The Sight and Hearing Association (SHA) has released their 19th Annual Noisy Toys List, pinpointing toys not designed in accordance with safety guidelines for decibel (dB) level. You might think a toy is safe simply because it has been designed to meet the standard set by the American Society of Testing and Materials, which mandates that the sound-pressure level produced by toys shall not exceed 85 dB at 50 cm from the surface of the toy. However these standards were designed with adults in mind; children’s arms are much shorter than adults’ arms, and most children tend to bring toys close to their ears while playing.

Anything over 85 decibels can cause cumulative damage to a child’s hearing. That means the damage might not be noticed right away but instead builds up over time, causing hearing loss down the road. That is why it is so important that we pay close attention to the noise levels to which children are exposed.

Here are some of the top noise level offenders for 2015:

  1. The first is the Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed stuffed animal. This adorable toy peaked at 103.4 dB, which is equivalent to that of a loud lawn mower.
  2. The second loudest toy on this year’s list is the Cool Tunes Sing-along Boombox, from the wildly popular movie “Frozen.” Featuring three of the hit songs from the movie plus a dock for an MP3 player. This music player tops out at over 100 dB. That is the approximate decibel level of a jackhammer. The other bad news is that the manufacturer recommends this toy for children as young as three, which is too young to self-monitor volume level.
  3. Third on the list is the Lil’ Ocean Explorers Push ‘n Glow Fish from Little Tykes. It is marketed for infants as young as six months and registered an astonishing 93.8 dB when held near the ear.

For a complete summary of toys on the SHA list, please visit out blog.

Content Provided by HealthyHearing