With the Christmas season approaching the Des Moines Public Schools Audiology Department would like to remind those buying gifts for children of the potential dangerous listening levels of many toys. Even though there are strict guidelines for toy-makers the following article explains why there are still many dangerously loud toys on the market!
If you are concerned about the noise levels of your children's toys, there are some small things you can do to make them safer. First, limit the amount of time you allow your children to play with loud toys, ideally 15 minutes or less. Also, consider using masking or other strong tape to cover the speaker port where the sound is coming from. You can also purchase a sound level meter form the app store of any smart phone. This will allow you to measure the volume coming from your child's toy. Hold the phone and use the app by measuring at the spot where your child's ear would be in relation to the toy. If your get a reading of 85 dB or more then the toy is too loud!
If you are concerned about the noise levels of your children's toys, there are some small things you can do to make them safer. First, limit the amount of time you allow your children to play with loud toys, ideally 15 minutes or less. Also, consider using masking or other strong tape to cover the speaker port where the sound is coming from. You can also purchase a sound level meter form the app store of any smart phone. This will allow you to measure the volume coming from your child's toy. Hold the phone and use the app by measuring at the spot where your child's ear would be in relation to the toy. If your get a reading of 85 dB or more then the toy is too loud!