Noisy Toys

I read something this morning that I thought you might be interested in: noisy toys. It seems that a lot of toys designed for our children emit noises louder than advisable, loud enough possibly to harm our children's hearing.

Baby Einstein Farm Friends (Play-A-Song). Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Learning Letters Mailbox. LeapFrog Learn & Groove Counting Maracas. What do these toys have in common? They are noisy and designed for toddler play.

I don't understand why toy manufacturers think they need to make toys so loud. A few of my children's toys have volume control, but Sarah Beth and Daniel always turn it up as loud as it will go. The researcher in this article advises putting tape over the speakers, but my children would just pull it off. I have thought that some of these toys were too loud, now I know that they probably are.

Thankfully, John and I try not to buy too many toys that make noises...because it annoys us! Now I see that there is a better reason -- to protect our children's hearing.

What do you think of these noisy toys?