Noisy toys may cause hearing loss in children

[Alex]

The toys you got for your children on Christmas may cause them hearing problems. Doctors are seeing a number increase of children with hearing loss. The American Medical Association say almost 15-percent of children are showing signs of a hearing problem.

For instance, Dr. Don Worthington at IHC Hearing and Balance Center tested a piano toy with a decibel meter, and it showed 90+ decibels. The Sesame Street Gang also showed 90+ decibels. Some toys even exceeded 100 decibels. That's like the noise level of a vaccum cleaner or a power drill. And long exposure to loudness can cause hearing loss.

The doctor suggests that kids should always wear some kind of ear protection when dealing with noisy toys, or when they're near someone who's mowing the lawn or using loud power tools. These are one of the many factors in hearing loss.

http://www.4hearingloss.com/archives/2005/01/noisy_toys_may.html

 

[Taylor]

Alex,
Very good post and I believe it 100%. I suffer from a little hearing loss. I attribute to a number of factors but one of the key factors was just driving. For almost 5 years, I had a 70 mile commute (each way). I'd drive with my windows down and it was a noisy ride on our capital beltway. This and the fact that I worked in radio and sometimes kept headphones up a little high.

The only reason I mention this is because its those *everyday* things we take for granted...childrens toys..listening to the radio..driving with windows down at a high speed. Little by little, these eat away at our hearing to cause problems as we get older. I'm 31 and never thought I would be suffering from hearing loss.

 

[Alex]

Thanks, Taylor.

I know what you mean about noisy traffic/drive and the radio blasting. Good thing I can adjust the volume of my hearing aid when I want to eliminate unwanted noise.

Nobody knows how I became hard of hearing. No one in my family has a history of hearing loss. It's like a mystery to me, and sometimes I wonder what could possibly went wrong with me or what it would be like to be hearing, ya know? Oh well.

You ever thought about seeing an audiologist to check your hearing? Maybe it doesn't bother you that much right now, and you look forward to getting your first hearing aid, huh? Just kidding.

 

[Taylor]

I've thought about it and its on my list of things to do. I would consider it minor. We do have an officer who wears a hearing aid. I don't know the extent of his hearing loss but I do remember he couldn't work one night because there was a problem (I think he left it at home or left the batteries at home).

 

[Malfoyish]

Ah, good post.

Noisy toys also cause hearing loss in Mommies. When my kids decide to play with "loud toys," Mommy is even more tempted to turn OFF my CI. Heh, heh.

I would like to further add - anyone who gets my kids anything that makes a lot of noise is then placed on my shit list and then will be alerted that my kids are spending several weeks with that person at that person's house, until the toy loses its appeal or is broken by that person out of frustration.

 

[Angel]

Great thread you got there Alex ...

Since I'm a deaf mother of 3 children and I can't hear some of the toys that are loud enough for their ears, but I could hear my children alot more than I could hear a toy making noises ....Good thing I have Roadrunner who is hoh and is able to hear whether the toys that my children have are loud enough for their ears, that something we should be caution about when we buy our children toys, making sure they are not loud enough for them to lose their hearing....

Now that my oldest son is 14, he ususally have his music on so loud, which RR is able to hear it but I can't and that makes me feel much better knowing I have someone here who can be able to tell me if the noises are louder enough for their ears....

 

[Cheri]

Good thread there Alex.

Thanks god my boys don't own a drum set. That would be really annoying for me to listen for hours. But, I don't think my boys have anything that is loud enough to hurt their ears. I am aware of noises because I can hear loud sounds much as my son's banging his feet on the floor. grrr...


I make my family be aware of toys that make too much sounds, Even my son Markus complains about one of Jordan's toys annoying him when he plays with it too often, too bad it broke after a while of using it too much.