Parents may think that noise is not a problem for their children until they reach the teenage years and start listening to loud music. But did you know that some toys are so loud they can cause hearing loss in as little as 15 minutes? Toys are required to meet the acoustic standard set by the American Society of Testing and Materials, which states that the sound-pressure level produced by toys shall not exceed 85 dB at 50 cm from the surface of the toy. The problem with this standard is 50 cm is longer than the average arm length of an adult. The Sight & Hearing association test toys based on how a child plays with them, which is closer to 10 inches or 25 cm from their face making the sound much louder at ear level than what the toy would test at under the standard.
Every year the Sight & Hearing Association (SHA) publishes a “noisy toy list” and encourages consumers to test toys before you buy them. Push buttons and rattle toys in the store aisle. If a toy is too loud for you, it will be too loud for your child. Look for toys that have volume controls so you can set the volume at a safe level. If you must buy a noisy toy, or your child receives a noisy toy as a gift, place clear packing tape over the speaker. The University of Minnesota/Department of Otolaryngology confirmed in a study that covering noise-producing toys with tape will significantly reduce the noise level of a toy, making it safer for children.
Sight & Hearing Association’s Noisy Toys List© 2015
TOY / MANUFACTURER / AGE GROUP / TYPE OF TOY / dB(A)0 inches / dB(A)
10 inches
Animal Babies Nursery: Jumpin' Lil Monkeys / Jakks HK, Ltd. / 3 – 6y / Hand-held / 103.4 / 84.7
Disney Frozen: Cool Tunes Sing-Along Boombox / KIDDesigns® / 3y+ / Hand-held & Tabletop / 100.4 / 89.6
Little Tykes®: Lil' Ocean Explorers™: Push 'n Glow Fish™ / MGA Entertainment® / 6 – 36m / Floor / 93.8 / 83.6
FurReal Friends: Happy to See Me Pets: Piper, My Dancing Penquin Pet / Hasbro / 4y+ / Hand-held & Tabletop / 93.7 / 84.3
Disney Pixar Inside Out: Bing Bong Musical / Tomy / 4y+ / Hand-held / 93.6 / 76.6
Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Half-Shell Heroes: Shellraiser with Driver LED / Playmates Toys Ltd. / 4y+ / Hand-held / 91.6 / 88.3
Minions™: Rock 'n Roll Stuart / Thinkaway Toys / 4y+ / Hand-held & Tabletop / 90.1 / 80.3
Road Rippers® Street Screamers™: Volkswagen Beetle / Toy State / 3y+ / Floor / 89.1 / 77.9
Nickelodeon Paw Patrol: Rubble Lights and Sounds™ / Spin Master, Ltd. / 3y+ / Hand-held & Tabletop / 88.6 / 76.0
Fisher Price Classic Toys: See 'n Say®: The Farmer Says / Fisher – Price / 18m+ / Hand-held & Tabletop / 88.3 / 77.6
Nickelodeon Paw Patrol: Ryder's Pup Pad™ / Spin Master, Ltd. / 3y+ / Floor & Tabletop / 88.1 / 72.3
Disney Junior Miles from Tomorrow: Starjetter™ / Tomy / 3y+ / Hand-held / 87.9 / 76.1
Laugh & Learn® Smart Stages™ Toolbox / Fisher – Price / 6 – 36m / Hand-held / 87.8 / 77.0
Lalaloopsy: Super Silly Party: Dance with Me Doll / MGA Entertainment® / 4y+ / Hand-held & Tabletop / 86.3 / 74.9
Laugh & Learn® Smart Stages™ Sis / Fisher – Price / 6 – 36m / Hand-held / 86.3 / 73.4
Star Wars® 48 Inch Darth Vader™ Battle Buddy / Jakks Pacific / 3y+ / Hand-held / 86.2 / 71.1
Disney IMAGIcademy: Shape Blaster Boombox / KIDDesigns® / 3y+ / Hand-held & Tabletop / 84.7 / 73.6
Play Circle® Play the day away!™: La Dida Musical Tea Party™ / Battat™ / 3y+ / Tabletop / 84.5 / 73.6
Star Wars® Yoda: Jedi Talker™ / Spin Master, Ltd. / 4y+ / Hand-held & Tabletop / 83.6 / 73.0
Barbie Rock 'n Royals: Erika™ / Mattel, Inc. / 3y+ / Hand-held / 78.1 / 69.0
Decibel (dB) level measurements taken with a hand-held digital sound level meter (Digital Instruments, model SL-814), calibrated to manufacturer’s specifications. A-weighted scale, set at a slow response time capturing the maximum sound level. 0 inches equals the child’s ear to the toy. 10 inches equals a child’s arm length away from the toy.
Sight & Hearing Association – 1246 University Avenue W., Ste. 226, St. Paul, MN 55104 – 1/800-992-0424, x11 –
Founded in 1939, the Sight & Hearing Association is dedicated to enabling lifetime learning by identifying preventable loss of vision and hearing.