Protect little ears with the best volume-limiting headphones for kids - Android

When looking for the best kids headphones, there's a special set of criteria. First, they need to be smaller to fit a child's head. They also need to include simplified controls, be comfortable, and crucially, include built-in volume-limiting technology to ensure that a child can't crank the volume up beyond levels that are considered to be safe for little ears. Luckily, safe kids' headphones are more affordable than ever. Some limit audio to as low as 75 decibels, which is safe for even toddlers. Other alternatives, like the Noot Products K11 are foldable for easy travel, while others still boast further clever tricks to make them kid-friendly, like cute designs and durable build quality. And these days, you can even find wireless Bluetooth headphones for kids. Here are some of our top picks for your little ones.

Best Overall: Noot Products K11 Foldable On-Ear Headset

These headphones will fit all children ages 3 and up. Their foldable design makes them ideal for chucking in school bags for storing in hand luggage and even for compact storage at home. Sound-wise you're looking at 40mm drivers and noise cancellation capabilities.

Available in three colorways, kids will love the squishy, cushioned ear cups, and lightweight design. The 3.5mm cable is a good length at 5 feet and boasts a tangle-free nylon braided design.

Pros:

• Tangle-free cable
• Compact for travel
• Comfortable to wear

Cons:

• Not wireless
• No microphone

Best Overall

Noot Products K11 Foldable On-Ear Headset

• $17 at Amazon
• $21 at Walmart

Cheap & cheerful

A great basic choice for children, these headphones fold up for compact storage, making them perfect for travel.

Best Wireless: Onanoff BuddyPhones Cosmos

These kids headphones aren't just wireless — they also include active noise-canceling (ANC) technology to help eliminate distracting surrounding noises while kids are using them. The volume-limiting technology has three settings to suit different ages, preferences, and situations: 75dB for toddlers, 85dB for standard listening, and 94dB for travel mode.

Available in two cool designs - Pink Unicorn and Midnight Blue Dragon - another neat feature is the ability to share audio from the same source with up to three other kids using the BuddyCable system and stackable audio jack. Get up to 18 hours per charge, or kids can use them without ANC via the cable. They fold away nicely in the included hard case.

Pros:

• Active noise cancellation (ANC) technology
• 18 hours of battery life
• Share audio with up to 4 kids

Cons:

• Expensive
• Only two design options

Best Wireless

Onanoff BuddyPhones Cosmos Wireless Headphones

• $100 at Amazon

Customizable and wireless sound

These wireless headphones have adjustable volume-limiting based on age or setting. They also come in bubblegum pink and sky blue!

Best for Comfort: CozyPhones Kids Headphones

CozyPhones offers an entire menagerie of animal-themed headband-style headphones, as well as branded options from the likes of JoJo Siwa, Paw Patrol, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

The fun designs belie some clever functionality. The soft, stretchy fabric means the headphones stay in place, are super-easy to wear, and can even double as a sleep mask. You can roll these up to fit in a rucksack or handbag, remove the electronics to wash them, and the volume limitation means you can leave your child with their fave headband, knowing they are not going to break the 90-decibel barrier. One of the downsides to some, though, is that these headphones aren't wireless.

Pros:

• Volume-limited to 90dB
• Comfortable, stay-in-place fabric design
• Travel-friendly
• Kid-friendly designs

Cons:

• Not wireless
• No microphone

Best for Comfort

CozyPhones Kids Headphones

• From $16 at Amazon
• $28 at Walmart

Fluffy & fleecy

Comfy enough to fall asleep in, perfect for packing for travel, kids will love CozyPhone's cutesy designs.

Best Value: Mpow CH1 Kids Headphones

Ideal for younger children up to three years old, these are volume-checked to the lower 85-decibel limit. And they boast a durable design that can be stretched and twisted by curious hands with a yank-proof cord. As they are not wireless, they come in at a lower cost.

With whimsical panda-themed designs, these headphones are available in pale blue or pink. The earmuffs are soft, the headband is adjustable, and there is a 3.5mm AUX output port to hook up a second pair of headphones for listening with a parent, sibling, or buddy.

Pros:

• Volume-limited to 85dB
• 3.5mm AUX output
• Tangle-free, toddler-friendly cords
• Affordable

Cons:

• No microphone
• Not wireless

Best Value

Mpow CH1 Kids Headphones

• $16 at Amazon
• $34 at Walmart

Strong & safe

Adjustable, with soft earmuffs, these sweet cans will withstand a younger child's rough touch.

Best High-End Option: Puro Sound Labs BT2200 Kids Over-Ear Wireless Headphones

At the opposite end of the market in terms of cost and age range are Puro's BT2200s, which are perfect for older kids who will appreciate a better build quality and sound. Although still volume limited, these cans boast noise cancellation functionality, meaning those 85 decibels should sound a little stronger, without fear of damage.

Design-wise they have a sleek look that will appeal to kids who've grown out of needing accessories to be cute but still offer youth-friendly touches of comfort like cushioned ear cups and headband. The 18 hours of playback battery life should be appealing, too, as should the ability to answer calls via Bluetooth.

Pros:

• Volume-limited to 85dB
• 82% ambient noise isolation
• 18 hours battery life
• 3.5mm audio cable included
• Microphone for calls

Cons:

• High cost

Best High-End Option

Puro Sound Labs BT2200 Kids Over-Ear Wireless Headphones

• $90 at Amazon

Glossy & grown-up

Noise-limiting, with a fold-flat design and travel case, these are perfect for older kids to take on planes.

Best for Cute Design: iClever Kids Cat Ear Headphones

Available in a range of pastel shades, these sweet headphones boast silicone cat ears — the kind of touch a younger child reluctant to wear headphones could be persuaded by. With safe volume limits, there is the option to set the decibels to 85, or if you're somewhere with a lot of ambient sounds, this can be increased to 94 to combat it. Be careful when using this, though, since there's no child lock to prevent your young kid from going that loud on their own.

The cushioned ear pads promise no clamp-like pressure and swivel, so there's room to compensate for wiggly wearers. The built-in microphone allows for hands-free calling, and the cord is designed to stay tangle-free.

Pros:

• Volume-limited to 85dB or 94dB
• Tough, twistable headband
• Microphone for calls

Cons:

• Not wireless
• No child-lock on louder volume option

Best for Cute Design

iClever Kids Cat Ear Headphones

• From $15 at Amazon

Fun & friendly

These headphones are all about the ears with comfortable cans, swiveling ear cups, and yes, kitty ears built-in.

Best for Sharing Audio: LilGadgets Untangled Pro Children's Wireless Headphones

The Untangled Pros strike a balance between a chunky kid-friendly design and more sophisticated looks and should last your child from four years old through to tweenager age. They have SoftTouch breathable mesh material on the headband and polycarbonate ear pads. With Bluetooth wireless tech, they can handle voice calls and boast a range of around 30 feet.

They excel on the social side of things, though, with the ability to daisy chain multiple sets of headphones together thanks to the built-in SharePort technology, supported by the bundled cables. We can imagine many a sleepover's audio provided via Untangled Pros.

Pros:

• Volume-limited to 93dB
• 3.5mm audio cable included
• Integrated SharePort
• Microphone for calls
• Passive noise reduction

Cons:

• Not foldable

Best for Sharing Audio

LilGadgets Untangled Pro Children's Wireless Headphones

• $50 at Amazon
• $50 at Walmart

Social & stylish

These offer decent battery life, a fun SharePort, and a kid-comfy design, available in a range of tween-friendly colors.

Bottom line

There are so many choices when it comes to safe headphones, and there are actually quite a few cheap headphones and earbuds that might be suitable for older kids. But ideally, when you're talking about a child, whether they're using the headphones to listen to music or watch TV, or they're wearing them while attending virtual school through a Chromebook, you want to get a pair of headphones designed specifically for younger kids and smaller heads.

Depending on the child's age and how much you want to spend, you've got options when it comes to children's on- or over-ear audio solutions. Our top pick for the best kids headphones is the Noot Products K11, which won't break the budget, leaving more money for music downloads.

You might want to consider wireless for school-age children, which will give them the freedom to move around and are ideal for travel. Meanwhile, toddlers will appreciate the cute and fun designs from the options aimed at younger children. They might even entice them to sit still quietly for five minutes so you can finally finish that cup of coffee before it goes cold!

Credits — The team that worked on this guide

Amy-Mae As a mom who actively encourages the use of headphones so she doesn't have to listen to the absolute garbage kids watch on YouTube these days, Amy-Mae was an obvious choice to curate this collection.

Christine Persaud is mom to a 9-year-old son who has been doing virtual schooling for the last year, which means kids' headphones are a must in her house if she is to get any work done, too.