The 8 Best Kids’ Headphones of 2025, Tested and Reviewed

Keep kids entertained while traveling with these kid-friendly headphones.

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Travel + Leisure

Traveling with kids is awesome. Traveling with kids who are bored and bickering—not so awesome. As a mom of two kids who’ve been on planes, trains, and long car rides since they were a couple of months old, I know that if there’s ever an occasion to indulge in a little screen time, it’s when you’re traveling. And since it’s unlikely that everyone else on your chosen method of transport will want to listen to the latest adventures of Bluey or Peppa Pig, a good pair of kid-friendly headphones are an essential packing item for adventurous families.

There are many different styles to choose from including Bluetooth headphones, wired headphones, and some that do both. There are traditional over-ear headphones and even earbuds especially designed for little ears. My toddler son prefers headband-style headphones because they’re supercomfortable and stay in place even though he is incapable of sitting still. Common features to look out for range from volume limiters that keep sound to a safe level for children’s sensitive ears to adjustable headbands that grow with your kid.

To help you find the right pair for your minitraveler, we asked children to test 11 popular kids’ headphones. Our favorites were easy to set up, comfortable to wear, felt high quality, and proved to be durable enough to travel with. We will continue to test them for another six months to gather more detailed feedback as families travel with them.

Our Top Picks

Best Overall: iClever HS19 Kids Headphones at Amazon $19 Jump to Review Most Durable: Belkin SoundForm Mini On-Ear Headphones for Kids at Amazon $40 Jump to Review Best for Travel: Puro Sound Labs BT2200s Volume Limited Kids Headphones at Amazon $109 Jump to Review Best Features: BuddyPhones PlayEars+ at Amazon $60 Jump to Review Most Comfortable: LilGadgets Connect + Headphones at Amazon $25 Jump to Review Best Headband: SALE CozyPhones 3.0 Wireless/Wired Kids Headband Headphones at Amazon $35 $25 Jump to Review Best Earbuds: SALE myFirst CareBuds at Amazon $50 $40 Jump to Review Best Customizable: SALE Onanoff BuddyPhones Explore+ at Amazon $30 $25 Jump to Review

Best Overall

iClever HS19 Kids Headphones

The 8 Best Kids’ Headphones of 2025, Tested and Reviewed

Credit: Amazon $19 at Amazon View on Iclever.com Why We Love It

Affordable, comfortable, and equipped with a built-in microphone and volume limiter—what’s not to love?

What to Consider

We wish they came with a protective carry case.

The iClever HS19 Kids Headphones are universally compatible with any device with a 3.5 millimeter audio jack. Their wired design makes setup easy, and our 8-year-old tester was more than capable of using them by himself. The sound quality is impressive, and yet the volume was noticeably more muted when compared to our favorite adult headphones that we’ve tested. That’s because there’s a built-in control on the cable that allows you to choose an 85-decibel volume limit (the safest for children’s sensitive ears) or a 94-decibel limit (ideal for use in noisy environments such as an airplane cabin).

The headphones also include an in-line microphone, useful when using them for online classes, interactive video games, or voice calls during which your child’s voice needs to be heard clearly. You can answer and end calls as well as play, pause, and skip songs via the integrated control panel.

The over-ear design provides a roomy, breathable fit that you can adjust to suit your child’s head. We found the headphones exceptionally comfortable. They’re virtually weightless, with such impressive cushioning on the headband and earmuffs that our child tester was reluctant to take them off. Despite their lightweight construction, they appear to be durable having survived several drops during testing unscathed. We also love the share port which allows you to plug in another set of headphones so siblings or friends can watch content together. The headphones also fold compactly for easy packing, though they do not come with a protective case.

The Details: Wired | 85/94-decibel volume cap | 20Hz-20KHz | Built-in microphone | 6.6 ounces

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Most Durable

Belkin SoundForm Mini On-Ear Headphones for Kids

The 8 Best Kids’ Headphones of 2025, Tested and Reviewed

Credit: Amazon $40 at Amazon $25 at Walmart View on Belkin.com Why We Love It

These headphones have been tested to withstand spills and accidents and come with a two-year warranty.

What to Consider

They’re not foldable, and the Bluetooth feature only works with newer devices.

Designed for children aged 3 and up, the Belkin SoundForm Mini On-ear Headphones feature cushioned, kid-sized ear cups and an adjustable headband that fit our 3-year-old tester perfectly with plenty of room for growth. We found them lightweight, comfortable, and liked how well they stayed in place. Despite being thrown around by an enthusiastic toddler, they stayed intact during testing. That’s probably because they’ve been durability tested by Belkin to withstand 3,000 uses including spills and accidents, and they even come with a limited two-year warranty.

The headphones are Bluetooth-enabled but only compatible with a specific list of newer devices. We were able to pair them easily with our smartphone but not our iPad; however, they also come with a 3.5-millimeter aux cable for a wired connection when necessary. The sound quality is good, with an 85-decibel volume limit to protect your child’s hearing. There’s a built-in microphone for distance learning purposes, while the battery life lasts up to 30 hours with 3 hours yielded after just 10 minutes of charging.

The Details: Bluetooth and wired | 85-decibel volume cap | 30-hour battery life | Built-in microphone | Water resistant

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Best for Travel

Puro Sound Labs BT2200s Volume Limited Kids Headphones

The 8 Best Kids’ Headphones of 2025, Tested and Reviewed

Credit: Amazon $109 at Amazon $79 at Walmart View on Purosound.com Why We Love It

These headphones justify their higher price tag with a premium feel, good looks, and studio sound quality.

What to Consider

The white colorways stain easily.

The Puro Sound Labs BT2200-Plus Headphones offer Bluetooth and wired capability for maximum compatibility across a wide range of devices. We were able to pair them with an iPhone, iPad, and Mac laptop all within a few seconds, although our 6-year-old tester loved the wired connection for the freedom it gave her to do it herself. The headphones block 83 percent of ambient noise and offer studio-quality sound—all limited to a safe 85-decibel volume. Expect 20 hours of battery life when playing music via Bluetooth and 200 hours on standby.

We found that the headphones fit securely without being too tight or too loose, even when the child was moving around. They’re light enough for extended use without any strain, which is great for flying or long car rides, and they come with interchangeable ear cups for on-ear or over-ear use. Both the cups and the headband are cushioned with soft, durable vegan leather. The white styles get dirty quickly, but they are also available in black, all with pops of color on the ears. Finally, we find these headphones especially suitable for travel because they include a protective hardside carrying case that also secures the various cables (including a daisy chain sharing cable) that come with them.

The Details: Bluetooth and wired | 85-decibel volume cap | 20-hour battery life | Travel case included

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The 13 Best Kids Backpacks for Travel, Tested and Reviewed

Best Features

BuddyPhones PlayEars+

The 8 Best Kids’ Headphones of 2025, Tested and Reviewed

Credit: Amazon $60 at Amazon $60 at Target View on Buddyphones.com Why We Love It

While adults may appreciate these headphones for their sound quality and multiple volume settings, they also feature cute animal ears for kids.

What to Consider

They’re quite a bit heavier than other options on this list.

Available in a choice of four colors, all with corresponding silicone animal ears—think rose pink cat, gray dog, white polar bear, or orange fox—the BuddyPhones PlayEars Plus are a surefire hit with younger kids while also being tasteful enough for older ones. Our 3-year-old tester loved hers so much that she enjoyed using them for dressing up even without sound. They come with animal-themed stickers, too. Meanwhile, parents will appreciate the ability to set the volume to one of three levels: 75, 85, or 94 decibels.

The headphones feature a built-in microphone with a voice-enhancing StudyMode setting for productive home learning sessions, as well as an answer and playback button. We found the Bluetooth and the wired connections easy to set up, although obviously the latter was easier for a child to do alone. Expect clear, balanced sound and an adjustable fit that worked well for our kids, albeit with a bit of slippage when she was dancing around. Finally, although these foldable headphones are a little on the heavy side, we had no complaints about comfort during testing.

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Most Comfortable

LilGadgets Connect + Headphones

The 8 Best Kids’ Headphones of 2025, Tested and Reviewed

Credit: Amazon $25 $23 at Amazon View on Target View on Michaels Why We Love It

These headphones offer style, durability, and compactness and are comfortable for a wide age range.

What to Consider

They require a wired connection, which limits their compatibility.

Although the fact that the foldable LilGadgets Connect+ Headphones work solely with a 3.5-millimeter aux cable limits their versatility (we weren’t able to use them with our smartphones), it does make setup instant and easy for most kids to do on their own. The volume is limited to 93 decibels, which is higher than most on this list. But while we recommend limiting volume to 85 decibels for kids, especially over an extended period of time, it can be useful to have a slightly higher limit for particularly noisy environments.

We found the sound decent enough, although perhaps a little thin compared to the quality offered by adult headphones. We noticed that the passive noise reduction helped to cut out background noise, and the fact that the adjustable headband conforms easily to different head sizes. We tested these on 4-, 6-, and 8-year-old boys, and all of them found them comfortable. An in-line microphone comes in handy for remote studying, while the ability to daisy chain headphones together to connect to a single device is great (as long as your kids can sit still!).

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Best Headband

CozyPhones 3.0 Wireless/Wired Kids Headband Headphones

The 8 Best Kids’ Headphones of 2025, Tested and Reviewed

Credit: Amazon $35 $25 at Amazon View on Walmart View on Cozyphones.com Why We Love It

Made from cozy fleece, this headband stays comfortably in place and is ideal for toddlers or sleeping children.

What to Consider

Removing the speakers from the headband when it needs to be washed is tricky.

If you have a toddler who cannot keep regular headphones on, a child who likes to listen to music while falling asleep, or even a kid with sensory issues that make bulkier accessories problematic, headband-style headphones are a game changer. My kids wore theirs on an overnight flight from Scotland to Seattle and found them ideal both for listening to their devices and later for use as a sleep mask. This model from CozyPhones is especially great because it offers Bluetooth and wired connections for universal compatibility. Pairing the headband with devices was easy, although we did find that the kids sometimes accidentally turned them off by lying on the side with the wireless control buttons. We found the 90-decibel-limited sound good and liked that the headband includes a built-in microphone for clear voice pickup.

There are four styles to choose from (fox, panda, cat, and unicorn) that are guaranteed to appeal to little kids. All are made from a lightweight, breathable fleece that feels great against the skin and stretches to fit different head sizes. We tested ours on a 4- and 6-year-old, both of whom loved that the headband stayed in place no matter how much they moved their head. The headband is machine washable, though it can be difficult to remove the speakers first, but it’s still a useful feature once you return from your travels.

The Details: Bluetooth and wired | 90-decibel volume cap | 13-hour battery life | Built-in microphone | Travel case included

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The 10 Best Noise-canceling Headphones, Tested and Reviewed

Best Earbuds

myFirst CareBuds

The 8 Best Kids’ Headphones of 2025, Tested and Reviewed

Credit: Amazon $50 $40 at Amazon View on Walmart View on Myfirst.tech Why We Love It

These earbuds come with different sized ear tips for a perfect fit and give peace of mind by limiting volume to safe levels.

What to Consider

We felt the sound quality was average.

The myFirst CareBuds are designed for kids aged 5 and up, and work via Bluetooth. They’re so easy to pair that our 9-year-old tester was able to do it himself, and they come with six sets of differently sized ear tips so that users can get the perfect fit. We found them very comfortable and had no problem wearing them for hours at a time. Even when walking, running, and climbing, the earbuds stayed in place without the need for adjustment. A movement-activated transparency mode lets external noise in when kids are moving for safety outside.

While we adults would say that the sound quality is just OK, our child tester was perfectly happy with it. They liked that they could pause audio by waving their hand over the buds; we liked that the volume is limited to the safe listening recommendation of 85 decibels. The earbuds offer up to 25 hours of battery life, are water resistant, and seem durable (we dropped them on hardwood floors several times with no repercussions). Your purchase includes a strap, lanyard, and every kid’s favorite accessory: stickers for customizing the case.

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Best Customizable

Onanoff BuddyPhones Explore+

The 8 Best Kids’ Headphones of 2025, Tested and Reviewed

Credit: Amazon $30 $25 at Amazon $30 at Walmart View on Buddyphones.com Why We Love It

They’re comfortable, fun, and offer durable quality at a very reasonable price point.

What to Consider

You may need an adaptor cable to use the headphones with newer Apple devices.

For most kids, the best headphones are not the ones with superior audio quality or high-end materials—they’re the ones that look the most fun. The BuddyPhones Explore Plus headphones come in six colors with a different selection of earmuff stickers for each. For example: princess- and unicorn-themed stickers for the pink headphones, undersea creatures for the navy ones, and safari animals for the yellow ones. They also come with handy name tag labels and fold compactly into a soft travel case for packing in your child’s suitcase.

They are wired, which makes them ideal for younger users (our 3-year-old tester was able to use them on her own). The wire includes an integrated microphone, a call/playback button, and an audio splitter for linking two sets of headphones when siblings or friends want to watch the same screen. It’s also detachable, meaning the cable will pull away from the headphones if it gets caught. The 85-decibel volume limiter is another safety feature. We found the sound clear, balanced, and sufficient in quality for young listeners, while the headband is comfortable and adjusts to fit different head sizes.

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Others We Liked

Although the following headphones didn’t make our main list of recommendations, they are nevertheless worthy options that might suit some travelers.

Philips Coolplay Kids On-ear Headphones: These headphones offer clear, well-balanced sound and a lightweight, comfortable fit. However, their wired-only connection and the fact they tend to fall off when moving around makes them best for at-home or sedentary use.

The 8 Best Kids’ Headphones of 2025, Tested and Reviewed

Travel + Leisure

JLab JBuddies Studio 2 Wired Kids Headphones: This is a no-frills, budget pair of headphones that nevertheless offers decent, volume-limited sound and durable comfort. Our 13-year-old tester found them too tight, however, so we’d recommend them for younger children only.

The 8 Best Kids’ Headphones of 2025, Tested and Reviewed

Travel + Leisure

Tokani Kids Cat-ear Headphones: My 7-year-old daughter adored these headphones for their cute cat ears and rainbow light-up feature. The sound quality is good, and I like that they can connect both wirelessly and via an aux cable. The only real drawback is that there’s no volume limiter.

The 8 Best Kids’ Headphones of 2025, Tested and Reviewed

Travel + Leisure

Our Testing Process

Each of the headphones on this list were tested out in the real world by the children of our editors. First, we paired the headphones with a phone or tablet, making sure to test wireless and wired connections if the product offered both. We assessed the ease of setup, how simple it was to switch between modes where relevant, the accessibility and intuitiveness of any controls/buttons, and the overall quality of the construction.

Then, the headphones were tested a minimum of three times over a two-week period in a variety of settings including at home, while traveling, for online learning, and for listening to movies and music. We asked the children to comment on the headphones’ comfort and sound quality, and took note of how well they stayed in place and how easy they were to adjust to fit different head sizes. If the headphones had a volume limiter, we checked its effectiveness.

Finally, we took notes on portability and durability based on how compact and easy the headphones were to travel with, the weight, whether or not they included a carry case, and how well the headphones fared after drops or rough handling. We chose our favorites based on ease of setup, comfort, quality, durability, and value, and we will update our results after six months of long-term testing.

Tips for Buying Kids’ Headphones

Look for volume safety features

Research shows that prolonged exposure to volumes of more than 85 decibels can cause gradual hearing loss. Because it’s difficult to know how loud your child’s device is if they’re wearing headphones, it’s therefore important to choose a pair with a volume limiter. The majority of kids’ headphones limit volume to 85 decibels, a safe level for up to eight hours of listening daily. Some allow you to set the maximum volume a little higher, usually to around 94 decibels, for use in environments with a lot of background noise such as an airplane cabin or busy train station. Don’t forget to limit exposure to these higher volumes, however; listening at 89 decibels is only considered safe for 90 minutes.

Make sure they fit properly

Just like adult headphones, kids’ headphones need to fit properly for maximum sound quality and comfort. If they’re too big or too tight, kids are unlikely to keep them on at all. My toddler often wants to use his older sister’s headphones because they look cool, but after a few minutes of them slipping off, he quickly gets over the novelty. Choosing headphones with an adjustable headband is recommended, not only because it allows you to tailor the fit to your child’s head, but also because this style can “grow” with your child giving you better value for money. If you’re considering earbuds, look for a set with multiple, different sized ear tips. Headband-style headphones should stretch to fit kids of different ages.

Make sure they’re compatible with your child’s device

If you opt for Bluetooth headphones, make sure that the device you want to pair them with is Bluetooth-enabled and sufficiently modern. While most Bluetooth headphones are universally compatible with any Bluetooth device, some can only be paired with newer devices. In this case there should be a list of compatible devices on the manufacturer’s website; otherwise, a quick search of customer reviews can usually confirm whether they’ll work with yours.

If choosing wired headphones, check which kind of cable they use, and make sure your device has a matching port. The most common type of cable uses a 3.5-millimeter audio jack, which many smartphones are no longer compatible with. Wired headphones are therefore best for pairing with tablets or laptops, usually at home or in a sedentary setting. For maximum compatibility, look for headphones with both Bluetooth and wired functionality.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Trust Travel + Leisure

Jessica Macdonald travels frequently with her two children ages 3 and 7, and she considers headphones an essential packing item for long journeys—for everyone’s sanity. She uses the Tokani Kids Cat Ear Headphones for her older daughter, while her toddler son prefers a soft headband style. So far, this combination has made all the difference on flights from the UK to Europe, South Africa, and the U.S.

The Ultimate Packing List for Flying With Kids

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