My son Oscar is six years old and sensory-sensitive. Loud, sudden noises are one of his main triggers, and for most of his life this has meant that certain events, the ones that other families attend without a second thought, have been difficult or impossible for us. Fireworks nights. Sports events. Busy restaurants. The school Christmas concert. The kind of things that are supposed to be enjoyable and that had become, for Oscar, sources of genuine distress.
My name is Joanna Whitfield. I am a primary school teacher from Leicester, and I had been managing the noise sensitivity with a combination of avoidance and preparation for years. Avoidance meant missing things. Preparation meant warning Oscar in advance, choosing quieter times, sitting near exits. Neither approach was a solution. They were ways of managing a problem that I had not yet found the right tool for.
The Fireworks Problem
Oscar had never been to a fireworks display. We had tried once, when he was four, and left within about three minutes. The noise was too much, the distress was immediate, and the evening ended with both of us sitting in the car in the car park while the fireworks continued without us. I had not tried again.
In October, a friend mentioned that her nephew, who is also sensory-sensitive, had been using ear defenders at loud events with good results. She sent me a link to the Kriogor Kids Ear Defenders 2 Pack. I had looked at ear defenders before but had been put off by ones that were too bulky, too stiff, or that Oscar had rejected because they were uncomfortable. The Kriogor ones had an adjustable, soft design specifically for growing children, a 26dB SNR noise cancelling rating which is substantial protection, and came as a 2 pack which meant I could keep one at home and one in my bag.
At £31.31 for two pairs, the value was clear. I ordered them immediately. They arrived the next day.
The First Test
I introduced them to Oscar at home first, which is always the right approach with sensory tools. He tried them on, adjusted the headband himself, and wore them for about twenty minutes while watching television. He said they were comfortable. He said the TV sounded quieter. He seemed, if anything, slightly pleased with them.
The following Saturday was Bonfire Night. I told Oscar we were going to try the fireworks again, that he would have his ear defenders, and that we could leave at any point if he wanted to. He said he wanted to try.
We went. He wore the ear defenders from the moment we arrived. The fireworks started. He watched them. He did not cover his ears, did not ask to leave, did not show the distress that had ended the previous attempt in three minutes. He watched the entire display. At the end, he said: that was good. Those are the words he uses when something has genuinely been good rather than just tolerable.
I stood next to him in the dark feeling the particular relief of a parent who has found the thing that works, and also a considerable amount of guilt about the four years of fireworks we had missed.
Eight Months On
The Kriogor ear defenders have been to the school Christmas concert, two football matches, a birthday party at a soft play centre, a family wedding, and three more fireworks displays. Oscar wears them without complaint at any event where he knows the noise will be difficult. He has started asking for them himself when he anticipates a loud environment, which is exactly the kind of self-awareness and self-advocacy we have been working on.
The adjustable design has accommodated his head as he has grown. The soft ear cups have not hardened or lost their cushioning. The 26dB SNR rating has been consistently effective: he can hear conversation and music at a normal level while the sudden loud sounds that trigger him are reduced to a manageable level.
The second pair lives in my bag permanently. I have used it twice for other children at events when their parents did not have ear defenders and the noise was becoming a problem. Both times the child calmed within a few minutes of putting them on. I have since recommended the Kriogor pack to four other parents of sensory-sensitive children. All four have bought them. All four have reported the same experience: the child wears them, the events become possible, the family stops missing things.
The Honest Verdict
If you have a child who finds loud environments difficult, ear defenders are not a last resort. They are a tool, and the right tool makes the difference between attending and not attending, between distress and enjoyment, between missing things and being there. The Kriogor 2 Pack is the right choice: the noise reduction is effective, the fit is comfortable for children, the adjustable design grows with them, and the two-pack format means you always have a pair available.
Find the Kriogor Kids Ear Defenders 2 Pack at ALTOE. Listed in Latest Products, Apparel & Accessories, Clothing Accessories, and Earmuffs.
Stop missing things. Find the right tool. Go to the fireworks.
— Joanna Whitfield, Leicester
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