As the Fourth of July approaches, you may be looking forward to you baby getting to see their first Independence Day fireworks show.
However, loud fireworks can be a danger to you, and more importantly your child’s hearing. The question is are they safe for babies ear? What is the proper ear protection is right to protect my baby’s hearing from permanent hearing damage?
The good news is, under the right circumstances, yes the firework show can be perfectly safe. It all depends on their location in relation to the source of the noise, and if ear protection is being used & used properly.
What causes hearing loss
Hearing loss is the damage to, or loss of hairs or nerve cell within the inner ear. Some causes are aging, Sudden but loud noises, constant loud noise, some medications, and some illnesses.
Babies vs Adults hearing
Babies and young children tend to be more sensitive to sounds then adults. Noises up to 85 decibels is considered safe for adults according to OSHA.gov. Babies and young children though have a higher sensitivity to loud sound in part because they’ve not been exposed to sounds as long as we have. Babies also have a shorter ear canals then adults do.
As you get older your hearing diminishes in part due to be exposed to loud sounds throughout life but hearing loss is a natural part of aging.
Even a short time spent in the vicinity of loud sounds can cause hearing loss.
Some signs of noise-induced hearing loss is tinnitus which is a buzzing or ringing of the ears. It can be temporary or permanent. Another sign of hearing loss is if you’re having trouble hearing people or it seems as they are mumbling when there is background noise like a crowded room. One resource I found is that of the World Health Organization. They say this sheet on Hearing Loss in Children is for training health care workers but I found it interesting as a parent to know what to look for as signs of hearing loss.
Noise Levels Comparison Chart
Sound is measured in decibel, which is a unit of sound pressure level. It’s safe to listen to sounds at around 70 dB for as long as you want and according to American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Sounds over 85 dB can start causing hearing loss if you listen to them for more then 8 hours at a time. Just 3 dB over 85dB and you can cut that time in half to and in half again for every additional 3 dB. So the higher the decibel the less time you should be exposed.
The below dB list are some things you may be exposed to in your everyday life some of which that can damage your hearing.
- Whisper 40 dB
- Talking 60 dB
- Food Blender 95 dB
- Motorcycle 95 dB
- Chainsaw 110 dB
- Rock Concert 110 dB
- Toddler Screaming 120 dB
- Fireworks 120-170 dB
- Thunder 120 dB
- Jet Plane 140 dB
- Shotgun 165 dB
Now think about all those things you hear in a day that is above 85 Decibels. It’s shocking we have any hearing left when we reach adulthood. Judging how loud a toddler can be I’m just happy after 3 kids I can even hear my own thoughts.
Decibel meter
Something you may want to think about getting for your phone is a free decibel meter.
I downloaded one just to see how loud things get within my normal everyday life, At work it’s not to bad when I get home though well see the 3 kids comment above. All joking aside there are time that it hit above the 85 dB but not to long of a time and a few instances that hit over 100 dB.
Safe Distance
In ideal circumstances babies should be kept 500ft away from the fireworks to mitigate the negative effects on their hearing. Children should be kept 150-200ft away. At a professional firework show that’s not too hard. On average we are over 2,000-2,500ft from the July celebration firework show. In Addison to that professional grade fireworks shoot 1,000-3,000ft in the air.
Cloud coverage
Another factor to keep in mind on how far away from the show you may want to be is how clear the sky is. Low clouds can cause the sound to be louder then if the sky was clear. Reason being is the low clouds can trap the sound closer to the surface resulting in a louder sounding show.
Sound sensitivity
Something to be aware of is if you see your child acting particularly sensitive to the fireworks or semi-loud sounds in general, they may be sensitive to sounds. Even sounds that seem normal and are fine to us can be a problem for and painful to them. Even adults can have that problem. So if you notice your kids get upset, covering his or her ears, or is emotional to certain sounds it’s best to work with them in finding a way to avoid or reduce the effect of the sound. That may mean leaving the show.
I’m not an expert on these but I found a few good articles if you want to read more on this. One on Misophonia and another on Hyperacusis.
Hearing protection
If you can’t be far enough away, or even if you can, from fireworks displays it would be a good idea use hearing protection for your baby’s ears. The best hearing protection for babies is over the ear hearing protection. Sound cancelling or noise cancelling is the most common ones found on the market. The thing your are looking for is the NRR (Noise Reduction Rating) or SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio) rating. the higher the rating the more decibels it blocks out. So, a set of head phones with a 30dB SNR will drop the sound of the fireworks from 120dB to 90dB.
For obvious reasons, in the ear plugs should not be used as they are a choking hazard to infants and small children. The other reason is you can’t be sure when they are in if they are actually blocking the noise. When your baby is wearing over the ear hearing protection you know their ears are covered and protected.
Other things you might hear people have used or in a pinch you think might work are: cotton balls, tissue paper, foam-filled cups, ear muffs, or hooded jackets. These won’t work. They are bad at dampening sounds according to the Safety Research Corporation of America (SRCA).
You’ll quickly discover that the bright lights in the sky are best seen through the eyes of a child. You’ll remember all the firework displays you see as a family. The fair, Disneyland, SeaWorld, New Years, Christmas, and 4th of July.
It’s one thing to see fireworks, it’s another to experience a firework show through your own kids and the wonder and amazement on their faces. Just make sure you prevent long-term damage and permanent hearing loss by using proper hearing protection.
If you’re heading to the beach for your fireworks show like we are check out my other post on When can you take your newborn to the beach.
