Sensitivity To Sound in a 12 Months Old

By Aparna - Updated: December 13, 2018

In this Article

Toddler Sensitivity to Sound Developmental Milestone – What You Can Do

A sensitive to sound 12-month-old baby needs your care and comfort. Some toddlers have strong reactions to loud noises like fire alarms, barking dogs, fire crackers, sirens etc. Even prolonged loud noises such as the volume at a typical movie hall can be too much for some toddlers to take.

For many young children, loud noise can be painful and uncomfortable because their ears are still developing. Parents should maintain a list of any specific sounds that irritate their child and share it with caregivers, teachers, grandparents etc. Here are a few things you can do to minimise the discomfort caused by loud sounds to your baby.

Toddler Sensitivity to Sound Developmental Milestone – What You Can Do

1. Block the noise

If your child is sensitive to loud sounds, the first thing you should try and do is to try and block the sound. Use earmuffs or ear plugs; these are quite easily available in the market. You can also buy noise reduction headphones to muffle the sounds. Soundproofing your toddler’s room can enable her to slowly get acclimatized to loud noises.

2. Help your child accommodate not escape it

Unless you want your child to be sitting at home all the time, you can never truly avoid putting your toddler in situations where she is exposed to loud sound. Instead, you can take frequent breaks from the noise with your toddler. You can go out for short walks to take a break from the noise or sit in a separate room for some time. This will also help your toddler get gradually more used to general everyday noises and loud sounds.

3. Preparation is key

Talk to your child in advance about whatever unpleasant sounds she may face before going out for an event. This will help her mentally prepare for sounds such as loud music, firecrackers, or whatever else that can unpleasant for her. Explain to her that you’re there to keep her safe.

4. Be patient

Most importantly, both the parents and the toddler need to be patient. As your child grows older, she will become less sensitive to sounds and will get better at coping with loud sounds and noises. All you need to do is to be patient and help her accommodate sounds on her own.

5. Reassure

Don’t force your child to stay in a loud situation that will obviously cause her stress. Move her away from such a situation if possible. Reassure and comfort her, so that she knows you’re there for her and that it’ll be alright soon.

6. Introduce some white noise

For some children with sound sensitivity issues, white noise in the background helps soften the impact of loud and annoying sounds, like car horns and loud music. A fan or a white noise machine in your child’s room may help her sleep and focus better in her play time.

There is no surgical treatment for sound sensitivity in toddlers, but generally, as children grow older their tolerance to increased volume of sound increases too. Don’t overuse earphones or ear plugs as it’ll increase your child’s sensitivity to sound, making her inadept at accommodating to normal sounds.

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