We attended a 4th of July parade today. I think we can all agree that parades are loud. Sure, its fun to see the fire trucks and ambulances, but do we need so many sirens?! Then come the motorcycles! Even as an adult, I do not like it. I swear I felt Taco Supreme jump at a particularly loud siren.
Lately, Pookie has been covering his ears in response to loud noises. Some of the noise he does not like: flushing public toilets and the sound of his own screaming. But, all in all, its not been a huge problem. He does not do it very often and we are actually encouraged by the fact that he is seeking to control his environment himself, even if it means covering his ears. We do not think he has any true or severe sensory issues. We think he just does not like loud noises, like any typically developing child. Life around here is pretty quiet, no screaming babies (yet!), no loud music, no train whistles, no loud neighbors, etc. He is not really used to loud noises.
Given that, we knew the parade today would be rough. So, we packed a set of those giant cushy stereo headphones, left over from BAGD’s college days. We thought they might help deaden the sound a bit. Geetle wanted a pair too, so she took a set of walkman headphones. When we got to the parade, we were happy to see that Uncle JB and Aunt Bean had the same idea.
T-man and Baby Belaina wear true sound-deadening ear protection headphones when they ride on the farm equipment. They brought theirs to the parade too. Baby Belaina did not want to wear hers today, so Pookie borrowed them. Although he could still hear the sirens, it was clear that the headphones helped him quite a bit. He took them on and off as he wanted, putting them back on when the brass band came by.
Uncle JB and Aunt Bean got their headphones at a farm supply store for about $15. I saw these on line for a similar price. I assume you could also buy them at Menards or Home Depot, anywhere that sells chainsaws or loud equipment. Even the adult ones seem to fit children OK. We have another parade that we go to in the fall. We will make sure to buy our own sound-deadening headphones by then. They made the parade very enjoyable today.
**by the way, Geetle took off her walkman headphones early on. The cord kept her from dashing into the street for candy. But, we will still get her a new pair too. Its really a good idea for any kid**
