Toys and noise are now part of our holiday shopping landscape, especially when shopping for children.

“We’re a world with a lot of noise,” says Michelle Armstrong from St. Louis Park. “I think a lot of excitement usually goes along with, you know, loud noises, a lot of mimicking tends to go along with it as well.”

But pumping up the volume in toyland may not be a good thing.

“Sound can damage hearing,” explains Dr. Rebecca Younk, an audiologist with Associated Hearing Care in St. Paul. “Usually, the louder the sound, the shorter it takes, the shorter in time it takes to damage the ears.”

The American Academy of Audiology says 85 decibels or higher, for extended periods of time, can cause damage to a person’s hearing, especially children who hold toys up to their ears while playing.

Younk showed us how she uses a phone app sound meter to measure the levels from one toy.

“I push my button; I have my sound level meter here,” she explained. “That was up to 92 decibels.” Experts say distance can make a difference.

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS used a phone app to test a talking coffee cup toy from about three feet to right next to it. The sound level jumped from 73 decibels to 82 decibels.

“More and more, we just aren’t carrying toys that have loud, garish noises,” says Amy Saldanha, the owner of Kiddywampus toy stores. “I don’t know anybody wants that.”

She says she’s buying fewer and fewer noisy toys to stock her shelves for the holidays.

“When I go to shows and walk the showroom floor, it does not make it back to Kiddywampus,” Saldanha declares. “If it’s super-loud because it’s something we test for, and if it’s really loud and going to be obnoxious, we don’t even bring it in.”

Experts say there are toys available with volume control.

You can also tape over or muffle the speaker box — or take one simple step.

“Sometimes taking the batteries out of those noisy toys isn’t a bad thing, not just for your sanity, but also for your kid’s ear health,” Younk says.

Protecting your child’s hearing is a gift perhaps they’ll thank you for for many holiday seasons to come.

“Those loud toys, although cute, can also cause hearing loss,” Younk notes. “Especially if that child is using it continuously throughout the day and perhaps holding it too close to their ears.”