Spring is the ideal time to ensure your children’s sun and sound safety gear still suits their age ‘n’ stage! Your kids will have grown over the cooler months and it’s important that their Banz Carewear sunglasses and earmuffs are still a good fit.
Stay-put sunglasses for babies – and toddlers
Banz Carewear baby and kids’ sunglasses – both our Adventure Banz range and the wider-framed Retro Banz range – feature an adjustable soft, neoprene headband, so you can get the perfect fit, every time. A good fit is more comfy for your child and means that sneaky sunlight won’t get round the edges of the close-fitting frames! Find the Banz Carewear Eyewear ranges HERE.
Of course, the first indication that your child has grown out of their sunglasses is that the headband is too tight, even on the longest setting. Our Baby size fits babies under 2 years, or a head circumference of 43cm to 52cm; the Kidz size fits from 2-5 years, or a head circumference of 48cm to 55cm.
If you’re measuring your child for sunglasses fit, make sure the tape goes around the eye area and head, where the sunglasses will be worn. Please don’t go by your latest Plunket head measurement! This is taken over the temples, higher on the head, so isn’t suitable to use when planning your child’s sunglasses’ size.
Don’t be fooled by imitations when buying children’s sunglasses. Banz sunglasses were the first brand to feature the patented adjustable headband and we’re flattered others have copied our idea. However, no-one does it as well as the original! You may see knock-offs being sold more cheaply than Banz; however, the Banz brand has been trusted by Kiwi parents for over 13 years now for a reason – Banz offers 100% UV-proof lenses, high-quality ophthalmic-approved design, sturdy materials and after-sales service you won’t get elsewhere.
Banz offers 100% UV-proof lenses, high-quality ophthalmic-approved design, sturdy materials and after-sales service you won’t get elsewhere.
Older kids need JBanz sunglasses
Time to move past the adjustable headband? For older children, the JBanz range of four different styles means there’s something to suit every primary school-aged child.
All JBanz styles have traditional sunglasses frames, but with a twist – literally! JBanz sunnies are specifically designed for use by youngsters and have bendable arms that won’t break! Along with rugged construction and polarised, 100% UV-proof lenses, stylish JBanz are a natural progression from Banz sunglasses for under fives.
Look HERE for JBanz sunglasses for approximately 4-10 years.
Hearing protection for all ages
Banz Mini Muffs for little ones under two years are especially designed to exert only a minimal grip over a soft little head and this, plus the adjustable headband, makes for a comfortable and long-lasting fit. You’ll find Banz Mini Muffs HERE. It’s easy to slide the headband adjustment to the end of the band as your child’s head grows. But once you’re there, what’s next?
Hearing protection for all ages continued…
It’s time to move on up to Protective Earmuffs, which feature the same noise-reduction features as Mini Muffs (a grunty Class 4 noise-reduction rating; comfy design and a style which ‘grows’ with your child, as well as meeting a full suite of international standards). Protective Earmuffs suit children from two years until 10+ years – in fact, they can be worn right through teenage years and into adulthood (we know, we use them ourselves!). See the range HERE.
Hearing protection is increasingly a standard practice in noisy situations, from employees in noisy workplaces to the handyperson operating loud machines in the home workshop or garden.
A child’s hearing is new – and much more delicate – than an adult’s – and children should wear hearing protection on many occasions.[1] Special events can be problematic for little ears – loudly revving motors at motorsports; loud music at a concert; movie soundtracks are often too loud for small children. Enclosed spaces, such as airplanes, can also cause problems for little ones trying to settle – and the noise of take-off can also be upsetting. Fireworks, home renovations and lawn mowing are common around the home and can cause hearing loss.
Some children are more sensitive to loud noise and overstimulation than others. Wearing Banz earmuffs in triggering situations allows a child the chance to regroup by dulling down the external stimulation…
Primary schools and pre-schools have proved so noisy, that the New Zealand Foundation for the Deaf promotes the Safe Sound Indicator, a traffic-light system that measures sound and issues an alert when levels are too loud.[2]
Some children are more sensitive to loud noise and overstimulation than others. Wearing Banz earmuffs in triggering situations allows a child the chance to regroup by dulling down the external stimulation – customers have described their child’s Banz earmuffs as “a life saver”.[3] Children with autism and sensory processing disorder find Banz earmuffs particularly useful.
A tip from an expert
University of Auckland Head of Audiology, Dr David Welch, says: “Make sure babies are not wearing hats when you put the earmuffs on: if the cushion cannot seal on the side of the head, the sound can get through and it is amazing how much gets in.” [4]
REFERENCES
[1] See Parenting and Child Health website by the Government of South Australia: http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetails.aspx?p=114&np=304&id=1584#young
[2] See the New Zealand Foundation for the Deaf website: https://www.nfd.org.nz/our-work/education-and-prevention/safe-sound-indicators/
[3] “My daughter has sensory issues due to a brain infection and the earmuffs work brilliantly in noisy environments to provide a quiet space for her to refocus herself again. They have been a life saver!” Anne Marie, https://babybanz.nz/reviews/
[4] Pers. comm. with Dr David Welch, University of Auckland Head of Audiology.
SOURCE: http://thenaturalparentmagazine.com/my-how-youve-grown-banz-carewear-keeping-kids-safe/
