Now that the holidays are over you may want to take note of the toys your kids got for Christmas.

You probably have already made sure that their toys are non-toxic and have no pieces small enough for them to choke on, but have you considered the noise level of these toys?

The Sight & Hearing Association issues a Noisy Toys List which highlights the decibel (dB) levels of many popular toys. Many of the toys your kids are playing with are probably on the list, or at least loud enough to damage their hearing.

Despite voluntary industry guidelines that have been in effect since 2009, manufacturers are still making toys that have dangerously high decibel levels.

Out of 18 toys tested, seven were found to have levels over 100dB. To put that in to perspective, any sound at 100dB can cause permanent hearing loss after just 15 minutes of exposure, and when you think of the hours kids often spend playing with these toys you begin to understand the need for concern.

The Sight & Hearing Association tests the decibel level of toys at two distances for the most real world results; right at the speaker, and at arm’s length.

If your kids have toy boxes full of these dangerous toys, all is not lost. I’ve had some experience with loud toys around my four year old daughter and what has worked for us is simply putting thick tape over the speaker (just make sure it doesn’t come off easily and become a choking hazard).

Finally, there are surprisingly good smartphone apps available for download. For Apple phones, a good one is Decibel Meter Pro available for 99 cents. For Android phones, Noise Meter and Sound Meter are two very good free apps.

For a list of Noisy Toys click here.