HARDY SPECIMENS
Belkin Soundform Mini £29
There’s no active noise cancellation here, but these Bluetooth headphones are brilliant for younger kids who are less careful with their belongings. They’re light, have a small, adjustable headband and cushioned earpads, and feel as if they’ll survive any amount of abuse. They sound OK too – which isn’t damning with faint praise, as they’re not designed for junior audiophiles – and with a 30hr battery life and built-in microphone they’re also compatible with early learning apps and games. A 3.5mm cable is included, and if you don’t need wireless, there’s a more basic wired design for £13. belkin.com
BUDDING LISTENERS
myFirst CareBuds £59
The myFirst Carebuds are extremely light, with a generous selection of child-sized ear tips that make finding a secure fit quick and easy. The sound is limited for safety, and they have an IPX4 rating that can survive a soaking in the rain. There’s no active noise cancellation, but the buds do still block out a lot of sound. Touch controls make skipping tracks easy, and the Smart Transparency Mode is a sensible safety feature that kicks in when walking around, letting in outside noise. Battery life is six hours continuous, and 25 hours from the case. myfirst.tech
BEST IN TEST
Puro Sound Labs PuroQuiet Plus £80
Puro Sound Labs sells an impressive range of child-specific headphones that look and feel more grown-up than the rest. The PuroQuiet Plus is a proper wireless headphone – boasting good audio and Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) – that just happens to fit smaller heads. The black sample we tested looked great, and with a robust metal casing felt very solid without being bulky.
They are an expensive option, especially if you’re shopping for more than one child, but with 82 per cent noise isolation they are ideal for car journeys, planes and, in our case, the rumble of the London Underground. By blocking out background noise, the volume needed to listen comfortably can be reduced (limited to 85dB for safety), b
