Flying with infants - hearing protection

iamtheari

iamtheari

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I am expecting that one of my frequent passengers in the 310 starting later this year will be a newborn. I've browsed through some older threads about flying with kids and found good information on car seats, comfort, and entertainment. But the one thing that I (as a self-induced deaf moron) want to be sure I get the latest and greatest is hearing protection, especially since protecting hearing from the noise of frequent trips in a propeller-driven airplane isn't something the average parent has to think about.

The 310 is loud. The youngest child I've flown with was my then-6-year-old niece, who did pretty well with a Lightspeed headset. But obviously that won't work for much younger kids. I am searching and finding several different brands of baby ear protection, but there aren't any filters on Amazon for "reduces propeller noise" or "recommended by GA pilots." Most of them seem targeted for sporting events and commercial airliners. I don't know enough about protecting hearing to even really know what specifications to look for.

I know some of you have had your kids or others' kids in the air probably starting on the ride home from the hospital and have experimented with this, so hopefully you can help me crowdsource my way through this puzzle. Thanks in advance!
 
These were the only ones that were remotely effective at staying on really little kids:
earmuffsforkids.com

Earmuffs for Kids

Earmuffs for Babies
earmuffsforkids.com earmuffsforkids.com
Generally, once they are big enough to rip them off, they will. At least mine did. Maybe if my plane was noisier they wouldn't have? Might be worth measuring the noise level in your plane (https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/noise/app.html) and seeing if it's in hearing damage range. I've not ridden in a 310, but I'd bet it's not loud enough to do damage in the time exposure you'll have.

osha-noise-guide-hh19.jpg
 
Jim K said:
These were the only ones that were remotely effective at staying on really little kids:
earmuffsforkids.com

Earmuffs for Kids

Earmuffs for Babies
earmuffsforkids.com earmuffsforkids.com
Click to expand...
Yes! We used the Baby version from birth to 1, the Kids version from 1-2, and an adult headset after that - my kids have big heads but they also wanted to be able to talk with us once they were 2.

At first I was like "Nope, not good enough, the Mooney is really loud, we need something with active noise reduction." Then I looked at the data for the Em's stuff and it was shockingly good, very close to ANR aviation headsets in most frequency ranges.
 
Rene said:
Gosh, how loud is the kid that you need hearing protection?
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Ugh. My two year old is DEFINITELY louder than my airplane.

I have, on occasion, put in my AirPods on active cancellation mode when he won't shut up.
 
We've combined foam + child-sized passive over-the-ear muffs. The foam plugs that worked for us was the cylinder kind (no flare - though I prefer the flared for myself), then split down the middle lengthwise. Cover with child-sized passive earmuffs.

1744289815424.png1744290126120.png
 
flyingcheesehead said:
Ugh. My two year old is DEFINITELY louder than my airplane.

I have, on occasion, put in my AirPods on active cancellation mode when he won't shut up.
Click to expand...
protip: you'll need to wear the AirPods under a set of peltors if you want to drown out children AND the lamentations of the women.

Enjoy the relative quiet before the pre-coffee interrogations begin.
legos.jpg
 
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Rene said:
Gosh, how loud is the kid that you need hearing protection?
Click to expand...
It's hard to say but I've met the parents and will definitely consider earplugs under the ANR for these flights.

But with frequent flights likely, I don't want these close friends to blame me for having created a true monster: A toddler with avoidable hearing loss who never learns to regulate how loudly he or she talks about Legos.

Thanks for the tips from those with experience. Keep the PIREPs coming!
 
Okay, I haven’t tried them out yet but have the EMs and Putty Buddies on hand and ready. I also talked to a pediatric audiologist, who said that his bigger concern would be the tiny Eustachian tubes being unable to equalize pressure and getting injured. He recommended slow altitude changes and feeding the baby during climbs and descents.

I also bought a decibel meter on Amazon. So it’s better than an iPhone app using the built-in microphone but not as good as what OSHA would trot out if you banned earplugs at your steel mill. I have taken the following readings:

RV-14 takeoff: 106
RV-14 2400 rpm: 104 (very surprising since it does seem much quieter than at 2500-2700)
RV-14 2300 rpm: 102

C310 takeoff, front seat: 100
C310 climb, front seat: 97
C310 climb, middle seat: 90
C310 2400 rpm, front seat: 96
C310 2400 rpm, middle seat: 90

C310 2300 rpm read the same as 2400 rpm in both positions.

My arm wasn’t long enough to hold the decibel meter where your ears would be if you sat in the third row.

So the RV-14 runs about 5 dB louder than the 310 front seat at any given phase of flight. The fact that I thought it was quieter is maybe testament to the Clarity Aloft that I use in the RV-14. In the 310, we have the Lightspeed Zulu 3.
 
iamtheari said:
The fact that I thought it was quieter is maybe testament to the Clarity Aloft that I use in the RV-14. In the 310, we have the Lightspeed Zulu 3.
Click to expand...

It’s also possible you have some hearing loss in the frequency range the RV puts out, so it’s quieter for you?

Also, in the 310, how the props are synced may change readings (and when you take the readings). Perhaps they are cancelling each other somewhat.
 
455 Bravo Uniform said:
It’s also possible you have some hearing loss in the frequency range the RV puts out, so it’s quieter for you?

Also, in the 310, how the props are synced may change readings (and when you take the readings). Perhaps they are cancelling each other somewhat.
Click to expand...
All possible although my prop sync is inop. I think my next experiment will be to swap headsets between planes.

I do wonder how other planes compare. Time to hang out at the airport with my dB meter and try to bum lots of rides.
 
Update: In the RV-14 the Lightspeed Zulu 3 is noticeably louder than the Clarity Aloft. So that mostly solves that mystery.

The one gripe I have with the CA is that the microphone doesn’t want to stay put in front of my mouth, so I often have a hand on it while talking to improve clarity, a la Sir Bedevere in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. </self-threadjack>
 
When I read this post title, my first thought was “Yeah, a 3 month old can be REALLY LOUD. Do you need more than an ANR headset? “
 
My wife and I debated this years ago... in the end we decided that it was not worth it no matter how well the ear hearing protection gadget said they were...

Wait a few more years to where they can put on their own headset and understand the need..
 
Congratulations !

I waited until the kiddo could wear a pair of infant size ear muffs. Those just grew until a pair of anc headphones would fit.
 
Can you post pics of the mom so I can help with a proper suggestion/solution?
 
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