Best headphones for kids: Comfort, safety, and durability win every time

All kids love cute things, and the Kidrox Tiger-Ear kids headphones are a very cute thing indeed. The ear cups are softly cushioned and have a tiger face on their exterior so they look super playful and charming. Your child will enjoy wearing them, feeling like they get to show off their tiger-loving self in a set of cans designed specifically for small heads. In terms of features, they have a built-in volume restrictor of 85 decibels — the absolute maximum noise level recommended by authorities for children. The only downside is that the connective cable is a little short, so your kiddo will need to be close to their music-playing device.

The Maxell children headphones certainly won't win any prizes for looks or style. However, they're super lightweight, which young kids will appreciate. Despite their lightweight design, they also sound pretty good thanks to a 30mm driver, and they contain a volume limiter so things can't get too loud for your child. Granted, the limiter is set to 90 dB, which is less than ideal, as it’s just above the recommended maximum sound level for kids, but it's a promising start for very inexpensive headphones. If you want to keep costs down or your child is likely to break them easily so you want something easily replaceable, these are one of the best options to pursue.

The Puro Sound Labs BT2200 headphones look like something that even an adult might wear, so you can be pretty confident that your older child will love them. Not only do they look good, they sound great too, providing some of the best audio quality out of any set of headphones for kids. There's an 85 dB limiter tied into them, so your kids won't have to risk their hearing being damaged while they listen. With an 18-hour battery life, they're not quite as great as you might like, but that's more than respectable enough. Ambient noise isolation makes up for their lack of active noise cancelation, too.

If your kid is desperate to look cool, but you want to keep them and their hearing safe, then look to the Puro Sound Labs PuroQuiet headphones. These on-ear wireless headphones look almost as fashionable as adult headphones, but they include useful technology to keep your child's hearing safe. They have a limited volume of 85 dB, which can be further reduced by up to 22 dB courtesy of the active noise cancellation that's built into these headphones. A steady battery life of 22 hours means you won't have to recharge them often, but you can always switch them over to the wired mode if need be.

For those with children who adore gaming, the PuroGamer gaming headset is a great option. There's a microphone for easy communication with their buddies online while they go nuts on Minecraft, and they can hear every sound possible through the volume-limited ear cups. Sound is limited to 85 dB but it won't get in the way of hearing what's going on. It'll just protect your child's ears. You can hook them up via 3.5mm aux connection, which is perfect for different gaming systems — they’re compatible with PC, Xbox, PlayStation and mobile devices. The noise-canceling and anti-interference detachable mic picks up sound from virtually any direction, and filters ambient noise.

If your child hates wearing conventional headphones, no matter how cute the ear cups may look, then the CozyPhones kids headphone headband is the perfect solution for them. It works like a regular headband but it contains ultra-thin speakers for listening to music. Soft and stretchy, it's easy for your child to wear and just as easy for them to store safely afterward. It's even washable, for when life's little accidents happen. The only real downside with these is that the volume limiter is set to a maximum of 90 dB, which is a little high for our liking. Other than that, it's a good solution to a common issue.

If your little listener doesn’t want to be tied down by a cord while enjoying music, stories, or games, these Bluetooth headphones for kids are just the ticket. They give kids a wireless range of up to 30 feet. While they might limit harmful volumes over 85dB, these headphones still emit crystal-clear sounds thanks to advanced sound-optimizing technology that isolates 87% of ambient noise. Parents won’t have to worry about frequent recharging because the lithium-ion battery has a working life of 22 hours. Plush vegan leather covers the ear cups and headband in softness for comfortable all-day wear. The plastic frame is flexible yet still lightweight.