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The best noise-cancelling baby headphones for festival season
Because life is especially loud for babies and their delicate ears
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Whether you're attending a music festival (if so, check out our roundup of the best festival essentials), a concert, fireworks display, or boarding a plane, there are lots of occasions when you may want to protect your baby's ears from high decibels. Maybe the neighbours are doing construction work, or you're doing your own home renovation; even weddings and family parties can be very loud for little ones!
Having a baby or toddler near a sustained 100+ decibel din can lead to noise-induced hearing loss, but it's not always possible to avoid. Luckily, we've found the best noise-cancelling headphones for babies.
More baby-related product reviews you can trust: Best toys for one-year-olds | Best toys for two-year-olds | Best toys for three-year-olds | Best kids clothes | Best nappies | Best baby wipes | Best kids headphones
The best noise-cancelling headphones for adults are often used by people who want to game, listen to music or enjoy entertainment without distracting background noise. But sound-dampening baby ear muffs are different; they dim surrounding noise without piping any sound in. They're called noise-cancelling but are actually sound-reducing, and all of them are wireless. No baby headphones will leave a child in silence. Your baby will still be able to hear some sounds come through, just at a safer level.
Though many headphones are suitable from birth, we recommend using them from three months and up.
Read on for our top buys for 2025 and everything you need to know before you buy.
Banz earmuffs are well-padded for extra comfort around the ears and across the top of the head. Available in an array of colours and patterns, they've shown up on the ears of celebrity kids including Prince George while he was attending an airshow.
On a more relatable level, one tester used these for her daughter at a family wedding. "I had 'loud noise environment' notifications going off on my Apple Watch and when we left, my own ears were ringing — all of which reaffirmed that these were necessary for my daughter," she told us. "She was nine months old at the time, and comfortable in them." The tricky bit is choosing a design...!
If you struggle to keep headphones on your baby's head, you may have more luck with this Dutch brand, which uses an elastic headband for a snug fit and firm hold. They can be particularly useful on plane trips where your baby might need to wear them for several hours.
While some reviews said this worked well, others found the elastic a little tough to get on their baby if they're a real wriggler.
These should stretch to fit your child until about three-years-old, and they're available in five colours. Muffy Baby headphones also come with a carry bag that makes it easy to keep them clean and separated from everything else in your changing bag.
It can sometimes be easier to get a baby to wear headphones if they make them feel like a big kid. So, even though these only dampen sound and your baby won't be listening to tunes or games like an older sibling, you might have better luck getting them to stay on – especially if one of the six available colours matches the older kid's pair. See more tips for getting babies to wear their ear protection in our buying guide below.
We also like that so many online reviews say their baby wears these comfortably. The headband is a bit more cheaply made than others on our list but that's reflected in the lower price tag.
We'll be honest, we were first attracted to the lovely pastel design of these ones. But Snug Baby Earmuffs are also good noise-cancelling headphones for babies up to two-years-old.
The only complaint from some is that the headphones can have a faint chemical smell. If that happens, we suggest unboxing them a day or so before you'll be using them and giving them a quick once over with one of our experts' best baby wipes.
Our sleep and wellness expert, Priyankaa Joshi, swears by this brand (read her Loop earplugs review for more detail), and this design is great for older kids (aged six plus).
As well as reducing noise in busy settings, they can also help children concentrate and avoid sensory overload. Plus, they come in a snazzy array of colours and include four interchangeable ear tip sizes for the perfect fit.
What to look for when shopping for baby noise-cancelling headphones
Heading somewhere loud with your baby in tow and want to protect their ears? Here are the factors to consider.
✔️ Fit: Be sure you're buying headphones in the correct size for your baby or child. Look for an age grading that goes from birth or the infant months to their year.
✔️ Ear muff style: The big ear muffs are the sound-reducing kind. Headphones with smaller cups are usually the ones you plug into a device so your child can listen to music or shows. Noise-reducing headphones for a baby will be wireless.
✔️ Realistic expectations: Don't expect headphones to deliver silence. Though they may be called "noise cancelling," there is no pair of headphones that can silence everything. The goal is to decrease the sound reaching your baby's ears.
When wearing headphones, your baby might not hear the conversation going on at a late-night family barbecue and could even drift off to sleep, but they might open their eyes when fireworks start. The noise won't be as loud as it would be without headphones, but your baby will still hear the muffled bangs.
When to use noise-cancelling headphones for babies
Ideally, babies would be shielded from loud noise as much as possible, and the best baby noise-cancelling headphones can play a part in that. Babies' delicate ears and hearing are thought to be more sensitive to excessive noise compared to older children and adults, and as babies can't remove themselves from uncomfortable, noisy situations, it's up to us to protect them.
Using headphones will be left to your judgement but some parents even use them at home when they're vacuuming or when they're out at noisy festivals — there are hundreds of possible scenarios when your child might be more comfortable with ear protection. You're not only keeping your baby from pain, you're working to prevent any permanent hearing loss.
A rule of thumb: If a place seems loud to you, it's probably too loud for your baby. Noisy restaurants, parties, sports events — all can be fun for adults but also may get extremely loud. If you decide to stay at the event, put protective headphones on your baby to keep them as safe as possible.
Tips for getting your baby to wear noise-cancelling headphones
One difficulties you might run into is actually getting your baby to wear the baby ear muffs you've selected. Here is some advice from parents who have been there.
• Play around with the fit at home, before you're in the loud situation. That gives you a chance to adjust the headphones to the proper width so that they slide right onto your baby when the music or event begins.
• Be ready with a distraction when you first put the headphones on your child. When you place a hat, headband or anything else on a baby, often their first inclination is to yank it off. But if you're prepared with a favourite toy, sippy cup or anything they can hold in their hands, you will hopefully distract them long enough that they'll forget something went on their head.
• Look convincing. If you appear worried that your baby is going to reject the headphones, they'll probably read your skepticism and be nervous themselves. Prepare to look delighted and excited about your baby wearing headphones and they're more likely to keep them on.
• If needed, pretend that YOU want them. If your baby is really having none of it, put the headphones on yourself and show your baby how glad you are to have them. They always want what you've got! Another tactic is to use peer pressure to your advantage and have an older sibling or friend wear headphones.
Good luck!
Jessica (she/her) is a freelance writer with several decades of experience writing lifestyle content and evaluating home and parenting products. A mom of two teens and two cats, her previous work can be seen in American Baby and Parents.
Stacey looks after all food and drink reviews — from coffee pods and veg boxes, to natural wine and tequila. Stacey is also founder of Crummbs, where she’s written nearly 2,000 restaurant and hotel reviews since 2013. Prior to this, Stacey wrote hundreds of in-depth buying guides for the Independent, i newspaper and BBC Good Food, as well as reviewing restaurants and interviewing celebrities in her column at Balance Magazine. Stacey has also appeared in BAFTA-nominated BBC documentary Blood, Sweat & Takeaways, where she investigated South East Asia's food production industry, appearing on both Newsnight and BBC World Service to share her findings. Regularly checking out the latest restaurants, bars and product launches, Stacey also loves experimenting with recipes at home, and is a WSET-certified wine and spirits expert, with over 10 years of experience in the business. You can follow Stacey on Instagram @crummbs_uk
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