According to estimation, five million children between 6 and 19 have hearing loss. These losses result from either a one-time exposure to a loud sound or continuous exposure to loud sounds for long periods. Noise-induced hearing loss is irreversible but also preventable.
Loud noise can damage your baby’s ear only if they are exposed to these sounds repeatedly over many days to weeks. The same goes for dog barking, as it doesn’t directly damage your baby’s ear, but if you expose them to the dogs barking for a prolonged time, it can be harmful. Luckily, most dogs do not bark at deafening decibels for an extended period. In fact, a common lawn mower has the same volume as a barking dog. So, if your baby isn’t born with any hearing defect, dog barking cannot really damage their ears. Dog’s barking also causes some other defects like tinnitus in adults.
Decibels Which Your Baby Can With Stand
A decibel is a unit that measures sound intensity. A baby can tolerate sound intensity up to 80-85 dB easily. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), adults should not be exposed to sounds level above 140 dB. For children, the level is reduced to 120 dB. While a dog barking has 113 dB, a dog only barks this loud when it gets upset over something. A dog usually barks for 30 seconds at this sound intensity, so it cannot directly harm your baby’s ear. In contrast, a lawn mower has 100 decibels of sound intensity, producing a continuous noise that can damage a baby’s ear.
So as long as you don’t have the dog barking straightforwardly in the child’s ear for a delayed period, a dog’s barking in the area isn’t probably going to harm the ears. Here is a noise level chart in decibels from dangerous to soft noises.
LEVELS OF NOISE IN DECIBELS (dB)
Painful and Dangerous | |
Use hearing protection or avoid | 140. Fireworks, Gunshots, Custom Car Stereos |
130. Jackhammers, Ambulances | |
Uncomfortable | |
Dangerous over 30 seconds | 120. Jet planes (During takeoff) |
Very Loud | |
Dangerous over 30 minutes | 110. Concerts (Any genre of music), Car horns,sporting events |
100. Snowmobiles, MP3 player at full volume | |
90. Lawnmowers, Powertools, Blenders, Hair Dryer | |
Over 85 dB for extented periods can cause permanent hearing loss | |
Loud | 80. Alarm clocks |
70. Traffic, Vacuums | |
Moderate | 60. Normal conversation, Dishwahsers |
50. Moderate rainfall | |
Soft | 40. Quiet library |
30. Whisper | |
Faint | 20. Leaves rustling |
What is Noise-Induced Hearing Loss?
Exposure to loud noises can damage the hearing nerve and the hair cells in the inner ear. This loss is known as nerve deafness or sensorineural hearing loss. It happens when extremely loud noise hits your ear nerves at once or maybe a constant loud noise exposure for an extended period. It can be permanent or temporary.
Symptoms of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss
If your child has Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL), he can experience the following symptoms.
- Trouble in hearing soft and faint sounds
- The normal conversation may sound muffled and unclear
- Ringing and buzzing in the ears (tinnitus)
How to Treat Noise-Induced Hearing Loss in Babies?
Noise-Induced Hearing Loss is usually permanent. If your child has NIHL, you can include the following things in the treatment.
Portable Amplifiers/Hearing Aids
They might be utilized to assist your kid with hearing better.
Cochlear Inserts
They are gadgets that work as the damaged parts of the inward ear. The inserts are just suggested for certain kids. For instance, a kid with practically no advantage from hearing aids following a half year of use can use cochlear inserts.
Hearing Security
To shield your youngster from additional hearing loss, get the kid far from loud noises. Your kid should likewise utilize ear plugs or muffs when they can’t avoid noises.
Final Thoughts
Dog barking doesn’t damage your baby’s ear if the exposure is not for an extended period. But loud noises exposure for weeks and months can harm your baby’s hearing nerve and also causes noise-induced hearing loss. You must not take your baby to noisy areas and protect him from deafness.
Frequently Asked Questions
1.Can dog barking cause hearing loss in babies?
A baby can easily withstand up to 85dB, while a dog barking has 113dB sound intensity. So it’s safe to say that dog barking cannot cause hearing loss in babies. But hearing loss is possible if a baby is exposed to an extremely loud dog barking noise for many weeks to months.
2. What dB is too loud for a baby?
For a baby, 100 decibels is a loud sound. It is not recommended to expose your baby for more than 15 minutes to 100dB. Moreover, 110+ decibels are considered dangerously loud for babies.
3. What does 85dB sound like?
85dB sound is equivalent to the sound of a blender, cinema, heavy traffic, or a noisy restaurant. A child can safely hear sounds up to 85dB.
