearing loss by the time they are teens.  MP3 players, loud videogames, and other noisy entertainments are all culprits.

What features should you look for when buying kids’ headphones?

·        Don’t let appearances fool you.  Just because a product is being marketed to kids doesn’t mean it is safe for kids.  One national chain with several Denver retail outlets targets teen and preteen girls exclusively.  They sell headphones that don’t stint on the rhinestones but lack safety features.  One of the most popular brands of teen headphones boasts model names like Crusher and Slayer and that’s what they do to young ears without the proper education.

·        At the very least, headphones should be noise cancelling.  One reason kids turn the volume up is to drown out environmental noise around them. If you must buy over the counter headsets, “ear can” style headphones that fit over the ear are preferable to earbuds. 

·        Even better are decibel-limiting headphones.  They have a maximum volume of 85 decibels, the upper limit of safe listening.  Above 85 decibels, permanent hearing loss is possible.  The higher the decibels, the less the exposure time needed for permanent hearing loss to occur.  Etymotic, a leader in safe technology, makes the ETY Kids brand.  Kidzsafe by SMS Audio is another good brand.  Vic Firth, has long been a crusader for hearing conservation.  The company’s founder did a lot of research to create a headphone that would be safe for his own child to use.  Kidphones by Vic Firth are decibel limiting and also sound pressure reducing.

·        “Bone phones” are another alternative. Delicate ear structures conduct sound, of course, but hard, study bone also does a great job.  Luckily, the best bone in your body, your skull, is handy! These high tech headphones bypass the ear canal entirely without affecting sound quality.  iHeadbones is compatible with all devices that have an audio jack.  If  you order online use the event code “DOUGLAS” for free shipping.

Ordering information:

iHeadbones--order online http://iheadbones.com/products.html(use code DOUGLAS for free shipping)  phone: 888-866-0807

Vic Firth—order online http://www.vicfirth.com/products/headphones.php phone: 617-364-6869

Etymotic—order online http://www.etymotic.com phone: 1-888-etymotic

SMS Audio http://www.smsaccessgranted.com phone: 561-278-2323

Whistle While You Work? Maybe Not

               Every day Americans head off to work to clock in at some very risky occupations.  Firefighting, storm chasing, smoke jumping, refereeing peewee soccer, and mowing the lawn are a few.  A recent study found that coaches and referees who use whistles are more likely to suffer from symptoms of noise-induced hearing loss than people in the general population. Regular exposure, even briefly, to sounds above 85 decibels can lead to permanent hearing loss. Nearly half of the referees who participated in the survey reported ringing in their ears after a game, which is a symptom of damage to sensitive inner ear cells that can lead to irreversible damage. “During fast paced games or rival matches my ears would hurt from the whistle,” says one Highlands Ranch coach. That’s a warning that the sound is too loud and potentially harmful.

               Your kids were right all along. Chores are bad for their health.  Many teens find themselves on lawnmower detail at home or take lawn jobs during the summer to earn extra money.  A lawnmower emits 90 decibels of noise.  That’s not bad compared to a jet engine which emits 150 decibels.  Still, prolonged and repeated exposure can cause permanent hearing loss. Power tools, video games, motorcycles, snowmobiles, and MP3 players are other common household items that pack a wallop.  “It really doesn’t take much to accumulate a decibel load,” says composer and music producer Janis Page.   “Add traffic, planes, sirens, and other environmental sounds to the offending noise source and it really adds up.”  If you want to measure the noise around you yourself, there is a free app for android and iPhones called SPL Meter.

               “Most parents don’t realize the decibels their kids are exposed to each day,” says Tobey Stein of the Douglas County Parenting Coalition, “And hearing protection is a topic many people don’t know much about. I used to think I was the cool mom because I took my kid to hear his favorite rock bands with the amps cranked up.”  While researching the topic of hearing protection, she went to her local electronics store to check out headphones for kids and teens.  “The salesmen there could talk about sound balance and other features of their products but when I asked them about safety, they looked at me like I had just landed from outer space,” Stein recalls.
   

               Fortunately, hearing loss is very preventable.  “The very best headphones are the ones that aren’t anywhere near your ears,” says Stein. Still, some sound products for kids and teens are much safer than others. “Don’t be fooled,” says Claudette Anderson of Prescriptions For Success, “Just because an MP3 player has fuzzy bunnies on it, that doesn’t mean it’s safe for kids.” Technology has made hearing protection cool. There are some good high fidelity music earplugs on the market for very little money. They dial down the decibels at concerts or clubs without distorting the sound.  “Girls will think the guy with the ear gear is with the band so it has added advantages,” laughs Stein.

Mothers' Day

Stacy Hladek is a counselor at Families First

Mother’s Day is this Sunday.  There are likely to be lots of articles to suggest ways to honor your mom or help your children honor their mom.  I would like to take a different approach and speak to moms directly.  Give yourself permission to pat yourself on the back and to take a break.  Parenting is both the toughest and most rewarding job in the world.  This is a good time to remind moms (fathers too) that you have to fill your own bucket before you can fill up others.  Remember the example given on airplanes, you must put your own oxygen mask on before you help others.  If you do not, you are going to pass out and not be helpful to anyone.  In fact, you could hinder someone else as they try to care for you.  Please don’t “pass out” figuratively.  

The emotional temperature in a home is usually set by mom.  “If momma, ain’t happy, ain’t no one happy!”  Often times this phrase is taken to mean mom is in charge and things will go her way or there will be issues for the whole house.  However, I would like to suggest that what it really means, or should mean, is that mom is the barometer in the home.  Research shows that children learn about emotions and how to express them by reflecting how their primary caregiver handles emotions.  Just think about the last time you were tired, isn’t that just the time your toddler decides to throw a huge fit or your teenager was moody for no apparent reason?  It is time for you to take care of you so that you are able to take the best care of the rest of the family.  

Pat yourself on the back and give yourself permission to take a break; it is worth repeating .  Often times, moms have a hard time doing this for themselves.  Treat yourself the way you would your best friend.  Tell your “best friend” to take a break or not to be so hard on herself.  This is also a great way to model self-care for your children. I can hear the collective, “yes, but”, now.  Yes, but I don’t have childcare or I don’t have the money.  Try swapping childcare with another mom.  “I will take your kids this Monday, if you will take mine next Monday.”  Just establish the rule that this is for down time, not to go do your spring cleaning or run errands.  Use the extended family.  Aunts, uncles, grandparents, and god parents, are great mentors for our kids and are often more than willing to keep the kids for an hour or two.  Take a nap or hot bath while the kids are napping.  Make an arrangement with your partner for one night a week to be their night to care for the kids or one weekend day a month for you to get to sleep in while the rest of the family goes to get donuts.  Check with your local churches and community centers, they often have a mother’s day out program that is free or very low cost.  

Figure out what your favorite way to re-charge is and then work on a plan to make that happen at least once a month.  In doing so, you will be and even better mom.  Healthy, happy moms tend to raise healthy, happy children.  Happy Mother’s Day and thank you for all the little things you do each day to raise our future!