Hearing protection for 7 week old

[A116]

Hi All,

I'm hoping someone might be able to point me in the right direction. I'm taking my (will be) 7 week old to a family wedding in a week and I am worried about his hearing. A friend used ear defenders for her baby at a wedding we went to in the past but these are for 3 months plus only. I was wondering if there was something for younger children to protect their hearing or will I need to leave once the DJ/band starts?

Thanks!

Don't be bonkers

You're not bonkers , but I think your friend has misled you as to the need for ear defenders for an event such as a wedding. Your friend was very unusual to be concerned about this.

The baby will be fine and will let you know soon enough if the noise unsettles them...

That's not very nice Carol.
Congratulations on your new baby OP and you're doing well to be contemplating a family wedding with such a little one.
I would buy a pair of baby banz as they will be useful in future anyway. We use them for both DC at discos, fireworks displays and also when the neighbours play loud music at bedtime. So they will be an investment for a while. I suspect they come up too large for a 7 week old but you can try. I don't know of any other similar product for littler ones.
Tbh it is quite likely that you will be either knackered by the evening or able to find a quieter spot in an adjacent room. People love holding babies away from the hubbub! So play it by ear, if you'll pardon the pun? I wouldn't make firm plans now.
Have a great time.

Ear defenders for babies is bonkers unless you are taking them raving every night, which is considered bad parenting. Sometimes people need to be told to get a grip.

Wow caroldecker! I'll consider getting that grip you mentioned so it might be worth you considering improving your interpersonal skills!

Thanks sleepyhead for saying pretty much the same thing but in a lovely and supportive way. I think you're right - he will let me know if it's too loud. I'm sure I am being over the top but just trying to do my best for my baby - as I'm sure we all are!!

Thanks domesticslattern for the recommendation. I'll look into those. There is a very strong chance that I'll be cuddled up in our hotel room but I made it to midnight at another family party when he was five weeks - perhaps I am one of those bad parents who takes her baby raving after all eh Carol? waves glow sticks

Why do people feel the need to slate posters for asking genuine advice? Carol, this is not the forum for you to be if you have that attitude, this forum is about SUPPORT!

op- I would just sit far away from the direct speakers as possible. I would have the same concerns as you x

At that age they will generally sleep through anything. I found with both of mine things got more complicated after the 4 month sleep regression when they started needing a dark room and silence to go to sleep.

This forum has never been about uncritical support regardless, if you want that, go to netmums.
There are enough difficulties and worries about raising children without inventing new ones that have no basis in fact.

Young babies have very delicate hearing/ears. OP had every reason to feel concerned. Carol, your attitude has no place here IMO- admin?

If you click on the report button on the top right of my post, you can report me to the admin - they will decide my post stands, delete my post or ban me.
Best of luck

Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today eh carol
Why post on the thread if it pissed you off so much

I used ear defenders when I took my 4 month old to watch her dad in a motor event. Would you like to tell me to get a grip cause I will happily tell you what to do with it.

I wouldn't be very happy letting my baby stay in a room with music as loud as most weddings, they are really loud. I'm not convinced that experiencing sound loud enough to damage hearing is actually uncomfortable, as plenty of adults willingly attend events which do cause long term harm or do jobs which are loud enough to do harm. It is only later that they discover that they have hearing loss. Though in adult cases it does seem to be prolonged exposure that causes harm.

It's not about the baby being kept awake, it's about potential hearing damage. I dragged a very pissed off two year old dd out of Wacky Warehouse when ds1 was 3 weeks old
The bloody noise was ungodly, though.

Sorry for not responding sooner - dinner with my parents called. Thanks for all the advice.

I'm not so much worried about his sleep at this age as he'll sleep through pretty much anything - I know I don't have much longer with that being the case so was hoping to take advantage of being able to be out late whilst he's still little. I can completely understand why you would be concerned about that with a slightly older baby though! It's the potential damage to hearing that concerns me but I think just seeing how it goes will be the way to go - try sitting away from speakers as you suggested ktmummy1, remembering it's prolonged exposure that is typically the problem as you rightly say Pico2 and if all else fails sneaking off to our hotel room.

Not pissed off, just think inventing issues to worry about does not help mothers, which is what I am trying to do.
agree long-term exposure to high volumes causes hearing damage, but a one-off family wedding is not an issue.
Worry about the real problems in life and otherwise enjoy yourself, otherwise you will spend your entire life in fear.

Most of my close family dislike loud music at weddings. We went to a family wedding when DD1 was 6 months old and had a bit of a spat about who got to escape the wedding by taking her to our hotel room

We took my DS, who was our 4 week old PFB to my brother's wedding. The noise by the speaker was loud, but we avoided that, at most parts of the venue you could hear what people were saying so I was never worried about noise. There will be areas you can be. The baby will sleep through most of it. Our son slept, woke for a feed & slept - amongst all the noise of a wedding.