If you’ve got a child in your life who needs a set of headphones, the Puro BT2200 is the best option to protect growing ears. After putting in around 80 hours of studysuch as speaking to experts in the WHO, CDC, and NIDCD, seriously contemplating more than 50 versions of children headphones, and analyzing and measuring the top 37 contenders for 63 hours across many days–we are convinced that the Puro BT2200 is the best alternative. The Puro cans not only fulfilled our volume-limiting test criteria but also were the only group liked by both toddlers and the big kids who helped us examine. They encourage Bluetooth (which could provide more effective volume restricting than conventional headset  tech), but they also operate corded (which means you can use them with lots of devices), plus they seem good enough for adults to use, also.

Our pick

Puro BT2200 Great sound that grows with kids All of our kid panelists loved the match, sound, and Bluetooth abilities. Parents will love our testing discovered the BT2200’s volume restricting to maintain ranges that are safer. Buy on Amazon

Despite claims that kids   headphones limit volume to 85 decibels (the amount the World Health Organization considers “safer”) up to one-third of the kids cans we tested exceeded that level when measured with pink noise, permitting bigger amounts–sometimes greater. When we went farther with all our testing, we found that more of these headphones–almost half–could be pushed beyond the recommended 85 dB when measured with real music. Additionally, many of the headphones we tested had design flaws that could enable a child to skip their volume-reduction  features easily. You can read all about all of our testing approaches in detail below. In reality, based on our findings, ” The New York Times (parent company of Wirecutter) conducted its own investigation into kids cans, regulations, and safety.

Upon completing our evaluation, we found several headphone models that we felt confident advocating–though even with these, protecting a child’s ears isn’t as straightforward as just handing over a pair. We feel that volume-limiting headphones are merely tools that could help parents or caregivers in safeguarding a child’s hearing–they aren’t solutions in themselves. But our picks, used properly, should help supply an extra degree of security for your kids’ ears, and also reassurance for you.

The Puro BT2200 is our pick because not only do these headphones remain within safe listening levels when utilized correctly, but they’re also the best pick of all our child panelists, so your little ones are more likely to use them. The Bluetooth wireless connection–performed correctly heresignifies that the Puro set will play at the correct levels, whatever origin the little one uses it with. The wireless design is also useful for preventing tangles, a favourite quality of our big-kid panelists. The dimensions and weight fit kids from two1/2 to 11 decades comfortably, and that means that you can buy these headphones once and they’ll grow along with your kid, and they are sturdy enough that they should persist for a long time, also. Actually, we long-term tested these cans with several kids, including on cross-country flights, and all our evaluation pairs are still doing just fine. Though a lot of different children headphones are made of breakable cheap plastic, the BT2200 has a well-constructed aluminum framework.   Plus, the headphones come with a 30-day money-back guarantee and a one-piece guarantee.

The Puro set links readily over Bluetooth and contains a straightforward on/off switch and volume controls. And with 18 hours of battery life, it offers a lot of listening time between charges. Should it run out of power, or if you only need a cable to be used with a particular device, one is supplied. Provided that you plug in the cord in correctly, the BT2200 will maintain your kid’s music at safer levels. (We recommend oversight when the kid uses this pair corded.)

If you require a cord but still want to receive your toddler a safer pair of headphones, the Onanoff BuddyPhones Explore is a great budget option. The bigger size and vivid colors were a hit with all our smallest testers, and also the build quality makes this set sturdy enough to take a affordable beating and survive. The cord is detachable, minimizing a toddler’s risk of being snagged (or snagging something else), the headphones fold up and come with a carrying bag for portability, as well as the included fun stickers let kids personalize. However, in our tests the audio quality was nowhere near as excellent as that of our choice, and the small size means older children won’t find the BuddyPhones Explore as comfy as they grow. Additionally, the volume reduction of wired headphones isn’t as predictable–if you use a device with a strong amp, they could play louder than advertised.

Larger kids (4 decades and up) have different needs compared to small ones. Therefore, if you’re looking for a less costly or corded alternative for an older child, the JLab JBuddies Studio is a superb choice. In our evaluations, its soft padding and more “grown-up” colours were a hit with all the 11-year-olds. The fabric-wrapped cable, using a single-button remote and mic, went over well, also. The permanently attached cable means there’s no prospect of plugging it incorrectly and unintentionally defeating the volume-limiting function (and moved children will not have the ability to thwart the restricting by substituting the other cable). But this set isn’t as excellent as our selection in sound quality, and each of our older panelists agreed that they would prefer a wireless layout. The JBuddies Studio can be available in a Bluetooth-only version, but you should note that the wireless variant won’t function corded, which can be a dealbreaker for faculty use.

When our selection is offered, or if you have a few kiddos who like (or desire) to share an iPad, the Puro JuniorJams collection is a great option. Like our best pick, the BT2200, the JuniorJams pair stays within safe levels when used correctly, and it had exactly the same kid-favorite fit and design that appealed to our youngest testers in addition to our oldest panelists. These headphones work via Bluetooth or corded, plus they feel quite sturdy. JuniorJams pairs are also able to daisy-chain together, more than 1 kid can listen to the exact same source material in the exact same moment. However, the JuniorJams set has more plastic components than our high pick, and even though it passed our stress tests, we worry that it will not hold up as well over the years as the sturdy BT2200.

Runner-up

Onanoff BuddyPhones Research A cordless pick for toddlers Ages 2 through 4 will love the Onanoff pair of fun colours and lightweight, comfy fit. But they will grow out of the small size, the sound quality is not as great as our pick, and passive volume restricting isn’t as secure as Bluetooth. Buy on Amazon

Also Amazing

JLab JBuddies Studio A pick for older kids Large kids in our evaluations liked the soft cushioning, simple layout, fabric-wrapped cable, along with in-line remote/mic. But this pair does not sound as good as our top pick, and in addition, it uses passive volume limiting, which is not as secure as Bluetooth. Buy on Amazon