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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want a wired, volume-capped pair built for the youngest listeners, choose Planet Buddies Kids Headphones; if you need wireless, long-battery, fold-and-go headphones for older kids and teens, choose LORELEI B-E5.
• Planet Buddies Kids Headphones — biggest strength: A hard 85 dB volume cap plus a wired 3.5 mm connection, so there's no pairing, no charging, and no way for a small child to crank the sound up.
• Planet Buddies Kids Headphones — biggest trade-off: Wired only and no battery, so it depends on a device that has a headphone jack, and there's no wireless freedom.
• LORELEI B-E5 — biggest strength: Bluetooth 5.4 wireless with a claimed 40-hour battery and a foldable, metal-reinforced frame with a 3.5 mm cable included as a backup.
• LORELEI B-E5 — biggest trade-off: Wireless means charging and pairing, and it's aimed at kids/teens rather than toddlers, with a softer 80% volume guidance instead of a fixed cap.
• Who each pick is for: Planet Buddies for ages 3+ and screen time you want to keep simple and safe; LORELEI B-E5 for older kids who want to move around untethered and don't want to charge every day.
Planet Buddies is the "set it and forget it" option. These are on-ear wired headphones with a 3.5 mm jack, a 32 ohm impedance, and a fixed 85 dB volume limit — the level the description cites from World Health Organization guidance. That cap is the whole point: a young child can't push the volume past a safe ceiling, which matters most in the 3-to-6 range where kids grab at buttons and don't yet understand "too loud."
The design leans into being kid-proof and kid-friendly. The headband is adjustable, the earpads are soft and padded, and the whole thing is lightweight and foldable with a travel pouch made from woven nylon hemp. The materials are 50% recycled plastic, and the animal characters (this variant is the Owl theme) are meant to nudge kids toward caring about endangered species. The packaging is 100% recycled and recyclable too. There's a multi-function button for play/pause, skip, mute, and calls, plus an inline mic for hands-free talking — handy for home learning. Rounding it out: a 32 ohm impedance, a 0.29 kg weight, and no noise control of any kind.
LORELEI B-E5: Who It's For
The LORELEI B-E5 is the modern, wireless-first pick. It runs Bluetooth 5.4 with a 10-meter range, and the battery is rated for 40 hours of playtime — enough that most kids charge it once and forget about it for days. It also ships with a 3.5 mm braided cable, so if the battery does run down or a device has no Bluetooth, you're not stuck. That dual-mode flexibility is the B-E5's quiet superpower.
Build quality is the other headline. The headband is a metal steel bow wrapped in soft leather, with pull-resistant metal parts, and the earphones are designed to survive being twisted, folded, and stretched. The foldable, swivel design brings the folded size down to roughly 15 cm × 9 cm × 13 cm, which is genuinely easy to toss in a backpack. The ear cushions are described as professional-grade protein leather, and the multi-level adjustable headband should fit a range of head sizes — the description even notes adults can wear them, which is unusual for a kids' pair.
On audio, there's a built-in 40 mm dynamic driver with a 20 Hz–18,000 Hz frequency range, 32 ohm impedance, and 110 dB sensitivity. There's a built-in mic for calls and online classes, and volume guidance that suggests keeping levels around 80%. Note there's no active noise cancellation — the "noise control: None" spec applies here too.
Who should buy it? Kids roughly 6 and up, teens, and even adults who want an inexpensive-feeling wireless on-ear that folds flat and lasts. Who should skip it? Parents of very young children who specifically want a locked-in volume cap they can't override, and anyone who'd rather never think about charging.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for the youngest kids (3+) → Planet Buddies Kids Headphones. The fixed 85 dB cap and wired simplicity are built for small hands and short attention spans.
• Best for wireless freedom → LORELEI B-E5. Bluetooth 5.4 with a 10-meter range means no cable tethering a kid to the tablet.
• Best for "just plug it in and go" → Planet Buddies Kids Headphones. No pairing, no charging, no setup — it works the instant it's plugged into a 3.5 mm jack.
• Best for durability against rough handling → LORELEI B-E5. Metal steel bow, leather wrap, and pull-resistant metal parts are designed to survive twisting and stretching.
• Best for travel and packing → LORELEI B-E5. It folds to roughly 15 × 9 × 13 cm and swivels flat; Planet Buddies folds too, but relies on a separate pouch.
• Best for home learning and calls → either. Both include a built-in mic, though Planet Buddies uses an inline wired mic and LORELEI uses Bluetooth.
• Best for eco-conscious buyers → Planet Buddies Kids Headphones. 50% recycled plastic and 100% recycled, recyclable packaging.
In my opinion, the LORELEI B-E5 is the better buy for most families with kids around 6 and up. The 40-hour battery, Bluetooth 5.4, foldable metal-reinforced frame, and included 3.5 mm cable make it far more versatile — it works wirelessly all day and still works wired when the battery dies. I'd only steer you to the Planet Buddies Kids Headphones if your child is 3–5 and you specifically want a hard 85 dB cap with zero charging or pairing to manage. For toddlers, that simplicity and safety ceiling are worth more than wireless convenience. Check the current price on Amazon before deciding, since value shifts with what you're paying.
are on ear headphones good
On-ear headphones rest on the ear rather than around it, so they tend to be lighter and more compact than over-ear models — good for kids who find bulky cups uncomfortable. The trade-off is less passive isolation, so you'll hear more of the room. Both the Planet Buddies and LORELEI B-E5 are on-ear designs.
what are the best open ear headphones
"Open ear" usually means a design that doesn't seal over the ear canal, and neither of these two is marketed that way — both are on-ear headphones. If open-ear is your priority, neither pick here fits that category, so look at that style specifically.
which are the best over the ear headphones
Over-ear models surround the ear with larger cups, which generally gives better isolation than on-ear. That said, both headphones here are on-ear, not over-ear. If you want over-ear specifically, neither the Planet Buddies nor the LORELEI B-E5 matches that form factor.
what are the best over the ear headphones to buy
For kids, the honest answer is that "best" depends on age and setup. The LORELEI B-E5 suits older kids wanting wireless and long battery, while the Planet Buddies Kids Headphones suit young children needing a volume cap and a simple wired connection. Both are on-ear, so treat "over-ear" as a separate search.
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