Peltor Kids Earmuffs

When I saw this image of Apple Martin I thought it was adorable. But then it got me thinking about the headset she was wearing as I knew that my husband and I would want to take our daughter to a concert at least once during her young life. I discovered that these "earmuffs" are made by Peltor, the leader in hearing protection products. They were a bit hard to locate here in the US but I finally found a retailer online, Envirosafety, and ordered a pair for my daughter, in pink.

While I wouldn't call these essential for all parents they are a necessity if you plan to expose your child to any loud environments. We have used them multiple times already and my daughter is only 10 months old. She went to her first indoor concert, a recital for my brother, at 6 months and loved the music and vibrations. I didn't realize just how much noise was being blocked until I took them off during a quiet piece in the concert and she started crying when everyone clapped. We also took her to an outdoor concert, stood right near the speakers and she fell asleep in my arms. Beyond concerts we have used them at the fireworks, an airshow and during a parade. They let enough noise in so that your child can enjoy the experience without damaging her ears.