Well, my subject line pretty much covers it! I'd love to be able to get some sleep on my upcoming long flights (including Ireland and Hawaii) . . . but I seem to be a screaming baby magnet.

I'm considering buying a pair of noise canceling head phones -- (the kind that fit inside your ear, because I think I'd be able to sleep better without bulky headphones). But the sense I get is that they simply make your music sound better.

I don't necessarily want to listen to music--and if I did, I'd want very soft, instrumental music. I WANT TO SLEEP (and I don't take drugs or drink alcohol--so please don't suggest a sleeping pill).

Any thoughts?

PS. "Oise" canceling is very similar to "Noise" canceling!

Actually those noise cancelling headphones will work perfectly in canceling out the sound of a baby crying. The trick is to get the whole thing in the baby's mouth when the mother isn't looking.

Are you talking about those Bose headphones? I would also be curious.

I have some, and I hate yet to experience a screaming baby, but I would guess they'd cut out the baby some or a lot.

My research showed that cost does matter. Cheap electronics gives cheap results. I bought the Sennheiser 300's and they're very good, and half the price of the Bose.

They'll help quite a bit, but don't expect a miracle

Ok..you will certainly think I am way behind the times but here goes: I don't have an I-pod or any of those music players. Can you use those headphones with the airline audio systems, ie, just plug them into your armrest outlet? Or, radical thought: shall I actually think about buying an I-pod for long air trips?

i have the sony noise xleing earphones and they plugged right into the arm rest. i would by a mp3 player though (samsung makes a great one for around 80 bucks on amazon) because sound quality is better and on a long trip i would rather choose what i am listening to.

The trick is to get the whole thing in the baby's mouth when the mother isn't looking.
Cute NeoPatrick! ;-) ;-)

Maybe I just didn't get it in far enough. Also, although I don't personally use drugs or alcohol . . . I wouldn't rule it out for the baby.

But seriously . . . I've been looking at several models that are much less expensive than Bose -- that have been rated pretty well. BUT, all the reviews focus on the quality of the music and canceling out background noise such as the plane's engines. I have no trouble sleeping with a steady hum -- it's the screaming babies and loud conversations that I'm hoping to eliminate.

FYI, all of the models seem to include adapters to fit the airplane jacks.

No they won't drown out a crying baby.

I received the newest Bose headphones as a gift earlier this year and they do a great job of cancelling ambient noise -- meaning background noise like the roaring, droning engines. You actually hear voices a little more clearly since that dull roar is suppressed and distinct noise (like musice) comes through more clearly.

I don't always play music, I just use the noise cancelling function and it's quite relaxing, it's a bit of a shock to take them off in-flight and to hear the loud din of the cabin. But again, it doesn't drown out a baby's cries -- you'd have to have the music turned up loudly to do that.

Well I may be shot down in flames for saying this but mothers, and fathers for that matter, who travel with infants should know they have to put pain killing eardrops into each of the baby's ears before take-off or administer a pain-killer with a mild sedative.
I think it's a lot of baloney when people say they won't use drugs.

What on earth are you afraid of? Your baby will turn into an instant addict?

Well, for gosh sake,if the baby cries with hunger, I sure hope the mother doesn't attempt to breast-feed. horrors!!



(kidding, of course)

I'm happy with the ones they sell at the lumberyard and a couple of Ambian.

I agree with one of the previous posters who remarked that voices/conversations are actually more clear when wearing the headphones. In fact, when I wear mine, I can quite clearly hear each word of a conversation spoken in a moderate level several rows away. It's actually quite weird.

NC headphones cancel low- to mid-frequencies. Human speech is above the band of frequencies they attenuate, therefore is not suppressed.

But in-the-ear "plug" earphones cancel all frequencies by simply not letting them in. Ditto "over-the-ear" headphones do better than "on-the-ear" styles, but I've worn the former on long flights and the neck and ear fatigue induced me to buy "on-the-ear" Sennheiser HDC 451s that are more than adequate for the mission.

If a nearby screamer becomes a nuisance, I just switch the MP3 to Wagner and ambient noise becomes a non-issue.

And I AM grateful that you aren't trying to cancel out one of the most picturesque river valleys in France.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oise

Nothing will drown out the noise of a screaming baby - except stopping the screaming (often due to ear pain because parents don;t know babies need to suck to balance liquid in their ear canals during flight).

"Balance liquid?"

No, they need to equalize the air pressure between their middle ear which is at the ambient pressure where the airplane took off (and where the eustachian tubes terminate) and the outer ear, which is at cabin pressure (typically about 9,000 feet).

And a good earplug-type earset certainly will attenuate the caterwauling to a comfortable level.

This post refers to the Sennheiser brand but with technology advancing so fast I wonder if anyone has purchased either of these two:
The Solitude with Linx
http://tinyurl.com/2aq3yr
or
The Plane Quiet NC7
http://tinyurl.com/29zw35
From the research I've done they are just as good as the Bose Q3 and a lot less expensive. There is a vast difference between the 2 of them in their cost and one seems bulkier than the other. The larger one has an area inside its case that would accommodate my iPod and having enough room is not an issue. I am just wondering if it is worth it to spend that much more.
As usual, I thought I should check on Fodorites' opinions prior to making such a purchase and eargely await your replies.
Michele

If you want to sleep rather than listen to music (or audio books or anything else), why not skip the headsets altogether and use inexpensive foam earplugs? Just a couple of $$ a box.

A variety of brands are available, some more comfortable and/or effective than others. I prefer the Quies brand foam earplugs, but I don't know if they're available in the U.S., I get mine in Belgium and France. I've found the Quies brand foam earplugs to be very effective at blocking out disruptive noises on flights, including crying babies.

Most aircraft already have noise cancelling speakers in the cabin to reduce ambient noise.The headphones you buy just take this a bit further.
Only works for ambient noise, not babies!