Your Audiology Externship Roadmap: What to Prepare & When
By Kaitlyn Marnien Hello everyone! I hope you are enjoying the early parts of your summer. As we…
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Can You (Or Should You) Bring a Baby to a Concert?
Have you ever seen a baby or a young child at a very noisy event? Chances are you have. And often, these infants and young children are not wearing hearing protection.
Recently, at a concert by the Colombian rapper and singer-songwriter Maluma, the show was stopped by the artist. He spoke to a parent in the audience, asking the fan, “Do you think it’s a good idea to bring a 1-year-old baby to a concert where the decibels are through the…roof, where the sound is blasting?” He then advised the parent to protect the child’s ears—or better yet, not bring the baby along.
Although there have been several occasions when celebrities have publicly promoted hearing protection for babies (Dominic Fike at Lollapalooza 2025, Drew Brees at the Super Bowl in 2010, etc.), the message does not seem to be getting through.
The typical dB level at a concert can range from 90-120 dB SPL, and at a sporting event, only slightly lower. As we know, dangerous levels of noise exposure start at around 85 dB and, depending on the duration of exposure, can cause permanent damage. Safe sound levels hover around 70 dB SPL.
With that in mind, over-the-ear headphones with noise reduction of at least 20-30 dB are recommended for everyone in loud environments, especially young children. Infants and children cannot remove themselves from loud situations, so protection is necessary. If you must bring your baby to a concert or sporting event, in addition to appropriate hearing protection, you may wish to download a sound level meter app to your phone to monitor the noise level in your seat. The best choice, however, is to leave the little ones at home.
Reference
Willets, M. (2026, July 12). Can You Bring a Baby to a Concert? Experts Warn Parents About the Risks. Parents. https://www.parents.com/can-you-bring-a-baby-to-a-concert-12016230
Calling AuD students! Join the upcoming town hall on August 25 at 8:00 pm ET. Students will have an opportunity to openly discuss aspects of their clinical placements, including learning environments, supervision styles, challenges, and successes. The town hall is open only to current AuD students.
Register now at the link in our bio.
Explore a recent Audiology Today article, "Why Leadership Development Programs Matter: AAA Introduces LEAP Program."
"Although leadership appears throughout clinical and research environments, structured training in areas such as communication, team management, and organizational decision-making remains limited in audiology education." #AudiologyToday
Want to read more? Audiology Today articles are available to members on audiology.org
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