Best Noise Cancelling Headphones For Parents

Sometimes, you just need to shut out the rest of the world and get something done. As a parent, this can often be extremely difficult to accomplish. Your kids aren’t going to be quiet just because you need to get something done. As your kids get older, that may be possible, but not when they’re still little. 

Beyond your kids, there are all of the other little distractions that occur around your home. Whether it be people walking around, loud pipes, or the sound of the keyboard as you type, there are plenty of things that can distract you from trying to focus. At times like this, you need a pair of noise cancelling headphones.

Noise cancelling headphones are different from a regular pair of headphones - they will actively block out noise, and make it so that you hear even less that is going on around you. When you put the headphones on, a huge amount of the noise around you cannot be heard. For example, I’m wearing a pair of noise cancelling headphones right now, and I can’t hear my own typing on my keyboard that’s usually pretty loud.

If you work from home, a pair of noise cancelling headphones is a must have, assuming you don’t have to listen for your kids. When you need to get something done, put your headphones on and just focus. The nice thing about headphones is that you can listen to music, podcasts, or books while focusing on your work. Generally I’d recommend music if you’re trying to get work done as you don’t have to actively listen to what’s going on in the music, and can instead focus on what you’re working on.

Having noise cancelling headphones at home, and using them, all relies on the fact that either your kids aren’t home, or else someone else is watching them. Putting on noise cancelling headphones while you’re responsible for watching and taking care of the kids is not a good idea, and can probably be considered neglect in some fashion. Don’t shut everything out when you need to be able to hear a child scream or if they’re being mischievous, which usually happens when they’re quiet.

What headphones should I get

If you’re planning to wear your headphones for a long period of time, then you’re going to want a nicer pair of headphones than if you’ll just be wearing them for an hour or less in a row. If you’ll be wearing them for multiple hours per day, then you want a pair of headphones that are nicer as you’ll actually be able to wear them for that whole time.

In terms of nicer pairs of headphones, there are two different brands that I recommend, and have personally used. Both the Bose QuietComfort 35 II and the Sony WH-1000MX3 are worth their price (the Bose 700 are also great headphones, but I don’t own them so can’t speak to them as much). They both can often be found for close to $200 when on sale.

If you’ve never tried a pair of these headphones on, you may think that they’re overpriced. However, they are definitely worth it if you need a pair of headphones that you’ll be wearing for several hours in a row. They are both extremely comfortable, even for those with a big head (like myself). They both have great sound quality, and they both will block the majority of sounds out - you’ll still be able to hear things, but it will be quite a bit softer.

If you don’t have the budget for either of those, or won’t be wearing them for that long each day, then there are cheaper alternatives. None of them will be as comfortable, but as long as that’s not an issue, they can be great choices as well. Both the TaoTronics Bluetooth Headphones and Mixcder E9 can be had for under $70, and they’re both solid choices. In both cases, comfort and sound will be a bit worse, but you may not even notice those issues depending on your head size, and what you’re trying to listen to.

There are plenty of other options available out there as well, but the above have all been tried by me, so I feel comfortable recommending them. If you’re not comparing the more expensive options to the cheaper alternatives, then you may not have any issues with the cheaper ones. For me, once I tried the more expensive options, it was hard to go back to the cheaper ones.

Conclusion

Trying to focus with kids screaming isn’t really something that’s possible. If you’re able to shut that noise out, your ability to get things done will go way up. Find a pair of headphones that work for you, and get more productive today.