Sound reducers/ear covers?

[chickypoo2468]

O gets so overwhelmed and hates being in loud rooms so I wanted to try some kind of sound cancelling thing for him but I'm not sure what to get. The regular ear muff style is a no go bc he wouldn't understand and he rolls on the ground so they probably wouldn't stay on. I think I've seen sweat band style that are soft and go around the whole head, but I think maybe they were headphones? Are there any styles like this that block out a good amount of sound? Or has anyone used them and they suck? He did absolutely hate his plagiocephaly helmet and stopped all development (and regressed) during the months that he had it on so I'm not sure if this will even work but I want to try.
Thanks!

[akafred]

The headband style are headphones for listening, not blocking noise. The only styles I am aware of are over the ear style or the soft foam kind that go IN the ear canal. Or a waxy version that goes in the ear canal. I used those at the water park last year when I was getting over an ear infection and it was extremely effective. OMG nothing more awesome than floating on my back down a lazy river, eyes closed, ears blocked. Of course it was TOO effective since I couldn't make sure DD was safe so I took them out and prolonged my infection . But that 10 seconds I allowed myself was sheer bliss.

[luvboston]

www.universalmedicalinc.com/mri-safe-neonatal-noise-guards.html?gclid=CjwKEAiA1vjCBRDd-9q3w4OF6WUSJACWv_sVzRKfsgJZyJSLJuS6L35aJtYNFglfJB5OILurVxDE9RoCJD7w_wcB

They use these for MRI they work great!

[luvboston]

www.target.com/p/hush-hat-merci-bow-small/-/A-51753902?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&CPNG=PLA_Baby+Shopping&adgroup=SC_Baby&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=m&location=9002058&gclid=CjwKEAiA1vjCBRDd-9q3w4OF6WUSJACWv_sVsW8E12aZ6hooXD86TiTZos-dq65nI7rybNyll0G9GhoC1ITw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

[mrsbuttinski]

I have a lot of thoughts on sensory issues and noise.

On one hand, ear protection can be a good short term solution to unavoidable noise and can make family outings more doable for all involved. On the other, there are a lot of downsides in certain situations.

Sound protection can allow a child to tune out what is going on around him. Some kids on spectrum are already challenged around attending and engaging with the world around them preferring to live in their own head/world. Sound protection abets that tendency. For older kids and the parents of younger ones , sound protection can be stigmatizing. Sensory processing typically improves with maturity and practice; allowing exposure in small doses will allow this to happen. You could also see if a listening program would be useful. Berard AIT is the one that seems to be preferred by parents I know who have gone this route.

Sound was probably DS's most urgent sensory issue; as a little he really struggled with sound. Parades and fireworks were off limits early on. Off-key singing was painful for him all through elementary making chorus and music a special form of hell. By middle school he was participating in parades along with the fire trucks he used to avoid. Noisy restaurants were and continue to be a problem. He would avoid them, but can manage if needed. We did dinner out this week with parents and niece and ended up seated next to 3 tables of noisy preschoolers celebrating Ben's birthday on one side and several festive office parties. He was fine.

[chickypoo2468]

Dec 25, 2016 8:59:32 GMT -5 mrsbuttinski said:

I have a lot of thoughts on sensory issues and noise.

On one hand, ear protection can be a good short term solution to unavoidable noise and can make family outings more doable for all involved. On the other, there are a lot of downsides in certain situations.

Sound protection can allow a child to tune out what is going on around him. Some kids on spectrum are already challenged around attending and engaging with the world around them preferring to live in their own head/world. Sound protection abets that tendency. For older kids and the parents of younger ones , sound protection can be stigmatizing. Sensory processing typically improves with maturity and practice; allowing exposure in small doses will allow this to happen. You could also see if a listening program would be useful. Berard AIT is the one that seems to be preferred by parents I know who have gone this route.

Sound was probably DS's most urgent sensory issue; as a little he really struggled with sound. Parades and fireworks were off limits early on. Off-key singing was painful for him all through elementary making chorus and music a special form of hell. By middle school he was participating in parades along with the fire trucks he used to avoid. Noisy restaurants were and continue to be a problem. He would avoid them, but can manage if needed. We did dinner out this week with parents and niece and ended up seated next to 3 tables of noisy preschoolers celebrating Ben's birthday on one side and several festive office parties. He was fine.

See MH had mentioned them when O was smaller bc we could literally not be around people. When family was over for birthdays I would have to just go sit with him in his room. He had the vision issue too and I felt like that would just be like total sensory deprivation and bad for him so I vetoed it.

At this point he wants to be set down and left alone often and I'll try to put him off to the side where it's quieter. But it's getting harder. I'm mostly taking about at families homes where there are tons of kids running around screaming. It's just too much and a miserable time. Like to where I just want to stay home. I don't want to cut him off from all sound, just make it bearable. The other day we were having Christmas at my ILs and I picked him up and bounced him on my leg while I held his head close to me. I didn't realize I had been covering his ear until he had calmed down, but then after that he was happy. Then I thought maybe I could just get something to muffle it enough that he could still be among the other kids and know what's going on and be a part of the festivities but not be overwhelmed.
So you think that we should just power through it and hope he gets more used to it?

[chickypoo2468]

Oh, and I will look up the listening program. I've never heard of this.

[akafred]

My personal feeling is you know your child best.

There are tools, and there are crutches, and tools become crutches if used too much. It doesn't make the tool bad. This applies to so much in the parenting world. Everything from swaddling to pacifiers to puddle jumpers to strollers. So if it is beneficial to your child to use another tool so you can all enjoy normal family life together sometimes, then go for it, just be careful that it isn't overused or overdepended on. I don't think that's a word. You know what I mean.

I wouldn't say never let a baby use a pacifier because there are some kids who are dependent on them for too long and it can be stigmatizing if used by older kids. I would just say to be aware of that.

[luvboston]

I say use it when you are out at big events with a lot of people or if you go to someone's house and it's insane. I wouldn't allow it at home. But to have every outing ruined BC of this is ridiculous if you can use something to get him through it. He's very young and you still don't know what the fuck is really wrong with him.

You have other kids that also want to have a good time so if you have to have him wear something so this can happen I think it's appropriate.

[chickypoo2468]

Yeah that all makes sense. I wasn't thinking I could slap some headgear on him every time we left the house, I was just thinking that once it was obviously too much I could put them on to help calm him down. I'll share the links with MH and see what he thinks will work best. I obv don't want to fork over a ton of cash for a "maybe it will help" thing.

Oh. But while I'm here. You guys. My other ILs have tvs in adjoining rooms. Like if I stand in the right spot I can watch both. And I could hear both even when I couldn't see both. And everyone was talking and running around. And I had surround sound speakers on top of me. I wanted to run away screaming myself.

[mrsbuttinski]

I think this will be something that will be easier to parse as he gets older.

Many good points made by others in this thread. Yes, it is always appropriate to balance what is best for your entire family as luvboston, pointed out. And as akafred, pointed out, you know your child best.

Think of ways you could set him up to be successful. In the instance of being at your IL's house, can you ask them to turn off a TV or turn the sound down? My dad prefers to blast questionable broadcast choices driven by his deteriorating mind; we got him wireless headphones. Made it possible to visit and keep our BP in the normal range.

For some kids, it's not so much the noise, but the chaos of other children. Sometimes an outdoor visit works better- could the kids play in the yard, go for a walk or visit a local playground?

For DS, gatherings sometimes bothered him if he wasn't getting enough 1:1 attention from me. It wasn't the chaos of kids, it was the competition. I was his preferred person and he did not like to share. TBH, sometimes he'd act out if I tried to have a conversation with DH or even my mother. But other kids were a real trigger. He would attempt to manipulate to have me to himself from the time he was about 16 months old. He was especially vigilant against other children; I could count on him to "need" something if I paid any attention to my nieces or friends' kids. My kid was super verbal by this age and would tell these other kids to back off.

Dark days; especially given that my sister had died less than a year prior and her kids were in a place where they still needed hands on mothering. Although, as he got closer to 2, he would happily accept the attentions of girls 10-16 which gave me some space to breathe. He was this weird little kid who talked like an adult which they found quite novel so I could usually pawn him off on older cousins.

[Deleted]

My kid was older and verbal so we used the over the head kind because I could explain it to him. It was mostly limited to baseball games with loud announcers and fireworks, and monster trucks. He has since grown out of it, but it did allow us to do some family outings that we couldn't before. Sometimes with his hearing loss some noises can seem louder or more noisy.

[toastie]

We have a headband made of neoprene. It's used to hold ear plugs in. It buffers the noise just enough and is pretty easy to wear. It could be. A starting point.

[chickypoo2468]

Jan 7, 2017 13:20:49 GMT -5 toastie said:

We have a headband made of neoprene. It's used to hold ear plugs in. It buffers the noise just enough and is pretty easy to wear. It could be. A starting point.

That actually sounds really good, where did you get it?

[toastie]

Jan 7, 2017 23:23:46 GMT -5 chickypoo2468 said:

Jan 7, 2017 13:20:49 GMT -5 toastie said:

We have a headband made of neoprene. It's used to hold ear plugs in. It buffers the noise just enough and is pretty easy to wear. It could be. A starting point.

That actually sounds really good, where did you get it?

www.amazon.com/SUIEK-Swimming-Headband-Starfish-Pattern/dp/B00RX67RUK/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1483895485&sr=8-12&keywords=Earplug+headband

We have the blue one. There are many to choose from.