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The 8 Best Baby Noise Cancelling Headphones for 2024

This article about the Best Noise Cancelling Headphones for Baby was written by baby travel expert Celine Brewer and may contain affiliate links.

As a parent, I completely understand the desire to keep noise levels to a minimum for your baby. Not only for their protection against potentially damaging noises, but no parent wants their sleeping baby woken up. This couldn’t be more true than when flying with a baby! The best way to protect your baby’s delicate eardrums is with a pair of baby noise canceling headphones.

Imagine you’ve just gotten your baby to sleep on the airplane, only to have them woken by a loud passenger or a crying baby. This happened to me on a flight home from Paris we were seated right next to the toilets – the slamming bathroom door constantly woke our baby! I was so incredibly frustrated, I’ve never wished for different airplane seats or noise cancelling headphones for my baby more!

The other very practical reason to get headphones for babies is for taking your baby to events (like sporting events). You want to make sure your baby’s ears are protected. Babies have very tender ears with ear canals that are smaller than our own, which is why ear specialists recommend that babies not be exposed to sounds and noises above 60 decibels. The Hearing Health Foundation published a great list for the decibel levels of everyday noises.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services warns that repeated and prolonged exposure to loud noises above the recommended threshold can lead to ear damage. So, how do you protect your baby’s hearing? One way is to invest in a good pair of baby noise-canceling headphones when traveling with a baby. 

My Top Picks for Noise Cancelling Headphones for Babies:

I know you don’t always have time to read, so here are my top picks for the best noise cancelling headphones for babies:

Best Overall Baby Ear Protection:

BANZBaby – is my top choice for baby headphones for concerts, sporting events, festivals, race events and even flying. These noise canceling headphones are designed specifically for babies. They are VERY well rated, they offer NRR 31dB noise protection for your baby’s delicate ears.

Best Baby Ear Protection for Ages 0-3:

Alpine Muffy Baby Ear Protection – with a specially designed soft headband, these noise cancelling headphones fit on children aged up to 3 years old.

a baby on a plane wearing noise cancelling headphones.
Baby wearing noise cancelling headphones on the airplane.

Best Baby Noise Canceling Headphones For Airplanes, Concerts, and Fireworks

Should Babies Wear Noise Cancelling Headphones on a Plane?

You may be wondering about flying with a baby and if you should invest in a pair of baby headphones for flying.

According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, takeoff and landing will be the loudest times on the airplane. During the flight the noise level will be lower. Keep in mind that it will be louder at the rear of the cabin and near the engines. Based on the NIOSH findings, it’s not necessary for babies to wear ear protection headphones for planes.

The biggest consideration in purchasing baby ear protection for flying is if you think it will help your baby sleep. While, some parents find that the humming white noise from the airplane can help their baby to sleep, others find the noise of announcements, passengers or toilet doors will wake up their baby. In this instance, noise cancelling headphones for flying might help baby sleep.

However, you want to make sure when you purchase the best baby ear protection for flying that they fit properly and will be comfortable for your baby to sleep on the airplane.

What to Look for When Buying Baby Ear Protection Headphones

Here are some factors to be kept in mind when you are purchasing headphones for baby ear protection. 

NRR Rating (Noise Reduction Rating)

NRR values say a lot about a pair of baby noise cancelling headphones. NRR, short for Noise Reduction Rating, is a means to measure the ability of a pair of headphones to cancel out noise. The higher the NRR value, the better the noise-cancellation. 

If you are looking for baby headphones to just drown out some noise, baby noise blocking headphones with lower ratings can work fine. But, if you think you will ever have your baby with you at a concert or a fireworks show, it’s wise to invest in a pair of baby soundproof headphones with a higher rating. 

a baby wearing baby banz headphones in stroller.

 Size/Weight of Baby Noise Canceling Headphones

Another thing to remember while looking for baby headphones for flying or concerts is to pick a pair that is neither too big nor too heavy on their little heads.

It’s a good idea to check the description of the pair of infant noise cancelling headphones that you’re eyeing for its dimensions, size, and weight in order to avoid ordering something that is simply too bulky for your little one. 

Baby wearing yellow baby noise canceling headphones.

Age of Baby

If you want to get the best value for money, then consider the age of your baby when buying headphones for them. Not only will this help you pick one that suits your baby best from among the wide variety of colors and styles, but most importantly, will help you choose one that will sit sturdily on top of their little heads and ears. 

Baby noise reduction headphones that can be adjusted at the headband are always the best choice as this allows them to grow right alongside your child as they get bigger. And we all know how fast that can be! 

Comfort

As parents, we know that after safety, comfort is a top priority when it comes to choosing baby travel essentials.  

It’s a good idea to pick baby ear protection for flying, concerts, sporting events, etc that are softly padded and have a comfortable covering.

Furthermore, ensuring that baby headphones fit as your child grows is one thing, but also making sure that they fit well is another. And the only thing that can guarantee that is adjustable baby sound proof headphones.

Packable Baby Headphones

Baby headphones for flying should be compact and fold easily. When folded, some noise canceling baby headphones can even fit into the pocket of a diaper bag or stroller bag.

Other Baby Travel Gear

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Best Noise Canceling Headphones for Babies

This post was written & edited by:

info@babycantravel.com | Website | + posts

Celine Brewer is the owner of Baby Can Travel. Not only does she have years of experience traveling with babies & toddlers, but she's helped millions of new parents travel with their babies and toddlers for over a decade. In addition to writing on her baby travel blog, she has shared her expertise on traveling with a baby or toddler by contributing to articles about traveling with a baby with the Washington Post, USA Today, the Lonely Planet magazine and Pregnancy & Newborn magazine.

Celine also writes about family travel on the site FamilyCanTravel.com, which she co-owns with her husband. Being from the Canadian Rockies, she shares her passion about her home and travel to Banff National Park and area on their site TravelBanffCanada.com.

Read more about Celine Brewer.