Custom earplugs for children

Thijs Worm4 October 2026Updated 23 October 20267 min read

Children can have custom earplugs too. A hearing care professional takes impressions of their ears, and we use them to make custom earplugs that follow the shape of their ears. They are meant for concerts, parties, travelling and busy places. Because ears are still growing, they will not fit forever. The hearing care professional assesses whether your child is ready to have ear impressions taken.

Below, you can read what children's earplugs are suitable for, how much attenuation your child needs at a concert, how the ear impressions are taken and how your child can choose the colour and logo.

What are custom earplugs for your child suitable for?

The Earplugs for children are made for moments when sound gets too loud or too busy. Think of these situations.

Concerts and shows. A pop concert, a show with amplified music or the school musical.
Parties. King's Day, a wedding or a children's party with a DJ.
On the move. On the train or plane, when the noise of travelling gets tiring. See also our page on earplugs for travel.
Crowds and stimuli. A full classroom, the gym or the supermarket. If your child easily gets overstimulated, also see our page on earplugs for sensory overload and the article on earplugs for ADHD.

The earplugs come with a 16 dB SNR DR filter as standard. It noticeably reduces sound, but your child can still hear you when you say something. The filter is interchangeable, so you can choose a different filter later for a different situation. They come with a cord, a clip and a storage case. The cord and clip help to keep a loose earplug from getting lost.

The bangs of fireworks or carbide shooting (carbidschieten) call for a different filter. That is the DIM filter for impulse noise. Whether that filter suits your child is something to discuss with the hearing care professional. Read more about bangs in hearing protection against impulse noise.

Hearing protection for your child at a concert

In the Netherlands, the government, event organisers, music venues and festivals, the hospitality sector, cinemas and GGD GHOR Nederland, the umbrella organisation of the Dutch public health services, made agreements in the Fourth Covenant on the prevention of hearing damage from amplified music (Vierde convenant preventie gehoorschade versterkte muziek) of December 2023. Their members keep the sound at a maximum of 103 dB(A), averaged over a quarter of an hour. Lower limits apply for younger audiences.

Age of the audience	Maximum sound, averaged over 15 minutes
13 and under	91 dB(A)
14 and 15 years	96 dB(A)
16 and 17 years	100 dB(A)
18 years and older	103 dB(A)

Which limit applies depends on the age of the audience the show is intended for, or on the group that makes up more than half of the visitors. So if your child goes with you to a concert for adults, the sound can reach 103 dB(A).

Under the covenant, organisers must make it possible for minors to wear hearing protection from 88 dB(A) and encourage them to do so. For adults, that is from 92.5 dB(A). In an appendix to the covenant, the GHOR advises hearing protection that reduces sound by at least 15 to 20 dB, with a good music filter.

With 16 dB SNR, the Earplugs for children are within that range. If you want music to sound as natural as possible, you can choose a DM filter in the Designlab. It reduces high and low tones more evenly. Read more about music filters in custom earplugs for music and festivals and on our page about parties and music.

Tips for the evening itself

Put the earplugs in before the music starts, not when it is already loud.
Practise putting them in a few times at home, so it goes quickly on the evening itself. How to do it is explained in putting custom earplugs in and taking them out.
Bring the storage case, so the earplugs have a fixed place during the break.

Children grow out of their earplugs

A custom earplug fits because it follows the shape of the ear canal and the outer ear. In children, that shape is still changing. The guideline on audiological care for children aged 4 to 18 with hearing loss states that, because the ear canal and outer ear grow, a good fit cannot be guaranteed for long in younger children. That guideline is about hearing aids, but the principle is the same. A custom earplug also needs to fit well to reduce sound.

That is why it is impossible to predict how long your child's earplugs will last. We also deliberately do not give a minimum age. The hearing care professional assesses whether the ear canal is big enough for an impression and whether your child can cope with having the impressions taken. The same guideline recommends having the impression made by a hearing care professional with experience with children. Feel free to ask about this when you book an appointment. If ordinary earplugs keep falling out of your child's ears, also read about earplugs for small ear canals.

How to tell they no longer fit well

The earplug falls out easily or feels looser than before.
Your child says the earplug presses or hurts.
Sound seems less reduced than you are used to.

If so, go back to the hearing care professional. The article on how long custom earplugs last explains how a fit check works.

How ear impressions are taken for a child

Taking ear impressions works the same way for a child as for an adult. The hearing care professional first uses an otoscope to check that the ear canal is clean. Then a small foam plug goes into the ear canal to protect the eardrum. Next, the hearing care professional fills the ear with a silicone material using a syringe. After about five minutes, it has set and the impression comes out. It feels a bit cold and can press for a moment, but it does not hurt.

If you tell your child in advance what is going to happen, it is less scary. Read more in how an ear impression is made. With your design code, you go to a partner hearing centre for the impression. You can find one via Find a hearing centre. The ear impressions are included in the price and you pay at the hearing centre. The earplugs are ready about three weeks after the ear impressions are taken.

Choosing a colour and logo

Children often like to choose what their earplugs look like. In the Designlab, you choose from clear, black, white, green, red and blue. Want a different colour, or a different colour for each ear? Then choose the custom colour option and discuss your wishes with us.

A handy rule is red for the right ear and blue for the left ear. This colour code comes from the world of hearing aids. That way, your child picks up the right earplug straight away. Read more in which colour earplug goes in which ear.

The outside can have a print. For one child, you choose a standard logo from our range of fifteen designs, such as a unicorn, a deer, a falcon, a rainbow or the Dutch flag. Your own logo is available from 10 pairs, for example for a club or association. Our logo print is patent pending. You can see what the options cost straight away in the Designlab. For groups, there is more on custom earplugs with logo.

Material and care

You choose between hard acrylic and silicone. Silicone is soft and flexible and feels comfortable when your child wears the earplugs for a long time. Hard acrylic is sturdy, often lasts a little longer and is easy to clean. Not sure? Talk to the hearing care professional or read hard acrylic or silicone, which should you choose? Clean the earplugs after use as described in cleaning custom earplugs.

Frequently asked questions

From what age can a child get custom earplugs?

There is no fixed age. The hearing care professional checks whether the ear canal is big enough for an impression and whether your child can cope with having the impressions taken. If you can, choose a hearing care professional with experience with children.

How often do my child's earplugs need to be replaced?

That depends on how quickly your child's ears grow. Have the fit checked regularly and replace the earplugs as soon as they no longer fit well.

How much attenuation does my child need at a concert?

In the covenant on hearing damage from amplified music, the GHOR advises at least 15 to 20 dB of attenuation with a good music filter. The Earplugs for children have 16 dB SNR as standard.

Can my child have their own logo on the earplugs?

Your own logo is available from 10 pairs, for example for a club or association. For one child, you choose a standard logo from our range, such as a unicorn or a falcon.