If you think your child’s new toys are too noisy, there is a good chance they may be loud enough to cause permanent hearing loss. Many toys on the market emit sounds over 90dB. When held directly near the ear, it exposes the child to up to 120dB of sound which is equivalent to a loud rock concert or a jet taking off. The National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety recommends ear protection for noise over 85dB. Each November the Sight and Hearing Association releases it’s annual noisy toy list.  This year, the noisiest toy is the WWE 3-Count Crushers, Roman Reigns™ action figure by Mattel®. Roman goes off the top ropes with 10 heavyweight sounds that creates an environment you’d find at a wrestling match. Groans and growls from this interactive toy topped out at 104.4 dB, which can damage hearing in less than 15 minutes when placed at a child’s ear. The Sight and Hearing associations states that this toy should include a noise-exposure warning. Additional toys topping out at over 100dB include Road Rippers Rush and Rescue and My First Tonka Wobble Wheels.

As a parent there are a few things you can do to help keep your child from excessive noise exposure. First off, if the toy sounds too loud, don’t buy it. You can also download a free sound meter app to your smartphone.  Use the app to measure how loud your child’s toys are.  I was surprised out how many baby toys I found that emitted potentially damaging levels of sound. Another idea is to place duct tape over the speaker on the toy to help mute the sound to safe levels. One last thing you can do is contact the toy company and ask for them to be more responsible when it comes to the safety of your children.