The Five Best Christmas Gifts for Kids and Teens

It’s the lead-up to Christmas, which means trips to the beach, concerts and festivals, as well as the all important collection of presents under the tree. In this guide, we’re diving into five of the best ear and hearing accessories you can get as Christmas gifts for kids and teens. It’ll cover items for swimming, music and live events, as well as gifts supporting children and young adults with sensory sensitivities.

For the Junior Olympian

Ear Band It Ultra Premium Swimmers’ Headband ($38.99)

Putty Buddies Swimming Ear Plugs for Kids ($8.99)

Whether your child is just starting swimming lessons, or a seasoned expert in the backyard pool or ocean, a good set of swimming ear plugs with a headband are a great and practical gift that will keep them in the water longer. Once fitted, a set of ear plugs work to block water from entering the ear, making ear infections, trapped water, and all the other scourges of Summer a thing of the past. The Ear Band It works together to keep the plugs in place, no matter how much wrestling, tumble-turning, or bomb competitions your kids are taking part in!

The Ear Band It Ultra is designed in a variety of sizes suitable for children (and adults too!) so they’re a great gift for young and old. While the Putty Buddies are specifically marketed towards kids, for adolescents and teens who love the water but hate wet ears, they’re also a practical solution. They work as a particularly good prompt for kids who aren’t yet super confident in the water. By minimising the discomfort associated with wet ears, it builds the pleasure and passion for the water that will develop into a life long healthy habit.

Similarly, the plugs are not limited to use at the beach. For kids with sensitive ears, kids with grommets, or just anyone who doesn’t like having a wet ear, the Putty Buddy/Ear Band It combo is a guaranteed winner for your next family trip to the beach.

For the Future Festival Head or DIY Specialist

Alpine Muffy Kids’ Ear Muff ($56.99)

If you’re taking your child to loud events—sport, festivals, concerts or the races—it’s important to make sure you’re protecting their hearing. The Alpine Muffy are the best and most flexible set of children’s ear muffs on the market, providing a high level of protection, with sizing appropriate for children aged 5-16.

Providing up to 25 dB of hearing protection when properly fitted, the Muffy is a suitable solution for both live events, but also for children with sound sensitivity. They’re a versatile set too for wear at school: use them to help your child focus on individual work in a noisy classroom, or just to take the edge off in the playground. Importantly, they’re designed to filter sound through to the ear at a lower, safer volume. This means a superior experience at loud music, without risking permanent hearing damage.

For younger kids too, it’s a great way of helping them participate in activities with parents and friends, particularly when noise has been a challenge in the past. Whether they’re watching a parent use power tools or riding along on the lawn mower, the Muffy ensures safe ears by minimising harmful, excessive sound.

Coming in four colours, the Muffy is versatile in terms of style (and also good for differentiating between each child’s own special set!) Made with child safe materials, they’re hard wearing and adjustable for all head shapes and sizes.

For your Little Lorde

MusicMate High Fidelity Music Ear Plugs (Kids Size) ($29.99)

As live music slowly comes back to life in New Zealand, you’re inevitably going to start hearing about the must-see concert in your child’s life. Give them the best possible start with a set of high fidelity musician’s ear plugs, guaranteed to let them appreciate the sound without causing damage to their sensitive ears.

The original model MusicMate is now available in child size, these are suitable for kids eight and up, and do a great job of providing comfortable, secure, and above all else, safe listening in loud environments. Designed to block up to 25dB of noise when properly fitted, it’s the right level of protection to bring live music into a safe listening limit, without compromising on their ability to enjoy the event.

Not only are they good for concerts, the MusicMate is suitable for any situation where your child might want to cut exposure to harsh ambient noise. Think music lessons, public transport, noisy libraries, shopping centers. Not only are they a music and study aid, they’re also a great option for children with sonic sensitivities, helping protect them from sudden harsh noises.

Each set of the MusicMate also comes with a keychain attach carry case, great for keyrings, backpacks, or crossbodies, ensuring your child has their plugs whenever they need them.

For Children with Sound Sensitivity, Hyperacusis or who identify as being on the Autism Spectrum

Flare Calmer Secure ($52.99)

Flare Calmer Secure (Kids Edition) ($44.99)

Sound sensitivity is a consistent challenge for many young children. Trigger noises like school bells, honking horns, or even just the sound of glass or cutlery can be deeply debilitating, resulting in discomfort or even meltdowns. For some children, tinnitus — a ringing in the ears most often associated with older people — can even be a problem too, causing ongoing discomfort.

The Flare Calmer is unique among our ear plug range: it doesn’t block ANY sound. Instead, it changes HOW sound enters the ears, softening/suppressing the frequencies most associated with sound sensitivities. For children on the autism spectrum, with hyperacusis or just suffering from the stresses associated with our increasingly loud increasingly connected lives, these can be a total game changer.

The Calmer Secure is an upgrade on the original Calmer model, including a connected lanyard designed to keep each of the ear pieces safe, as well as easy to insert and remove. This is especially important for school aged kids, who want to be able to run around and play without running the risk of losing their ear pieces!

While we recommend the Kids edition Calmer for primary school aged students, for teens and up you could look at trialing the standard sized set. They’re a popular choice for students on the autism spectrum, but are also suitable for anyone with any sound sensitivity