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I don't have any suggestions, sorry, but I wanted to say that it's great that you're taking care of protecting this baby's hearing. Newborns are born with hearing just as good as an adult's--it's not something that develops over time like a baby's eyesight, so it needs to be protected from birth in that sort of situation.

I am very interested in this post. My husband is a musician and we have a recording studio in our basement. We are the dorks who wear earplugs at shows, but we will also be the ones with hearing when we're 80.
Now that I am pregnant I have been trying to figure out what to do when the baby is born. The studio is sound proof but what about other situations. I would love to find something to protect our little one's ears!
Thanks!

Also interested to hear suggestions for this. My husband is in a band and we are both in the church band which get VERY loud. I would love to know what others do for newborns in this situation.

My husband is a musician and we have 3 children. I have found kid-sized earplugs at the drugstore that work well, even for the infant. They are customizable (I just tear them smaller to fit in the wee one's ear). The instructions are on the box. They are kind of like silicone play-doh. Well, see for yourself:

http://www.amazon.com/Silicone-Kids-Ear-Plugs/dp/B0006NIOI6/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=office-products&qid=1231962543&sr=8-7

Hope that helps!

Here's a link to a place that sells ear muffs for babies to kids:

http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/chearpr.html

I guess earplugs for babies can be potential choking hazards.

katy, i bought peltor kids earmuffs for my son when he was 2 (he's 5 now) after one too many outings (sports events and concerts) in which he was extremely bothered by the surrounding noises. they have been one of the best purchases i've ever made (ebay, new, $15 plus shipping) for my kids. i'm not sure if ebay still has them, but i highly recommend them. they are great. i've tried them on myself, and they really help to block out harmful noise while still allowing the child to hear regular sounds (like your voice). i'm not sure they would work for an infant, but i think they would work for 6 months and above. hope this helps.

katy,

my then-seven-month-old also wore the Peltor muffs at several outdoor concerts with much success. they'll fit her for many years to come, as well. some folks advise against the silicone ones for little ones because of the choking hazard. i believe we got our earmuffs here:

http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/ear-muffs-for-children.html

a side effect, though--she was so stunningly adorable with her round cheeks squeezed together that complete strangers begged for her picture. strange, but true! good luck.

I brought my 5 week old to a concert and borrowed one of the band member's kid headphones (the same peltor ones in the link). They fit his head fine. He slept right through the show.

Here's the Gwyneth and her Apple in cute pink headphones.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymkp4CiPhxE

We got the Peltor Junior ones:
http://www.amazon.com/Peltor-90554-Junior-Earmuff-Blue/dp/B001ET5XAI

We also have the Peltor Kids muffs (the same pink ones Apple has, though that was not intentional!). I got them on Amazon. My then-18-month-old wore them to a show that my husband and I played. She resisted the muffs at first but as soon as she realized how loud it was in the club (just from ambient noise of people talking, before the music even started) she happily kept them on the whole night. My husband tried them on and they really do block lots of noise--I think they're actually intended for hunting/gunshot use???

My husband and I both play in a rock band as well -- my daughter has the Peltor ear muffs and has worn them to many rock shows. She saw her first show at 18 days old (a little in-store) and they fit on her well even then, so the toddler size WILL work on a newborn too - her head was even on the small side when she was born. She slept through most of it so they must have done the job!

wonderful! thank you!!!

The earmuffs sound better, but we used ear plugs and a neoprene band when we took my baby to hockey games. The band is adjustable, but it would smusch down his forehead so he looked like a little bruiser. It was kind of funny but we didn't have to worry about too much noise and he was able to sleep through half the game (the half past his bedtime.)