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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-10-01 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
• Planet Buddies Kids Penguin — biggest strength: it is a real pair of wired on-ear headphones with a 3.5 mm jack, a microphone and an 85 dB volume limit, so a child can listen to content, not just sit in silence.
• Planet Buddies Kids Penguin — biggest trade-off: it does nothing to reduce aircraft noise. It is sound-isolating by enclosure only, and it plugs into a device, so it needs its own audio source.
• cumunebula 2-in-1]Baby — biggest strength: proper passive hearing protection rated SNR 31 dB / NRR 26 dB, with a three-position anti-slip headband that fits babies from 3 months to 4 years.
• cumunebula 2-in-1]Baby — biggest trade-off: there is no audio at all. No jack, no driver, no mic. It only mutes the world; it cannot play anything into it.
• Who each pick is for: Planet Buddies for a 3+ year old who wants to watch, listen and talk on a flight; cumunebula for an infant or toddler who needs to fall asleep in a noisy cabin.
The Planet Buddies Kids Penguin is a listening device first and a hearing-safety device second, and that order matters on a plane. It runs a 32 ohm dynamic driver across a 20 Hz – 20,000 Hz range and connects by 3.5 mm jack to a phone, tablet or e-reader, iOS or Android. So the child gets the actual soundtrack of the trip — a downloaded movie, an audiobook, a game — instead of a silent cabin. The 85 dB ceiling is the headline feature: the impedance and sensitivity figures are tuned so the maximum output stays at the level the design targets, which is the whole point of buying kids' headphones rather than handing over adult ones.
Everything else is built around travel. It folds, it weighs 0.32 kg, and it ships with a protective carry case, so it survives being stuffed into a backpack or a seat pocket. The ear cushions are padded and the headband is fully adjustable, and the on-ear, circular earpiece shape is sized for children aged 3 and up. A single multi-function button handles play, pause, skip, mute and calls, and because there is a mic, a kid can answer a call or join a remote lesson without taking anything off.
cumunebula 2-in-1]Baby: Who It's For
The cumunebula 2-in-1]Baby does one job, and it does it in a completely different way: it never makes a sound. There is no driver, no jack, no microphone and no battery. What it has is protection — SNR 31 dB and NRR 26 dB, achieved with professional noise-cancelling foam and thickened solid cups, in a shell made from ABS with a blue finish. That is the spec that matters when you are strapping something onto a baby's head at 35,000 feet.
The fit is the other half of the story. The headband has three positions and an anti-slip design, and the whole thing weighs 0.25 kg — lighter than the Planet Buddies pair. The age range is 3 months to 4 years, which covers exactly the window where a child cannot wear normal headphones but absolutely can be overwhelmed by a cabin. The cups are built with extra interior space and a soft-padded headband specifically to avoid pressure on the ears and on the fontanel, and the cushions are breathable so a baby can wear them for an extended stretch, including while asleep.
Where does it fall short? It is not entertainment. A toddler who wants to watch Bluey on the tablet gets nothing from these. It is also a passive device — the "noise cancelling" in the name refers to the foam and cup design blocking sound, not to electronics that generate a cancelling signal. And the age ceiling of 4 years means it is outgrown fairly quickly. If your kid is already past that, or already asking for their own music, this is not the product.
• Best for actual audio playback → Planet Buddies Kids Penguin. It is the only one of the two with a driver, a jack and a mic.
• Best for blocking airplane engine noise → cumunebula 2-in-1]Baby. SNR 31 dB / NRR 26 dB of rated passive attenuation versus sound isolation only.
• Best for a school-age child → Planet Buddies Kids Penguin. Adjustable headband, on-ear circular cups, multi-function button, hands-free calling.
• Best for carrying on a trip → Planet Buddies Kids Penguin if you want a case included; cumunebula if you want the lighter item (0.25 kg vs 0.32 kg).
• Best for long-haul sleep → cumunebula 2-in-1]Baby. The zero-pressure interior space and breathable cushions are designed for extended wear.
• Best for a device-free solution → cumunebula 2-in-1]Baby. Nothing to charge, nothing to plug in, nothing to pair.
• Best for a kid who wants to answer calls or do remote lessons → Planet Buddies Kids Penguin. The built-in mic and button control make that possible.
My Verdict
If I were packing for a flight tomorrow, I would match the product to the child, not to the trip. For a baby or a toddler under three, I would buy the cumunebula 2-in-1]Baby — in my opinion, rated attenuation of SNR 31 dB / NRR 26 dB and a 3-month-to-4-year fit is exactly what a parent needs when the goal is a sleeping infant in a loud cabin, and no headphone can substitute for that. For a child of three or older who wants to watch, listen and talk, I would buy the Planet Buddies Kids Penguin, because a volume-limited 85 dB wired headphone with a mic and a case actually entertains a kid for six hours. If you can only buy one and your child is somewhere in the middle, be honest about which problem you are solving: quiet, or content.
what headphones for airplane
For a baby or toddler, you want passive hearing protection rather than headphones — the cumunebula 2-in-1]Baby is rated SNR 31 dB / NRR 26 dB and fits 3 months to 4 years. For a child aged 3 and up who wants to listen to something, the Planet Buddies Kids Penguin is a wired 3.5 mm on-ear headphone with an 85 dB volume limit, a mic and a carry case.
what is the best headphones for airplanes
In my opinion it comes down to the child's age and the job. Under three, the cumunebula 2-in-1]Baby wins because its foam-and-cup design is there to block engine noise and let a baby sleep. Three and over, the Planet Buddies Kids Penguin wins because it actually plays audio, with a 32 ohm dynamic driver and a multi-function button for play, pause, skip and calls.
what earphones for airplane
Neither of these is an earphone — both are over-the-head designs. The Planet Buddies Kids Penguin uses on-ear circular cushions with a 3.5 mm jack, so it needs a phone or tablet. The cumunebula 2-in-1]Baby is not an audio device at all; it is a noise-protection muff with no driver and no jack.
what kind of headphones for airplane
For travel you generally want one of two things: volume-limited wired headphones a child can plug into a tablet, or passive noise-protection muffs. The Planet Buddies Kids Penguin covers the first case (85 dB limit, 3.5 mm jack, foldable, case included). The cumunebula 2-in-1]Baby covers the second (SNR 31 dB / NRR 26 dB, 0.25 kg, adjustable three-position headband). Check the current price on Amazon before you decide, since both sit in a similar budget bracket for most families.
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