10 of the best kids headphones
Whether you're looking wired or wireless bluetooth headphones, we've chosen the best options perfect for using at home or travelling on the go
Headphones for kids really came into their own with the rise of homeschooling, but they’re handy for all sorts of situations. They're handy for travelling or when out and about when you want your child to have access to entertainment, without blasting it out for everyone else to hear.
Compared to standard headphones, the main difference with kids’ headsets (as well as the child-friendly design) is that most offer sound limitations. This means that your child’s hearing is protected from damage as they can never turn the volume too loud.
Best kids headphones at a glance
- Best for volume limiting: PuroQuiet Active Noise Cancelling Headphones, £115
- Best for linking multiple pairs: LilGadgets Untangled Pro Headphones, £45.95
- Best for a trusted brand: JBL JR310BT Headphones, £36.99
- Best for durability: Onanoff BuddyPhones Wave Headphones, £59.90
- Best for comfort on a budget: JLab JBuddies Studio Bluetooth Headphones, £29.99
- Best for quality on a budget: PuroBasic Wired Volume Limited Headphones, £29
- Best for travel: Snuggly Rascals (v2) Kids Headband Headphones, £14.99
- Best for Disney fans: Disney Frozen 2 Kids’ Headphones, £29.80
- Best for mature design and sound: Etymotic ETY Kids 5 Headphones, £45.50
- Best for volume control: MEE Audio Kidjamz Headphones, £22.45
We’ve chosen both wired (more affordable) and wireless (easier to use) headphones for our top 10. Most are the over-ear variety meaning they’ll fit comfortably, making them ideal for things like long car journeys or a full day of homeschool.
Check out our roundup of all the best kids music players and audio players on the market for more tried and tested recommendations.
What to look for when choosing headphones for kids
Wireless or wired? – If you think the wire of a wired headphone could get tangled as your child uses it, then you might feel more at ease going for a pair of wireless Bluetooth headphones. You will have to remember to charge them up but in the long run it may serve you better. Some wireless kids’ headphones also come with an optional audio cable, meaning that you have a choice whether you want to use them wirelessly or not.
Safety features – Volume limiting is an important child-specific safety feature, as this will protect your child's hearing by stopping them from playing anything too loudly. The World Health Organisation says the safety limit should be set at a maximum of 85 dB. If your child’s headphones seem on the quiet side compared to your own, then this is why.
Comfort – Comfort is especially important if your child has sensory difficulties, since they may potentially be wearing their headphones for a long time. Look at the padding around the ears, as some can offer more protection from pressing on the head and ears than others. With growing ears, freedom to move is vital. There are also variations in material covers with some more breathable than others.
Durability – If you know these cans are going to get thrown about, torn off the head and possibly even wet, then you may want to go for a pair that are specifically made to last.
The fun factor – Many of our parent testers told us that their children loved wearing headphones featuring their favourite characters, especially PAW Patrol, Pokemon, Mario and unicorns. Choosing headphones your child loves might make them more likely to take care of them and not lose or break them.
Here is our pick of the best wireless headphones for kids:
1. PuroQuiet Active Noise Cancelling Headphones, £115
– best for volume limiting
Battery Life: 22 hours without noise-cancelling/16 hours with noise cancelling | Volume Limit: 85dB | Accessories included: audio cable and travel case
Puro Sound Labs makes headphones specifically for children, meaning they’re tailored to suit their needs as well prioritising safety. Puro takes children’s hearing seriously, since the brand was inspired by the founder’s daughter who was diagnosed with noise-induced hearing loss. Its aim is to create a product that’s stylish and safe, without sacrificing audio quality.
While sound quality is high and battery life is 16 hours you also get an 85 dB limit on sound, as well as passive noise cancellation. That’s enough to help your child focus but not so much that they can’t hear you when needed.
Tester Jasmin Louis appreciated how much the brand has taken safe hearing levels into account. She said: “These are wonderful headphones – perfect if you’re worried that your child’s ears will get damaged from the high volumes. They are also great to use when out on a train or bus as the background noise is blocked out.”
Available from: Amazon
2. LilGadgets Untangled Pro Headphones, £45.95
– best for linking multiple pairs
Battery Life: 12 hours; 180 hours on standby | Volume Limit: 93dB | Accessories included: audio cable
Avoid the tangle of wires without the bank breaking price of most Bluetooth connected headphones. The LilGadgets Untangled Pro headphones let you easily connect to lots of devices without any messy wires. Simply charge them up using the USB cable included.
Expect to get a good 12 hours of use out of these, but with an impressive 180 hours of standby, they’re fine left in a drawer for a while too. These come in a variety of colour options and are good for children aged 4 and older.
A nice feature is the ability to daisy chain, so multiple pairs of the headphones can connect to one device – great if you’ve got a few kids sharing one tablet.
Available from: Amazon
3. JBL JR310BT Headphones, £36.99
– best for a trusted brand
Battery Life: 12 hours | Volume Limit: 85dB
JBL is an American brand well known for its quality wireless audio. Now its audio expertise is available in a child friendly package with a safe 85 dB limit.
The price is super low for the quality of deep bass and crisp highs that give a well balanced sound. These are also comfortable fitting, making them ideal for longer use on car journeys. They fold down so they can be carried by your child in their bag without worry of them being damaged too. There’s even a set of stickers thrown in, so your little one can personalise the look.
The JBL headphones have a decent 12 hours of battery life with a nifty quick charging feature that gets you 1 hour of use from just a 10 minute charge – perfect if you’ve forgotten to charge them. Keep in mind there is no audio cable included, so these are Bluetooth only.
Available from: JBL and Amazon
4. Onanoff BuddyPhones Wave Headphones, £59.90
– best for durability
Battery Life: 20 hours | Volume Limit: 75, 85 or 94dB | Accessories included: audio cable and travel case
Onanoff is an Icelandic audio company, committed to making kids’ headphones that are both strong and safe. When it comes to toughness, the Onanoff BuddyPhones Wave are some of the best out there – hence that higher than average price. For the money you not only get wireless headphones with safety limiters on volume but also super durability.
These are totally waterproof meaning they could be used around the pool on holiday, as well as those in-case moments when they get wet by mistake.
Volume limiting can vary with modes of 75 (toddler mode), 85 (kid mode) and 94 dB (travel mode). Battery life is a good 20 hours making them a lot longer lasting than much of the competition. There’s also a Study Mode that enhances voices so spoken words can be heard more clearly. Plus, with a 2 year warranty this really earns that price tag.
Available from: Amazon
5. JLab JBuddies Studio Bluetooth Headphones, £29.99
– best for comfort on a budget
Battery Life: 13 hours | Volume Limit: 85dB
The padding in the wireless JLab JBuddies Studio headphones is plush memory foam. This means that your child will be super comfy in them no matter how long they have them on for – ideal for studying time when they don’t want to be distracted by discomfort.
These are wireless with a decent 13 hours of battery life before needing a charge. The size of them does mean they’re more for children of ages 6 and older, but of course it just depends on your child’s head size.
They also feature a microphone so can also be used with a phone to communicate.
Tester Louise, who used them with her 5-year-old, said, “They’ve been great. We like that they have kids volume control which I was surprised a lot of kids headphones didn’t have.”
Available from: Argos, Robert Dyas and Amazon
Here is our pick of the best wired headphones for kids:
1. PuroBasic Wired Volume Limited Headphones, £29.99
– best for quality on a budget
Volume Limit: 85dB | Accessories included: soft carry bag
Puro Sound Labs might have some of the best wireless headphones out there for kids, but it also makes more budget friendly wired cans too. These brightly coloured headphones have the 85 dB sound limiting protection you’d expect from the brand as well as quality clear sound.
A vegan leather cushion covering makes these both tough and comfortable even for longer periods of time. The sound quality is guaranteed and you get a 1 year warranty as standard with these over-ear headphones too.
Available from: Amazon
2. Snuggly Rascals (v2) Kids Headband Headphones, £14.99
– best for travel
Volume Limit: 85dB
Snuggly Rascals is fast becoming well known as the comfy headphone option for kids. This is thanks to a headband design that slips onto your child’s head and stays firmly in place – ideal for younger children (suitable from 3 years plus). The headband incorporates ultra-flat, padded speakers encased in either a cosy fleece or breathable cotton.
The headbands come in lots of fun design options to suit most children, from cute cats and funky pandas to aeroplanes and unicorns. The material is fleece so they’re not only comfy but also warming – but don’t worry about sweating as this is washable too. The cotton option is slightly lighter so may be a good choice for summer.
This fantastic product is a previous MFM Award winner, with judge The Honest Dad blogger Adam Riches praising the level of innovation.
Available from: Currys, Argos and Amazon
3. Disney Frozen 2 Kids’ Headphones, £29.80
– best for Disney fans
Smyths Toys' range of wired kids headphones come highly recommended from our MFM testers, particularly when it comes to comfort thanks to the padded ear cushions and adjustable headband. Tester Cat praised them for being comfortable enough for her daughter who has sensory difficulties.
At just £10 they offer excellent value for money whilst not compromising on safety, with a volume limit of 90dB. We love these Frozen-themed headphones, but there are lots of other character themes to choose from including Hello Kitty, Marvel, Toy Story and more.
Available from: Amazon
4. Etymotic ETY Kids 5 Headphones, £45.50
– best for mature design and sound
Volume Limit: 42dB | Accessories included: assortment of ear tips and soft pouch
From famed audio in-ear brand Etymotic, these are superb earphones that deliver the safety of noise limiting without being childish in design – making them great for older children and even for parents to use too.
The earbuds are designed to fit snugly and cut out external noise – this makes volume sound louder without the need to actually increase volume to potentially harmful levels – clever stuff. Plus, they offer an impressive 85 percent sound accuracy according to Etymotic.
Available from: Amazon
5. MEE Audio Kidjamz Headphones, £22.45
– best for volume control
Volume Limit: 85dB
These simple and super affordable headphones limit sound output for safe listening for children as young as 4. There is a hidden switch which can allow parents to turn the limiter off should they want to, in a noisy environment.
The 3.5mm headphone cable will work with any device that has a headphone port. These headphones are flexible enough to withstand a child’s use and there’s also an impressive 1 year warranty, which at this price is a great bonus.
Available from: DirectNine and Amazon
About the author
Luke Edwards has been working as a journalist for over 20 years, specialising in technology and science. Since the birth of his daughter, 4 years ago, he has been writing about more parent-focused gadgetry and kit. With the arrival of his son, 2 years ago, he got another chance to test even more child-rearing tech.
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