5 best kids headphones of 2026
One very important feature that we look for in children’s headphones volume reduction function that keeps noise to safe levels. Most adult headphones can reach ear-damaging noise levels, and we know that parents and caregivers can’t always monitor how loud kids are playing their devices. The built-in volume reduction feature provides an extra level of safety that we think is important.
When you research headphones for children, you see many models with a volume limit of 85 dB. Where does that number come from? You can read all about it in our post on how to prevent noise-induced hearing loss in children, but the quick answer is this: WHO, building on guidelines from OSHA and NIOSH, recommends that the equivalent continuous noise level (or Leq) must stay below 70 dBA with music played through headphones or be limited to 85 dBA for one hour.
Headphone manufacturers focus on a maximum volume recommendation of 85 dBA. But an important aspect of the WHO guidelines is that, even if children use headphones that reduce the volume, it is important that you limit the time that children listen to 85 dBA, and that they take breaks to protect their hearing.
Aside from turning down the volume, a good pair of headphones for kids is a must durable and comfortablewith Easy to use controls again decent microphone with phone calls and video calls. While pure sound quality may not be as important to younger listeners, these headphones should still deliver balanced, unmistakable sound.
We also consider the right size and weight of headphones for small heads, the absence of small parts that could break off and become choking hazards for very young children, detachable cords to reduce the chance of cord damage or entanglement, and the ability to connect multiple pairs of headphones to one device so that siblings and friends can share the source.
This may shock you, but children have very strong opinions. If kids don’t like headphones, safe or not, they won’t wear them. So a big part of our early testing was to get the opinions of the kid panelists.
When we started working on this guide in 2016, we conducted two test panels: one consisting of 2- and 3-year-olds, and another with 4- to 11-year-olds (a total of nine children). We let the children guide us. Whenever possible, we asked them to tell us directly what they liked and disliked about the sound, fit, and look of the headphones.
In the tests we have done since then, we rely heavily on the response of our children and our opinions (fortunately, I have a small noggin), I am guided by long-term test notes from children who use these headphones regularly, student feedback and comments on this guide, and requests we have received from parents who have specific needs that they would like to see in the selection.
I also include new options that may exist in endurance testing. I stepped on them wearing boots. I pull the strings. I twist the headphones and throw them on the floor.
One important aspect of our ongoing testing process is determining whether the volume levels at which these headphones play are actually safe. You can find plenty of baby-focused headphones that claim to reduce volume, yet there are no industry standards, guidelines, or governing bodies that test those claims. So we made it our mission.
The human ear and brain cannot accurately assess sound volume; if they could, there might be no need for volume-reducing headphones. So to test how well different children’s headphones can play, we made a set of direct sound measurements using sound testing equipment. To measure headphone volume, I enlisted the help of Wirecutter writer Brent Butterworth, who has extensive experience measuring headphones and speakers for AV magazines. We’ve worked with audiologists and hearing loss experts to develop a formal way to test the maximum volume of headphones. If you’d like to learn about the nitty-gritty of our testing method, we explain it in detail.
Despite claims that children’s headphones limit the volume to 85 dB (a level that the World Health Organization considers “safe”), when we measured pink noise children’s headphones in our tests, up to a third exceeded that level, allowing for high volumes – sometimes very high. And even more of these headphones – about half – can be pushed past the recommended 85 dB limit when measured with real music.
Additionally, many of the headphones we tested have design flaws that could allow a child to easily bypass their volume-reduction features. If all it takes to remove restrictions is to press a button or pull out a dongle, you can be sure it will happen. Anyone who has spent more than a few minutes with a toddler can tell you that babies love to push buttons and take things apart. So even if a pair of tested headphones stays within the recommended safe limits when used properly, if we find that a child could easily interfere with the safety features or that proper use was confusing or unclear to a parent, we’ve discarded that pair.
Based on our findings, The New York Times conducted an extensive investigation into children’s headphones, regulations and safety. In recent years, few headphones have rated much above the claimed limits, but a good number still play more than advertised. The new trend is to offer more, high-volume options; these headphones tend to balance between the desired limits automatically but also have modes labeled as “big kid,” “travel,” or “airplane.” Almost all of these loudest modes reach volume levels outside recommended limits despite these headphones being advertised as safe. Although the companies say that the extra capacity is to compete with noise from the likes of airplanes and buses, we believe that the extra capacity creates a new problem rather than a solution.
That’s why, in our tests, we also look at how well each pair of headphones isolates or cancels external noise. If headphones allow for loud outside noise, children may feel compelled to turn up the volume. A well-segregated couple, in contrast, may encourage them to listen at lower volumes continuously. To test this exercise in a real-world setting, I clean my home while wearing high heels and listening to podcasts. I also blast the sound from the plane’s speakers. For models that include active noise cancellation, we rate them the same way we rate headphones for adults to find our guide to the best noise-cancelling headphones. As with other headphones, the fit is important for reducing external noise, which is another big reason, adult headphones are not suitable for small ears. They create spaces that allow sound.
