Best Kids Headphones Reviews 2023

Having a well-defined budget range that you’re comfortable with is a very good way to start your quest for any item you need to purchase. Generally, the amount of money you’re willing to spend determines to a large extent the quality, brand and features of the product you end up with. Since there are almost always many varieties of any product with different combinations of features, it’s easier now to strike a balance between functionality and cost.

The prices of kids’ headphones in our product reviews range from $16 to $100, thus making it easy to get a great headphone set at whatever cost you budgeted for it; all the brands featured in this review are renowned and respected in the industry. While conducting our research, we stumbled on some ridiculously cheap kids’ headphones, but their features were grossly subpar, thus we didn’t bother including them here.

Choosing and buying great kids headphones may not be an easy task but once you know the key features to consider then your selection process becomes very simplified. Here are some of the important features to look out for:

• Type of headphone
• Connectivity
• Style
• Age range of user
• Sound Limiting Mechanism
• Bluetooth
• Foldable Earcup
• Material

A kids’ headphone of whatever style, size or type is built to be lightweight and durable using appropriate materials like aluminum or polycarbonates. These are the most common materials used because they’re both lightweight and confer resilience and durability to the headphone set. The polycarbonate is mostly used for in-ear types of kids’ headphones while the lightweight aluminum is used for over-ear kids’ headphones. Some brands employ the use of plastics which, while being lightweight, may not be as durable as aluminum.

Where the kid intends to use the headphone – home or theater -- and for what purpose -- listening to music, audio books, movies, sleeping or gaming-- will inform your choice of the type or style to purchase. There are basically three types of headphones, the in-ear type, on-ear or circumaural type. The in-ear type also known as earbuds have earpieces that goes right into the ear canal. They’re usually small, ultralight and very compact and comes as a freebee with most devices. Prolonged use of this type may become uncomfortable and there are some whose earpieces are difficult to insert and position correctly for optimal performance.

The on-ear kids’ headphones have the earpiece resting just on top of the ears with some of them designed to fully cover the ears, but the great majority just stay on the ear and has the advantage of letting the wearer hear the outside world. This, on the other hand, may also be a disadvantage when you need more noise exclusion or those around you wouldn’t want to be disturbed with sounds from your headphone.

The circumaural type has a fully covered noise exclusion earcup design that covers the ears and cuts outside noise to the barest minimum. The headband type of kids’ headphones are full headbands with embedded speakers. The headbands are often designed with attractive animal or cartoon characters and bright colors so the child can have a pick of his favorite cartoon or animal. The embedded speakers are usually ultra-thin; you may not even notice they’re there. It’s also removable to allow you wash the headband when the need arises. This type is a great choice for listening to sleep-inducing music or for kids who hate bulky on-ear headphones or can’t deal with the finicky earbuds. Whichever type you choose, you may want to take into consideration the main purpose of buying so you don’t end up with a kids’ headphone that won’t fully serve its purpose.

Kids headphones can use either a wired or wireless connection or even both. The wired type may be single-sided cabling or Y-cabling which is used in both earbuds. The high-end headphones use Bluetooth wireless technology for media transmission and sharing.

There are kids’ headphones designed especially for toddlers and mostly constructed from plastic materials with non-pinching parts and hinges to keep your little one safe and dry-eyed. They usually feature a max volume limiter knob by the side so that the child doesn’t accidentally raise the volume beyond the range set by the supervising adult.

One of the basic features of kids’ headphones is the sound limiting mechanism. This limits the sound output to 85 decibels which is the recommended safe sound level. This ensures that while the headphone plays its role, the child’s ear is well protected from unhealthy sound levels obtainable from a normal headphone. The max volume limiter knob at the side of the headphone helps the parent to easily control and set the volume level that they feel is safe for the kid and gives them peace of mind as well.

For more convenience, some single-sided cable on some kids’ headphones are detachable. This makes it easy to store the cable properly so it doesn’t tangle. Also, almost all wired kids’ headphones have in-line functions that allow hands-free call answering and music control like pause/play functions without having to bring out your device. You just need press the button on the wire to access the function you need or to pick/end a call.

Some Bluetooth kids’ headphones also come with a connecting cable so the child can stay connected to his movie, music, audiobook or whatever he’s listening to, even when the headphone battery is down. Just plug in the cable to the headphone and connect it to the device and you’re good to go.

Some kids’ headphones have foldable earcup that makes for safer and easier storage and portability. These types usually come with carrying bags or cases so the folded headphone can easily fit into its case. Most of them also have adjustable headgears to fit different head sizes.

Because of its volume limiting mechanism, most kids’ headphones come with high precision drivers that deliver crystal clear sound of studio quality so the kid gets to enjoy great sound at very safe volume levels. And for more ambient noise reduction and audio clarity in addition to maximum comfort for the kid, the headphone often comes with earcups completely covered with a soft and supple material like eco-friendly leather.

For top performance, some kids’ headphones like one of our featured products have cable sharing adapter that allows convenient connection and media sharing among several compatible headphones.