How loud is a baby crying?
A hard-crying baby or toddler can reach about 99 to 120 dB(A) close up. A 2016 study measured cries from 26 children between 99 and 120 dB(A), and a 2025 voice science paper cites newborn cries as high as 99 to 110 dB(A) at 30 cm from the mouth.
- Level
- 99–120 dBA maxA-weighted maximum sound level
- Distance
- 0.3 mabout 30 cm from the mouth (a parent holding the child)
- Daily limit
- 9 s a dayNIOSH, at the loud end
- Versus conversation
- 50,119× energyabout 26.0× as loud
What the numbers mean
How it was measured. Intense crying measured close to the child. Calderon et al. (2016) recorded 26 children aged up to about 6 years at positions imitating an examining doctor and a parent; Titze (2025) cites 99 to 110 dB(A) at 30 cm for newborn cries.
Babies are astonishingly loud for their size. Ingo Titze's 2025 paper in the Journal of Voice notes that a newborn cry can reach 99 to 110 dB(A) at 30 cm from the mouth, and explains that infants produce this with very high lung pressures and a vocal tract that is well matched to radiate sound. His computer model reached about 90 dB at 30 cm with a lung pressure of 70 cm of water.
Calderon and colleagues (Journal of Evidence-Informed Social Work, 2016) measured 26 crying children in clinic, in positions imitating an examining doctor and a parent holding the child. All the recorded levels fell between 99 and 120 dB(A), and the loudest criers were between 9 months and 6 years old.
These are the loudest moments of intense crying very close to the child, not a room average. Moving the child from your shoulder to your arms' length, or putting them down safely for a moment, cuts the level at your ear considerably.
How long is safe?
NIOSH recommends no more than 9 s a day at 120 dBA (19 min at 99). OSHA's legal limit is 7 min 30 s. This is a maximum, so a time limit based on it is a worst case.
| Level | NIOSH limit (85 dBA, 3 dB rule) | OSHA limit (90 dBA, 5 dB rule) | UK/EU 80 dB(A) action value reached after | UK/EU 85 dB(A) action value reached after |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99 dBA | 19 min | 2 h 18 min | 6 min 3 s | 19 min |
| 120 dBA | 9 s | 7 min 30 s | 3 s | 9 s |
Times are for a whole day’s exposure, with the rest of the day quiet. The workplace limits were written for adults at work, not for children. Work out a mixed day with the noise dose calculator.
Children
The cry is loud for the parent, not a hearing risk to the baby producing it. It is the carer's ear, held close, that takes the full level.
Protecting your hearing
Parents of babies who cry a lot can wear foam earplugs or musician's earplugs while settling them; you can still hear the baby. Holding the child so its mouth is not right next to your ear helps.
Earplug and earmuff ratings (NRR in the US, SNR in the UK and EU) are lab figures; real-world protection is usually lower. How to read the ratings.
Compared with sounds nearby
Using midpoints of each range. Energy multiplies by 10 every 10 dB; perceived loudness roughly doubles (why).
- Tank (moving) (96–117 dBA): this has about 2× its sound energy and sounds about 1.2× as loud.
- Piccolo (96–118 dBA): this has about 1.8× its sound energy and sounds about 1.2× as loud.
- Fireworks display (108–116 dBA max): it has about 1.8× the sound energy of this and sounds about 1.2× as loud.
- Police siren (115–120 dBA): it has about 6.3× the sound energy of this and sounds about 1.7× as loud.
- Normal conversation (55–70 dBA): this has about 50,119× its energy and sounds about 26.0× as loud.
Questions
Can a crying baby damage your hearing?
Cries measured at 99 to 120 dB(A) close up are in the range where hearing damage is possible with repeated long exposure; researchers have suggested earplugs for carers of frequently crying children.
Why are babies so loud?
They use very high lung pressures, and their airway shape radiates sound efficiently. Newborn cries can reach 99 to 110 dB(A) at 30 cm.
Sources
- The Cry of the Child and its Relationship to Hearing Loss in Parental Guardians and Health Care Providers, Journal of Evidence-Informed Social Work. Supports: dB_low/dB_high: 99 to 120 dB(A).
all of the recorded sound levels fell between 99-120 dB(A) of sound pressure
Checked 2026-11-02. - Aerodynamic and Acoustic Power in Infant Cry, Journal of Voice. Supports: 99 to 110 dB(A) at 30 cm.
The cry is characterized by high intensity, as high as 99 - 110 dB(A) at 30 cm from the mouth.
Checked 2026-11-02. - Aerodynamic and Acoustic Power in Infant Cry, Journal of Voice. Supports: model: 90 dB at 30 cm.
90 dB SPL at 30 cm distance was attained with 70 cm H 2 O lung pressure.
Checked 2026-11-02.
This page is general information, not medical advice. If you have ringing in your ears, muffled hearing or any change in your hearing, see an audiologist or your doctor.