Kids love to play games, but also have a hard time hearing what’s going on around them.
You don’t want your kids playing too loud because you’re afraid they will damage their ears, and you don’t want them not being able to hear the doorbell ring when friends come over.
Buying a headset may always have seemed like a no-brainer decision. But when it comes to gaming headsets for kids, there’s more to it than what meets the eye.
A fancy design and an attractive price tag should be the least of your concerns.
Although those will hold water for a lot of people, the priority should be comfort and automatically limiting sound levels.
Best Overall
- Limits Sound To 85db
- Professional-Grade Design
- 18-Hour Battery Life
Also Great
- Noise Reduction
- Flexible, Padded Headband
- 35 Feet Bluetooth Range
Budget Pick
- Budget-Priced Option
- Volume Caps Out At 85db
- Wired And Wireless Versions
Best Gaming Headset For Kids Comparison Table
According to multiple clinical studies conducted by different organizations including the CDC, there’s enough evidence to link prolonged exposure to loud noise to hearing loss in young kids. (https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/66/wr/mm6605e3.htm, https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaotolaryngology/article-abstract/2684510)
Based on this, we have selected a list of the best headsets right here. Strap in and enjoy the read.
1. Puro Sound Labs BT2200 – Best Overall Pick
At first glance, the Puro BT2200 look like premium studio headphones.
The design, the form factor and the build quality (aluminum frame), everything is top notch and looks more ‘adult’ than child-friendly.
Our Pick
Puro Sound Labs BT2200
It is available in a blue, gray, pink, purple, or white though. So your child can take a pick if they are fussy about colors. Slip it on and you’ll instantly notice that this is designed for kids. There’s a clear emphasis on comfort.
Be it the flexible, padded headband, the plush padding on the ear cups, or the lightweight construction, your child will not even notice that they’ve worn something on the head.
It is suitable for children aged 2½ to 11 years. So even if you have a growing child, this will last them for years.
It does not clamp too hard on the temples, yet the on-ear cups do a fantastic job of cutting out ambient sound. Puro estimates this to be close to 82%.
The controls are built into the headset and positioned for convenient access on the left ear cup.
And there are no wires either to get jumbled up in the midst of a frantic gaming session. Well, there is a cable included for situations when the battery dies down.
Talking about the battery, it has an excellent run time of approximately 18-hours on a single charge with 200-hours on standby.
The sound quality is excellent for a children’s headset. There’s enough detail in the mids and the lows although the overall sound profile veers a little towards bass-heavy. That’s expected though and is definitely not a deal breaker.
The most important part is that it will limit the sound to 85db as per the recommendation made by the World Health Organization.
So, no matter how much your child cranks up the volume, it will never go beyond 85db.
Pros
- Professional-grade design and build quality
- Available in blue, gray, pink, purple, or white
- Thickly padded headset and plush ear cups
- Limits sound to 85db
- 18-hours battery life and 200-hours standby
- Mic and controls built in to the left ear cup
- Cuts outside sound by 82%
Cons
- Microphone quality is poor. But children wouldn’t possibly use this for phone communication anyway.
- There’s no track control on the control panel.
2. LilGadgets Untangled PRO – Best For Households With Multiple Kids
The LilGadgets Untangled Pro is a wireless Bluetooth headset that is designed for children aged 4+.
The design is more child-oriented than our previous pick. There are a total of 6-colors and 4-patterns to choose from.
The construction is a blend of metal and plastic and there’s enough flex in the headbands to withstand the occasional tug and pull that children can subject it to.
We love the padding though. It is made of a breathable mesh and stays cool on the child’s head. No sweat will build up under it.
LilGadgets Untangled PRO
The construction is a blend of metal and plastic and there’s enough flex in the headbands to withstand the occasional tug and pull that children can subject it to. We love the padding though. It is made of a breathable mesh and stays cool on the child’s head. No sweat will build up under it.
To add to this, there’s enough padding on the ear cups to allow prolonged use.
The Bluetooth range is an impressive 35 feet and there’s no lag or interference within this range. LilGadgets also throws in a 3.5mm cable for occasions when the headset may run out of juice.
It has an impressive 18-hour battery life and comes with a USB cable for convenient charging.
One of the best features of the LilGadgets headphones is that it allows one headphone to be paired to an audio device and other headphones to daisy-chain so that everybody listens to the same audio source. If you have multiple kids at home, this can be a lifesaver.
At 93db, the maximum volume of the LilGadgets Untangled Pro is a feather above the WHO recommended limit.
To be honest, 8db is not a lot of extra noise. But hey, it’s up to you.
If you are willing to overlook this tiny design flaw, this is a great headset for kids.
Pros
- Bright, attractive colors and design
- Flexible, padded headband
- Plush ear cups for comfortable, long use
- Noise reduction
- 18-hour battery life
- 35 feet Bluetooth range
- For ages 4+
- 3.5mm cable included
Cons
- Max volume is limited to 93db instead of the WHO recommended 85db
3. ONANOFF BuddyPhones Wave – Best Pick For Toddlers
The BuddyPhones Wave is an award-winning gaming headset for kids aged 3 and up.
ONANOFF BuddyPhones Wave
It has a few unique features that make it a great pick for parents who are concerned about exposing their toddlers to loud noise.
For starters, there are three preset, color-coded volume modes to choose from.
When you press the volume up and down button at the same time, you can toggle through the modes.
A green color indicates the toddler mode where the volume is limited to 75db. Dark green is for slightly older kids and the volume caps at the WHO recommended 85db.
Blue is for travel use when the outside noise can be higher than a home setting. The volume caps at 94db in this mode.
Other than this, there are three study modes which are indicated by yellow, purple and pink, which increase the emphasis on vocals rather than the music. If your child relies on study apps, this is the mode to use.
This takes guesswork out of setting sound limits.
It’s not merely the audio though. The Buddyphones wave has one of the best designs in the business.
It is available in a variety of colors and motifs that children love. The quality is phenomenal with ample padding on the flexible headband and on the plush ear cups.
Everything is made of hypoallergenic material. So no chances of triggering an allergy even if your child has sensitive skin.
These Bluetooth headphones boast of a 24-hour battery life and come with an IP67 rating which means that an occasional spill wont toast the circuitry.
Pros
- Child-friendly design with attractive colors and motifs
- Thickly padded headband and ear cups
- Wireless Bluetooth audio with cable for wired use
- Cable can be used to pair up to 4-buddyphone headsets
- 4 color-coded, preset volume modes to take the guesswork out of use
- IP67 rating. Waterproof and dust proof
Cons
- The three-button control panel on the right ear cup has buttons that are packed too closely. Too easy for the child to accidentally skip a track when they just want to increase the volume.
4. Jlabs Buddies Studio – Best Budget-Priced Option
The JLabs Buddies Studio is a great pick for parents that aren’t looking to spend too much on a gaming headset.
These budget-priced headphones are available in both wired and wireless options, and are a no-frills choice that will do the job.
Our Budget Pick
Jlabs Buddies Studio
With an over-the-ear design featuring plush memory foam ear cups, the Buddies Studio is comfortable enough for all-day use. There’s sufficient padding on the headbands as well and the clamp force is not too high.
When not in use, the ear cups can be folded at the hinges, turning it into a compact size, perfect for travel or storage.
The controls are positioned on the left ear cup and are pretty basic to be honest.
The buttons are very tightly positioned and there’s every possibility that the child may accidentally press another button rather than the intended one.
The microphone is a pinhole one and offers good intelligibility for voice commands even in a crowded room.
The sound quality is decent. There’s a fair amount of detail in the vocals. But it’s not as bass-heavy as other childrens headsets normally are.
More importantly, the volume caps out at 85db.
The wireless version has a battery life of approximately 13-hours, which is a tad lesser than the others in this list. But you can buy two of these for the price of our top pick.
So, we don’t see a reason to complain.
Pros
- Budget-priced option
- Volume caps out at 85db
- Excellent design with memory foam ear cups
- Plush padded headbands
- Wired and wireless versions
- 13-hour battery life for the wireless one
- No-frills attached design
Cons
- Not the best control panel
- Sound quality is a little weak on the bass
5. JBL JR300BT – For The Budding Audiophile
If you have a budding musical prodigy (aka August Rush), who demands crisp highs, heavy bass and a well-rounded sound profile from their gaming headsets, then here’s the JBL JR300BT.
JBL JR300BT
These wireless, Bluetooth headsets are a purist’s dream come true, but repackaged in a child-friendly design. There are a bunch of attractive color combos on offer like Aqua/Orange/Purple, Blue/Orange and Blue/Pink, clubbed with a dented, headband that’s easy to adjust according to the size of the head.
In addition to this, JBL also throws in some colorful stickers that will let your child customize it to their liking.
There’s enough padding on the headband and ear cups to allow hours of use without discomfort.
The control panel is surprisingly limited to a power button and a Bluetooth pairing button on the right ear cup.
The power button does the bulk of the lifting here and pressing it multiple times will allow you to access the sundry features of the headset. That’s not very child-friendly.
The rest of the features including volume control are done through the Bluetooth app that pairs with a smartphone. You can set volume limits as well as set a password to protect it. By default, the volume is limited to a max of 85db.
The sound quality is clearly the standout feature of the JR300BT. The bass is excellent with a bright high-mid response and vocals that pop out. Even if your child prefers to use this for music, they’ll be very satisfied with JBL’s signature sound.
Pros
- Wireless headset with JBL’s sound quality
- Clear bass, crisp mids and highs
- Heavy padding on the headband and ear cups
- Bright attractive colors with stickers to customize it
- 85db volume limit
Cons
- Limited controls on the ear cups
- 12-hour battery life only
How To Select The Best Gaming Headset For Kids
Based on our experiences and the experiences of many a parent that we spoke to, here are some of the key variables to consider when you go shopping for a child’s gaming headset.
Volume Limit: Let’s start with the most important factor, volume limiting. Look for headsets that have a maximum volume cap. If its 85db as per the WHO recommendation, great. But don’t get hung up over this. There are some very good options that cap out at 94db, which can be great if your child wants to use it during travel where the outside noise can limit the volume. We have also listed an option that lets you choose from different volume presets.
Build quality: While it may not seem like the case, even top tier headsets for kids will be subject to extreme physical abuse. Well, kids are kids. So you can’t say that you didn’t see it coming. Look for headbands that are flexible, wires that are tangle-free, or go wireless. Are the ear cups comfortable? If they are then your child wont fiddle with it. Microfiber and memory foam are a great combo. Remains sweat free even with hours of use. Some headsets have an IP rating for water exposure. You might want to check that if your kid prefers poolside gaming.
Controls: The controls should be easy to use even for a child. Are the buttons spaced out evenly? Are all the features crammed into one button? For example, there are some models in which the power button doubles up as the volume control and track control. The child might accidentally power the headset off trying to access one of these.
Sound quality: Unless your kid’s an audiophile, we haven’t seen children complain about the mids being flat or the vocals getting drowned. As long as the audio isn’t distorted, you should be good to go.
Microphone quality: An often underrated feature of a children’s headset is the microphone. With online gaming and chat rooms, you need a headset that comes with an intelligible microphone that can record voice commands easily.
To Sum It Up
That’s it folks. That sums up our list of the best gaming headsets for kids.
We hope that you enjoyed the read. If you have anything to add to this, give us a holler in the comments box.
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