Is it ok to wear ear defenders?

[adamstorm]

Hi Mums!
I am a new dad (so please be gentle with me).
My wife and I have just had an amazing baby boy, and we love him loads.

Just like all babies, my son loves a good cry every now and again, and I find the noise level really loud, especaily as he likes to cuddle on the "over the shoulder" position.

I have a pair of "ear defenders" - the kind that you use to protect your ears if you are useing a numatic drill or something. They cut out a lot of the harmfull noise, but you can still hear most things clearly (like a conversation).

My wife thinks that the idea of wearing them is pretty stupid, but it really works for me, as I am able to comfort him for longer without losing my sanity.

I wanted to ask other mums what they think? am I being a "bad dad"? Is it a stupid idea, or a typical "blokes response" to a problem?

I would love to hear from any mums that have used ear plugs, headphones, or anything to help protect their ears.

Do you have any stories to share on this topic?

Thanks so much
Adam

I agree with your wife, it is a stupid idea. Babies cry. End of.

If it works for you, then do it! I'm assuming your son doesn't bash his head on them when he's against your shoulder or anything .

I've never used earplugs or anything but I can see where you're coming from (a friend has a baby with the most ear-splitting howl I've ever heard so if she was mine I might have resorted to something similar).

I don't think it is a stupid idea at all. You are not wearing them and ignoring him, so what's the problem?

I wear earplugs at night time as I can't sleep without them, but they don't cut out all noise so I can still hear my twins if one wakes up crying.

For some reason this has made me really laugh! Just picturing a hapless new dad with massive ear defenders on clutching a tiny newborn. Sorry OP. I'm sure you're not hapless. If it works for you fair enough but if you start wearing them at night as well then expect your wife to divorce you toute de suit.

P.s have to admit that as I wear hearing aids for moderate deafness, then if my dc are making too much of a racket (they're not babies but are still bloody loud) I just take my hearing aids out

You are both right; it is a stupid idea, but if it works for you and helps get through the first few months, nothing wrong with it. Earplugs might be moe practical, though.

When DD2 was born I had blocked-up ear on one side and that definitely helped when I was holding her crying on that side.

I can imagine they'd look funny, but don't see the problem as long as you can still hear him and know when he needs you etc. I am quite sensitive to loud/high-pitched noises as well and often my involuntary response to a child screaming is to put my hands over my ears!

Not stupid at all. My little girl spent the first two weeks of her life crying for hours on end, my other half (who also found her pitch much more grating than I did) managed the endless hours of walking her up and down by putting a relaxing album on his ipod and using his noise reduction headphones. It kept him sane and the baby still got the attention she needed. Whatever works for you!

Not at all stupid. MY DS cried, and I mean screamed, loudly, for about the first 16 weeks of his life, every evening, from 6-11 pm, and quite often for several hours in the day as well. Nothing we did could comfort him, apparently. The only way my DH stayed sane was with the massive yellow industrial ear defenders he dug out from somewhere. If you're doing all you can to help your baby and you just can't bear the noise anyomre, then go for it.

Thanks so much for all the feedback everyone!

I like the ear defenders because I can never wear ear-plugs because they always fall out. Even little ipod headphone things fall out. Maybe I have funny shaped ears!

And yes, I do probably look like the hapless dad, but I find it allows me to comfort my son for a lot longer without going "crazy". He loves to sleep on my chest, so his mouth is so close to my ears!

I did some reading and I found that babies can cry at around 130 decibels! A chain saw is only around 100 decibels!

Perhaps I am paying the price for giving my son the middle name "Thor" - it means "god of thunder" and he certainly lives up to that!!