How Muted Kids Earmuffs Saved My Family’s Social Life

I started devising what I call social-insurance tactics to help ensure I had as much fun as my kid. Some of these tricks were practical and obvious, like schlepping around a fully stocked diaper bag while we were out and about, hopefully avoiding the need to cut an excursion short. Others felt borderline self-indulgent: Once my kid reached toddler age, I hired a mother’s helper to assist at parties and playdates so the other parents and I could enjoy a few uninterrupted (OK, less-frequently interrupted) moments of adult conversation.

After more than a decade of parenting, though, my most prized, pragmatic, and cost-efficient form of social insurance has been a simple pair of Muted Earmuffs. These over-ear, noise-muffling headphones for kids—a pick in our guide to the best earplugs for concerts—are cheap, comfortable, and easy to take with me wherever I go, and they’ve lasted for years.

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Our pick

Muted Earmuffs

Kids will love these earmuffs’ soft padding and fun designs, while adults will love the safer listening levels and lifetime build warranty.

One note: Amazon’s product description inaccurately says Muted Earmuffs are noise cancelling. Noise cancellation is an active system that involves electronics, whereas the Muted Earmuffs create a physical barrier that protects your kid’s ears from sound. For true noise-cancelling headphones for kids, see our guide to the best kids headphones.

Muted Earmuffs meet NRR (noise reduction rating) standards for kids, which means they capably muffle potentially damaging noise before it can inflict harm or discomfort on your child’s inner ear. Of course, many other forms of kids hearing protection do the same just as well, but the Muted Earmuffs’ user-friendliness is why I’ve recommended them to other parents time and again.

In fact, the main reason I love them is actually quite selfish: For about $25, I’ve seen an invaluable return in the form of uncancelled plans. Although an outing with kids can go awry in so many ways, these trusty earmuffs have easily reduced the number of events we’ve had to bail on.