Toys that could damage your child's hearing

UCI Health otolaryngologist Dr. Hamid Djalilian and his team tested more than two dozen popular toys to determine which had the highest sound levels in three scenarios: at the ear with no tape over the speaker, at the ear with tape over the speaker and at a child's arm's length (approximately 30 centimeters) with tape over the speaker.

Djalilian suggests a couple of things parents can do keep down the volume on toys:

• Put occlusive tape or super glue over the speaker to mute the sound
• Put tape over the volume control, preventing your child from increasing the volume to unsafe levels

Sound is measured in decibels (dB). Noise-induced hearing loss can result from a single exposure to a very loud sound (120 dB or more), or by listening to loud noises at or above 85 dB for an extended period of time.