Ask HN: How do you block high-pitched child wailing on flights?
I have AirPods Pro and they're amazing and terrible.
Amazing at blocking engine hum and low-pitched adult conversation, but noticeably terrible at blocking high-pitched child wailing and laughter.
A kid in the seats behind me cuts through the AirPods Pro like they're not even there.
What's your go-to solution for blocking high pitched kids, without giant construction earmuffs? I'm looking for something I can pack in an already overpacked laptop bag.
Thanks!
19 comments
[ 4.4 ms ] story [ 50.4 ms ] threadBack when I traveled weekly I used etymotic head phones. They are without a doubt the best sounding and noise dampening headphones I have ever had. https://www.etymotic.com/product/music-pro-elite/
Other than that the Bose over the ear noise canceling head phones are good but are noticeably inferior in all regards to the etymotic.
I use Sony noise canceling over the ear with industrial-quality earplugs. Reduces most noise, from the engines and cockpit announcements to screaming children, and influencers talking about Bali and crypto for three hours.
Thanks for the weather update at the destination, captain. Oh the duty free sales will start soon? The duty free sales have started? The paid drink service will start soon? The paid drink service has started?
Someone on the team is retiring? I don't need this information.
"Expose yourself to the same noise at home for every waking moment for the next decade and you won't notice it on planes anymore" isn't a realistic solution.
Actually, just babysit for a few months and you'll get there, it doesn't take a decade. It's not the exposure that does it, it's the empathy you gain that does it.
This reply though shows a fundamental misunderstanding of what I'm asking. Children irritate me and I want to block them out to the maximum degree that I am able. I have no interest in making any, or in taking care of somebody else's.
Talk about lack of empathy. "I mean, how could anybody not like children? They probably just haven't been exposed to children enough."
If somebody came here asking how to avoid street dogs in developing countries, the answer wouldn't be "spend lots of time with street dogs".
It's not the amount of exposure to kids, it's the relationship during said exposure, that forces empathy for those little monsters upon you, and your appreciation of your parents goes through the roof.
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As for blocking out the noise, industrial hearing protection is your friend. I'd go for the foamy things that expand inside your ears from 3M.[1]
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Also, you're in a recliner, flying through the air at 600 miles per hour, with your needs attended to by someone paid to do so... putting up with a temporary crying kid with a desperate parent trying to comfort them is waaaayyy better than walking. ;-)
[1] https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/p/c/ppe/hearing-protection/earpl...
Q: How should I block out kids?
A:
1. Kids are either great, or are terrible but interacting with them is great, or it's terrible but interacting with them makes you a better person.
2. Use earplugs
3. You're lucky to be in an airplane at all, so shut up and deal with it
By Reddit standards talking past one another is par for the course, but by HN standards this is an uncharacteristically frustrating exchange.
Any ruin my life? No thanks.
A $0.50 pair of earplugs guarantees a quiet restful experience free of loud engine noise and screaming babies.
I’m surprised they are not offered on flights.
Cheap $0.50 earplugs are roughly on par with those foam tips. They're good at blocking low pitched engine noise.